The Xbox Adaptive controller is widely praised, but at $99.99 for base model that requires add-ons for additional prices, is it cost prohibitive?

[Bugalugs214]

My son has mecp2 and cant talk or walk, he got a big red button that copies 10 secs of talking or music and plays it back when he hits the button and it cost $200 AUD, id say $99 u.s dollars for something as new and clever as this microsoft controller is a great deal at that price.

 

[JustinH]

As an outsider to all of this*, I never thought it was "prohibitively expensive," but just always thought that something like providing a person with certain disabilities the opportunity to play games is just going to be at a cost that isn't cheap. Comparing to the already existing solutions, the XAC is, at least from what I assumed and remember from seeing people posting ablegamer parts or whatever the company is named, is a cheaper solution.

People have been posting the "65 dollar button" since this thing was revealed (actually, I think I remember seeing people angrily post about a 30 dollar button back when this was shown off first), but I've always taken it as these are things that need to be extra durable to hold up, and they're not simply buttons that would be pressed with the tip of a thumb, but a button that would be slapped, punched, or otherwise "smashed" especially with the excitement of a video game on the line. I have no actual experience with these buttons though, so I'm only going on assumptions.

I don't think I will ever not be happy when I think about the XAC though. I mean, being stuck in a hospital for months at a time sucks when you've got nothing to look forward to except getting your therapy done so you can go back and sit in your room some more and do nothing. I think helping disabled people be able to take their minds off the "grind" they might be living with is fantastic.


*I don't need an XAC, but I do suffer from hemiparesis. It used to be worse, as my left arm still like... "seizes" up when I try to do delicate things with my left hand (why my guitars are now wall ornaments) and I've literally thrown controllers behind me in the past accidentally (and that was with a Final Fantasy game!). Worst I have it now is that I basically twist my hand around the left analog stick rather than solely using my thumb to keep my left arm from getting sore.

It's ridiculously cheap. I've worked with disabled gamers that had custom setups for them that cost over 3000$ freakin dollars.

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Good God...

 

[JimmyJacking]

But with more gamers being disabled meaning they can now play more games instead of very slow and simple to control. they can play almost everything.

Which means they can buy a fuck ton more games because they can finally play them all.

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Yes... That was obviously the driving force of MS making the XAC..

It was purely financial reason to get higher attach rates...

 

[Daebo]

But with more gamers being disabled meaning they can now play more games instead of very slow and simple to control. they can play almost everything.

Which means they can buy a fuck ton more games because they can finally play them all.

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Holy shit. I'm as cynical a person as they come. But holy shit.

 

[Masterspeed]

Holy shit. I'm as cynical a person as they come. But holy shit.

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Omg I didn't mean it to come out like that. Wow, that makes me sound really bad, sorry but that wasn't the intention.

Fuck that's embarrassing for me.

 

[The Iron Banana]

A better way to phrase your question would be: "at 100 dollars is it priced appropriately for what it does?". The way you worded it automatically assumes it's expensive to someone not in the know. It'd be a good idea not to lead someone with a presumptive assumption.

 

[XDevil666]

Trust me in the medical world, this controller is a bargain and worth every penny to the people who use it

 

[TheBeardedOne]

I remember reading that they weren't making money off of it. I also think it's an incredible initiative and applaud it. I don't need one, but am glad to know that it will help a lot of people game. The videos Microsoft released almost made me cry.

For $100, I think it's a pretty good deal. Sure, it's not a small amount of money, but it's not much more than an average controller, isn't being sold for profit and is surely a lot cheaper than some of the custom set-ups these folks had to fork out for.

 

[pswii60]

Omg I didn't mean it to come out like that. Wow, that makes me sound really bad, sorry but that wasn't the intention.

Fuck that's embarrassing for me.

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:)

 

[samred]

Many of the points I made in my hands-on articles about XAC have been made. But I'd like to add a few more.

1) $100 for two durable, large, springy-yet-strong buttons, which operate as well with a feather's touch as they do with a full foot both in terms of immediacy and force feedback, is right on par with the $150+ people pay for that kind of button- and joystick-quality guarantee in a fighting stick. Similar independent buttons tend to cost about $40 a pop, and these don't always include the rubberized feet and comfortable 5% slope that XAC does.

2) Before XAC, the best similar hub-like device I could find cost $400, lacked accessible buttons on its own face, and lacked native XB1 and Win10 functionality. That product isn't even for sale anymore. XAC is changing the face of the market and pricing for this sector, and thank goodness.

 

[Deleted member 36493]

It would be nice if it were the same price as a standard controller but it sounds like it's already being sold at a loss so..

 

[totowhoa]

Seems reasonably priced for something that's niche, with oddball parts to me.

 

[shoyz]

I saw another accessibility device on Linus's channel, 'QuadJoy', the mouth-operated mouse. A niche within a niche, but for comparison looking at the website the base package they sell starts at $1400. Add an additional $80 if you want a pipe mountable clamp, and as much as $225 extra for the wheelchair jack interface.

