Hori Releases Accessibility Controller For The Nintendo Switch

This is fab. Love seeing inclusion anywhere, not just gaming.

@ProudGrimleal I remember reading the "accessibility controller" Nintendo made for the NES was also incredibly expensive (I mean to buy originally, it goes without saying the collectible value is surely high). I think it was called the Handsfree Controller and I remember the big part of it was a straw to allow the user to control the game with their mouth (I assume it was like wiggle straw for D-Pad, sip for A, blow for B or something).

With it being a very specific design for a relatively limited audience (compared to standard controllers), they'd probably need to charge more per unit for the R&D and such.

That's really cool. I've been happy with Hori's Switch offerings (I have their split pad Pro and a wireless Zelda controller) so the quality will be solid I'm sure.

Having had a seriously ill and disabled child myself, this will undoubtedly give immense pleasure to many. Great to see

I kinda want one as an alternative to standard controllers. Looks useful for speed runs.

Man I love this. But the price tag is not exactly "accessible" 😕. I'm not saying that the price is a counterargument against valiant efforts to include people, i just feel like more people might get a chance to experience a for them potentially positive activity, if the price was lower.
Idk, I'd love to hear some more opinions on what I said. I'm not stating it as definitive critique or something, just speculation.

Really glad to see another option for those whose disability makes gaming harder. Hope this helps as many people as possible.

Nintendo themselves should be making their own accessibility controller for the Switch.

@KingMike D-Pad was controlled by the player's chin, which rested on a shallow cup, attached to the end of a thin joystick. A and B is handled as you described. I remember seeing an article in Nintendo Power about it decades ago. It was used in hospitals much like the Wii was/is.

EDIT: Makes me wonder if insurance or a flexible medical spending account would help pay for one for private use.

@StefanN I wouldn't be surprised if that price is quite close what it costs to make. There will be a fair bit of custom, low volume electronics in there - things like the programming for that 'mode' toggle - and even components like robust tripod threads aren't that cheap to integrate. I doubt it's something that Hori are making a huge amount of profit per unit on.

Hopefully various government and charity bodies will get on board to make the things more accessible to the intended end users.

Man, with a bunch of big buttons like that, it'd be perfect for playing Pop N' Music (if Konami ever decides to bring it back)

@StefanN As a parent of a disabled child I can tell you first hand that adding the word "Accessible" to almost anything guarantees the price doubles (at least). £180 for the controller, but assuming it doesn't come with the joystick or oversized buttons either and those things are pricey. Recently looked into getting my son a joystick and button combo as a mouse replacement for PC and similar buttons to those in the pic were about £40 each. So depending on how many buttons or sticks you need this can easily cost £500+ by the time you've set it up for your particular needs.

Ended up using a cheap 3rd party Xbox controller and joy2key software to replicate the mouse. Works ok for a fraction of the price.

Good on HORI but the pricing needs to be appropriate. Even if they feel it may be a "niche market".

I don't understand what all the jacks are for, but I suppose there'll be further clarification from enthusiasts once this is released. Lack of wireless functionality would be a deal-breaker where my sister is concerned. It's also extremely expensive, and with shipping, it will likely cost as much as a Switch Lite at full RRP.

My sister has a few disabilities and I have a Switch with some games ready for her (which I have been sitting on for over a year now), but I need to set it up in such a way that she cannot remove the console from the dock or otherwise drop the dock itself. I'm thinking of only giving her a right Joy-Con for the time being (with a charging grip) and maybe a Pro Controller later on. Wired controllers or accessories of any kind are completely out of the question. The games also must be playable for somebody with her lack of hand-eye coordination and relatively mild spasticity (she can walk and do most household activities independently, but she is extremely clumsy, and assistance is advisable). I bought her a 2DS with Pokémon Sun for her birthday about 3 years ago, which is miraculously still in good working order. She beat all of the trials, mostly independently, and I am so proud of her as it is extremely difficult for her to play games where movement is controlled using the analog stick(s).

Either way, my sister probably wouldn't benefit from this as she is mobile enough to be able to use the standard controllers (for the most part), but I will definitely take it into consideration.

Incidentally, she has a small TV unit next to her wall-mounted TV with a Blu-ray player, which she has dropped on a few occasions, but it is in otherwise good working order. The reason for the Blu-ray player is so that I can burn her custom discs with around 10-15 hours of material (mostly SD, hence the high number of hours, and some moderate-bitrate HD) so she won't have to change discs so often (and they're also cheap to replace if damaged, and are more hardy than DVDs). If I were to get her a media box and the external hard drive were to take a tumble, it would be a lot more costly to replace considering how often she breaks/drops things. I've replaced her TV remote about seven times. With the Blu-rays, I also include custom menus, chapter points, and sped-up closing credits.

Back to the topic at hand, this is the kind of accessibility and inclusiveness that I love to see. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has been such a boon for very young children and people with disabilities (even people with vision impairments can play!). I hope we see more of the like in future, especially with AAA releases.

Pricing is outrageous! Although I am not surprised, I work in a Disability service and sadly accessibilty software/hardware is often set at premium prices.

I commend Hori for this inclusive move but wonder whether the people who benefit from this product will forgive the lack of HD rumble and built in battery?

I always love seeing these things pop up.
Kudos for covering it!

Just to echo everyone else: what a wonderful device, with a very high price.
This probably reflects the R&D and components. Wonder if there is a way of getting the price subsidised somehow?
Edit: it being wired is unfortunate as well.

For everyone saying it is expensive (and it is), there are charities like Special Effect which help disabled people play games. You can donate or get involved with fund raising on their website.

Damn this thing must be incredible given the price.... It's double what the Xbox adaptive controller costs and that thing has rave reviews from what I've seen. Controller is 70 dollars cheaper than the console it's made for.

As a disabled individual, it's genuinely heartwarming to see hardware manufacturers strive for more inclusion and make it as easy as possible for anyone to pick up a controller and play. If only the games themselves as a whole would get with the program...

@Silly_G The jacks let you plug in additional input devices, like those large buttons in the last pic.

@StefanN i think cost is high but for the low production run compnents i doubt hori will actually break even with them

@chagrined : Ah, that makes sense.

I always like seeing stuff like this.

@Anguspuss @dmcc0 @oatmaster

Thanks for the replies! I didn't know production costs were so high for a controller like this. Still a bummer that they are, but at least it's understandable then :/.

Really good on them for creating this.

@Natosha12 I like Skyrim and The Sims 3

I absolutely love this! My daughter has some neurological issues and can't hold regular controllers that well. This is going to be amazing for her!!!

Awesome that more people with a disability can have a alternate controller for their needs, but yes these controllers can be expensive by the time you add the extra buttons needed for your specifics. Well done to Hori for helping more people getting in the game.

Thumbs up Hori!

You rock HORI!
No gamer left behind!

@westman98 What??? Nintendo aren't medical engineers so nothing wrong for them pay another company that is to make em =:3

Hope they fixed the drift problem by now in the process, lol =XD

Gives new meaning to let's everyone play...