Feature: 'Overjoyed' Is A Switch-Compatible, One-Finger Accessibility App That's Available Now

We can all agree that Nintendo isn't exactly a games industry forerunner in terms of accessibility. The lack of being able to quickly and easily remap buttons in many Nintendo first-party games is just a start, but there are often mechanics that require multiple button prompts, or simple commands that require you to press different buttons per game.

It's not an across-the-board problem, but we know Nintendo can — and should — do better. Both Sony and Microsoft have their own accessibility controllers: the PS Access Controller and the Xbox Adaptive Controller. They're pricey, but that's still more than Nintendo can say.

This has led to players such as Anthony DeVergillo, a 31-year-old digital communications expert and the Vice Board Chair at the non-profit organisation Our Odyssey, taking matters into their own hands. Through Our Odyssey, which aims to improve digital accessibility for those living with rare and chronic conditions, Anthony has developed the Overjoyed Accessible Controller, a digital overlay interface that enables you to play video games through the use of just one finger or even through eye and facial recognition.

"The name of the controller is Overjoyed because it's an overlayed joystick," Anthony shared with us, "but also, it is a feeling you get when you're able to play a game again."

OverGalaxy

Speaking to Anthony via Zoom, he told us about how he came up with the idea for the Overjoyed Accessible Controller back in 2020.

"I got Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and I was excited to play it because I've never actually played Super Mario Galaxy. I've played [Super Mario] 64, I've played a little of [Super Mario] Sunshine. So I decided to try out Galaxy, until I turned it on and it asked me to point my controller up at the screen and choose a world or choose a save file."

...there is no reason it had to require a moving controller.

Anthony lives with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy — a rare disorder that gradually weakens the muscles over time — making mandatory gyro or motion controls difficult. It can also make using multiple fingers challenging, too.

"I asked for help and I started playing. I was like, 'Okay that was a little annoying.' But I could still play the game. I beat the whole tutorial and then it said, 'In order to save, point the controller at the screen.' I can't lift the controller at all, right? So that kind of got me on my journey."

This barrier for something as basic as saving your game was the "last straw" for Anthony, but Super Mario Galaxy's other forced motion control moments made other parts of the game challenging, "A lot of motion in that game could just be [on] the right stick — there is no reason it had to require a moving controller."

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD came up naturally in conversation as a way that Nintendo acknowledged that motion controls didn't need to be mandatory and can be complemented with button-input alternatives. Nintendo is apparently aware of the issues and barriers it can create when it forces players to use motion controls. So, for Anthony, "with Nintendo, it's 'random' accessibility."

OverDue

Issues with Super Mario Galaxy started off the whole process at the beginning of 2020, when Anthony "reached out to a Facebook group called The Playability Initiative."

"I shared my idea in there and said, 'Oh, any developers interested in helping?' And one developer named Jonah [Monaghan] reached out to me and said, 'I love your idea. Let's do this.'"

I decided to look at the code and learn from what he did and what we did in live streams.

To Anthony, creating this software was only part of the process — he wanted people to know about Overjoyed, so asked Jonah, "'Are you okay with live streaming the entire process so we can get awareness?' And he said, 'Sure' right away." Anthony's passion for advocacy and visibility are crucial to the success of Overjoyed, and in streaming the whole process over two years, the two were able to get eyes on this ambitious yet simple project.

"About probably two years in we had a minimal viable product. And then Jonah had to go back to school and start working again so he couldn't work on Overjoyed anymore. I didn't want to just wait for him to have more free time, so I decided to look at the code and learn from what he did and what we did in live streams." So by using Jonah's live streams, and googling and scouring YouTube for solutions, Anthony essentially taught himself to code in C# to make Overjoyed a reality.

Over and over

But how exactly does Overjoyed work?

Essentially, Overjoyed is an overlay where you can map movements and buttons to a wheel that's split into eight portions, with a middle circle that contains another three 'buttons' in the centre that can be activated by clicking the mouse or by using the wheel. It's endlessly customisable, and with a little bit of set-up, you can play virtually any game by just using a single finger or movement. The software can be used for PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch games via computer.

We were showed just how Overjoyed works by using what Anthony jokingly called "the best game ever — Microsoft Word." Demonstrating the wheel, Anthony set up Overjoyed so that, depending on what direction he moved the mouse, it would respond by reading that as a key input. Clicking the 'dead zone' in the centre added spaces while moving the mouse up typed the letter 'W'. Seeing it in action, it's a wonder that no one has ever come up with the idea of using the mouse as a single-input controller before.

"I always had the idea, you know like the joystick on a tablet or a phone when you're playing a phone game?" he told us. "Why doesn't that exist on a computer? Because I can move my mouse, so let's figure out a way to use my mouse to play." Anthony's demo hammered home how simple the system is. Going into Overjoyed's settings, you can change the sensitivity of the controller by making the window larger or smaller, turning quadrants of the wheel on and off, and even altering whether inputs require you to click or hold the mouse where it is.

