The Xbox Adaptive Controller works on the Nintendo Switch

In an interesting turn of events, Microsoft's much praised Xbox Adaptive Controller can work on the Nintendo Switch.

[CloudStrife900]

I don't know much about the controller myself, or at least as far as its support is concerned. But, it would be nice to see Microsoft allowing this for use on any gaming platform, and vice versa, any gaming platform allowing this to be used on said platform. Accessibility is accessibility, after all...

[Obscure_Observer]

@CloudStrife900

That would be amazing though i doubt that Sony would ever allow it.

[Imortus_san]

Just buy a Brook adaptor and it will work on any console from this gen and last gen.

[lxeasy]

Thats pretty cool.

[XtaZ]

MS are already allowing this tech for use on any other platform.

[rainslacker]

I agree. Something like this is a great way to get more people into gaming.

Sometimes, console war walls have to come down in the interest of the greater good, and that goes for the companies that are in that war as well.

I know Sony could go and make their own thing for this, but I feel that having a single solution that works in a single way, with a standard API across all platforms is the best way to insure support. If you get a bunch of different controllers, then it just makes things convoluted for the developer, and that means less support. It also means less chance of people with disabilities being able to choose whatever they want, and that's a bad deal for them.

The only down side, is that the controller would have to keep improving over time with feedback, and having a single company making or controlling licensing on such a device could stall innovation. But, having the companies work together to make it better, maybe with accessories which could be added for different needs of the consumer, could lead to a great new market, which would be as inclusive as possible.

I'm always impressed at some of these videos we see of disabled people who adapt to standard controllers to play games, and I respect their dedication to overcome their disabilities. But, they shouldn't have to adapt, we should embrace and encourage them to play, and lowering the barrier of entry for those who have so many barriers already, is the best way to do that.

@Immortus

That will just convert standard controller inputs. The device itself can mimic those, but it can also be programmed using a direct API, which allows for more flexibility in controls. the adapter won't work for that proprietary API, and that's the best way for developers to support the device.

[AizenSosuke]

Interesting honestly, imagine smash with adaptive controller :)

[Obscure_Observer]

Switch and Xbox One shares games, crossplay and now devices! Thanks Phil! :)

[rob-GP]

Title and description are a bit misleading. Basically, Vince uses the Magic NS dongle - which is an unofficial device which allows any USB device to work on the switch as if it's a pro controller. As such, literally anything which is plugged into it will work just fine.

the description makes it sound like he4's just took it out of the box and it instantly works.

[rainslacker]

That's a bit disappointing. I can't really pull up webpages on my phone.:(

But, since the topic is out there, I think Sony and nintendo should work with MS to make this work on the different consoles. Even if they only license the tech to the companies to make their own device...or to some third party company to make them. But, in the end, it should have a single API for devs to implement. Multiple API's would make them all less likely to be implemented with all the abilities the controller has.

This is probably the best thing MS came up with this gen. Anything that can bring in more players through accessibility is a good thing.

[rob-GP]

True. I know MS said if anyone wants to use it then they are free to do so, but I imagine it’s not that easy from a business perspective. Sony and Nintendo will most likely have to pay something or open their API a little to allow in the foreign device - a device you can fully re-program on PC out of their control. Technically, someone could take advantage of that and find a backdoor into their systems though - so I don’t see it happening.

The device Vince used basically imitates a pro controller, so it’s still using the same API with no alterations or possible backdoors.

[rainslacker]

Kind of hard to say, but since MS is likely the one that would manufacture the hardware even for PS, they'd likely have to license the rights to release it as an official product for Sony to include the API's which can use the unique features of the product. That would mean MS is more likely to have to pay Sony. Kind of like how Mad Katz or someone would to release a 3rd party controller on the system...although Sony would have to include the extra API's in their SDK's, which MS allows for free through the DirectX license. Same deal with Nintendo really.

Maybe Sony or Nintendo would be willing to do it for free though, if they felt it was a good enough thing for the users, and realistically, I can't see why they'd be willing to not allow it for business reasons, unless they decide to make their own device.

[FlyGuyHung]

Im pretty sure there was an article that talked about how Microsoft shared this tech with both Sony and Nintendo, or wants to.

*goes to google* ....I found an article on it via "CinemaBlend"

https://www.cinemablend.com...

[rainslacker]

Good on MS for that then. Glad they are approaching this device with the right mindset. I really like how much thought they put into the layout, and the ability to add peripherals really helps to make it as inclusive as possible.

I really hope this device is successful. Other attempts were never at a system level, and they barely got any support, so they were relegated to button mapping. That can work up to a point, but simple button mapping isn't always practical.

I hope Sony and Nintendo get on board, and even help with developing peripherals. As time goes on, I hope they can all work together to make the devices better for what is going to be a variety of needs from the different users out there.