$100 for a device like this seems really generously priced.

 

[Komo]

I saw another accessibility device on Linus's channel, 'QuadJoy', the mouth-operated mouse. A niche within a niche, but for comparison looking at the website the base package they sell starts at $1400. Add an additional $80 if you want a pipe mountable clamp, and as much as $225 extra for the wheelchair jack interface.

$100 for a device like this seems really generously priced.

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Yeah those prices Microsoft is offering is literally because they are Microsoft. You couldn't get the quality, and R&D behind it on any of the products you can buy, just on the sole fact that nobody has the money to research all this. And to say that most companies that are looking to invest won't invest in a company that is researching, because it really doesn't make anyone any money.

 

[cyrribrae]

The XAC has been lauded by many, including Time Magazine that listed it as one of the best inventions of 2018, but I've heard from a few members of the disabled community that it is still quite cost prohibitive, particularly given that the base model (which is nearly twice as expensive as a regular controller) is more of a "hub" for additional add-on hardware than a fully functioning controller on its own.

Do any disabled gamers here have thoughts on the XAC? Can there be improvements to the model and price point? How do you feel about all the positive press for Microsoft recently? Are you happy with the XAC?

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Clearly you've done your own homework already on this, and don't need to hear more uninformed impressions from the rest of us. I'm curious if you've gotten a chance to talk with some of the charities that do a lot of work in these spaces? If you haven't, I'm sure they could connect you much better to gamers using or considering this and other devices than this site. And if you already have, I'd love to hear more about those conversations.

 

[Outrun]

I mean, it IS expensive, but there's a bunch of organizations out there willing to make them affordable or even free for those in need.

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Yeah.

This is cheap as far as assistive devices.

 

[ThatsMyTrunks]

It is cost-prohibitive, but not overpriced. It's an expensive piece of very specialized tech, but it's more financially accessible than previous custom configurations. But it may still be too expensive for people who might need it to play.

 

[MilesQ]

The XAC has been lauded by many, including Time Magazine that listed it as one of the best inventions of 2018, but I've heard from a few members of the disabled community that it is still quite cost prohibitive, particularly given that the base model (which is nearly twice as expensive as a regular controller) is more of a "hub" for additional add-on hardware than a fully functioning controller on its own.

Do any disabled gamers here have thoughts on the XAC? Can there be improvements to the model and price point? How do you feel about all the positive press for Microsoft recently? Are you happy with the XAC?

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I'm curious what those people were paying before the XAC that they find it expensive in comparison.

Or were they simply not playing videogames?

 

[statham]

It is cost-prohibitive, but not overpriced. It's an expensive piece of very specialized tech, but it's more financially accessible than previous custom configurations. But it may still be too expensive for people who might need it to play.

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https://twitter.com/AbleGamers/status/1100762049691439106
https://ablegamers.org/fundraising/

These are good peeps.

 

[TooLive]

As others have said, MS doesn't make any profit from this controller and have offer to technology to it's competitors (Sony and Nintendo) for free. This product was conceived by MS employees in a (for lack of better words) internal company wide tech fair. Employees are allow to brain storm, create, and build tech or software not necessarily related to their day to day job at MS. I believe MS CEO Satya Nadella is a the father of a child that suffers with some form of disability and he was immediately on board with making the adaptive controller. The company's focus on expanding access seems to be coming from a genuine place IMO...

 

[LogN-]

It's kinda pricey, but if you have a child that would greatly benefit from the device you'll spend what you need for their happiness. Especially when it helps them feel good about themselves and boosts their confidence.

I'm sure it's not cheap to make it either, so I can understand the price point.

 

[bangai-o]

I mean, it IS expensive, but there's a bunch of organizations out there willing to make them affordable or even free for those in need.

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If parents are able to justify it, then public schools can pay for it as part of a child's IEP. Actually, a school would likely rather pay 100 dollars for this, as opposed to any of the other 2000-4000 dollar devices out there.

 

[aglioeoglio]

Figured I'd follow up on my previous thread from a few weeks back about disabled gaming hardware costs with the completed story. Happy to hear anyone's thoughts on this issue and provide whatever insight I've gained in the course of covering this. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/h...-disabled-gamers-a-barrier-some-users-1190595

 

[Amirai]

It's a good article. It's a problem with no solution I can think of, as custom tech with a small market simple doesn't have the economy of scale to get the costs down. I'm disabled and literally penniless because I can't work. I'm trapped in my house because of health problems, so having something like VR would have been really helpful for my mental state for quite a while, but there was just no way I could afford it. My family eventually got me a new computer because my previous one could barely run anything anymore and a Lenovo explorer that was on sale (which was defective and needed extra shipping costs to send it back and get it fixed, whee), but asking me to purchase a hundred dollar item with my own efforts is like asking me to climb a mountain or win a gold medal in the olympics. I just can't, and without someone else funding the tech that could help, it stays out of reach of some of the people they're trying to help.