"That's really good for Mario Kart, where you can hold the gas the entire time and then turn it off and on. And then what's really good for a rhythm game is pressing the button once so it won't hold it when you're in the zone. So imagine if you're going left, right, right, like to hit the keys, then you can set options for left click and right click. There are 33 different actions you can set with your mouse."

It is, as Anthony puts it, a system that you can "fine-tune as much as you need to," and a way to make so many more games so much more accessible to players.

However, to use the software with the Switch, however, you do need a little bit of extra kit — but that's where the good folks at 8BitDo come in.

8-Bit Do-Over

To use Overjoyed with the Nintendo Switch, you need the 8BitDo Micro Bluetooth Gamepad. While setting this up is an extra step where you may need a hand, 8BitDo's help has been essential to the project.

I always had the idea, you know like the joystick on a tablet or a phone when you're playing a phone game? Why doesn't that exist on a computer?

"They love accessibility," Anthony told us at the beginning of our chat, and he was full of praise for the company throughout our conversation. "It really started with me just reaching out to them and saying, 'I want to be able to play the Switch, can you help? I have Overjoyed, I want [it] to be able to work with the Switch.' They responded I think within five hours and they said, 'We'd love to help. Let's [see] what can we do.'"

The collaboration involved the controller company and Anthony working together and using the Gbros wireless Adaptor as a basis for Overjoyed on Switch. "Basically, Overjoyed tells this [the Micro] controller to press a button, and then [8BitDo's] adapter sends that button command to the Switch wirelessly over Bluetooth."

The controller is plugged into the computer, and after a bit of help getting everything plugged in, you can tell the Micro (via Overjoyed) to do everything for the Switch, including turning it on. "Without them, Nintendo Switch support would be impossible."

PikOver

One game that came up in our conversation was Pikmin 4. After demonstrating Suika Game with the controller, we were curious about how a 3D game with multiple moving parts and strategising could be handled with Overjoyed. The results? A resounding success.

"I've unlocked a lot so far," Anthony told us upon loading his save file, getting as far as the end of the Seafloor Resort. His opinion on the game itself seems to have been the only factor limiting his progress. "To be honest, the game got a little repetitive after a while. So that's why I have all these guys [the leaflings] here I didn't get medicine for."

Despite having played through Pikmin 4 ourselves, one thing that quickly became apparent is just how many commands and buttons there are to remember. Anthony demonstrated running around, gathering Pikmin, and throwing Pikmin in the hub area — all done with one thumb — but he encountered one issue when first playing through the game.

"One of these is a 'recenter camera' [button]... This is where I have to figure out, because it doesn't tell you." Pikmin 4 may have a lengthy opening tutorial, but many of its most useful commands are either tucked away in later tutorials or require you to click in joysticks.

But using Overjoyed and programming it so that 'ZL' (the button for changing the camera) is recognised when the mouse returns to a neutral position, the camera basically became seamless, always following Anthony's spacefarer and Pikmin around wherever he went.

The No Controller Challenge

During our chat, Anthony also told us about an initiative the team want to get started called the No Controller Challenge — getting big YouTubers, content creators, and streamers involved in getting the word about Overjoyed out there.

"What that is, is using Overjoyed to play a game without using a traditional controller." The idea is to swap control methods players are used to for a different input — one that is vital for many, but many players may have never considered — and playing games through different means. It's a clever initiative in a medium where people will beat games like Dark Souls using the Donkey Konga bongo drums or Breath of the Wild using a dance mat.

Multiple streamers have gained traction for taking on 'challenges' like this, so swapping these normal controllers or peripherals for software that some need for day-to-day playing is an intriguing way to get the word out there.

How you can help

Overjoyed is an extremely impressive piece of kit, incredibly easy to set up, and an important development. Even with just an hour of watching Anthony demonstrate the software and talking us through it and his inspirations, we can understand just how important accessibility options like this are for many players.

The software is out of beta testing and available now for just $4.99 on the Microsoft Store. For Switch games, you'll also need the Micro Adapter from 8BitDo.

The controller launched on 2nd April 2024, and to celebrate, the team at Our Odyssey will be hosting a celebratory live stream on Saturday 6th April at 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 9pm BST. You can register for the stream over on Luma or head to the Our Odyssey Twitch channel directly.

Our Odyssey also has a website and presence on social media such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. On the latter, Anthony has VODs of previous streams for games such as Overcooked! and Banjo-Tooie, all played using Overjoyed.

Thank you so much to Our Odyssey and to Anthony for taking the time to speak to us about Overjoyed. Let us know whether you'll be trying this out with your Switch — or any console — in the comments.

Please note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.