Revolution Offers Hope For Disabled Gamers?

Via Joystiq, an article on Mercury News discussing the possible benefits to disabled gamers via use of Nintendo's unique Revolution control scheme. From the article: "Like many people with spinal-cord injuries that affect all four limbs, Taft retains some use of his arms and hands. But it's not enough for effectively operating the typical two-hand game device. He's confident his relatively strong right hand will be able to manipulate the new controller, which is part of the Revolution game system that's still under development by Nintendo."

Re:Well, at least someone is optimistic about it..

[chrismcdirty]

Where have you been reading negative impressions of this? From what I've been reading, developers who have actually had a hands-on experience with it are extremely excited by it. It seems those who haven't touched it (3DRealms CEO) are the ones who have given negative impressions.

Re:This is precisely what I'm worried about

[Aquariette]

You're not taking into account the motion sensitivity. If the controller were two-handed, then you'd need to move both hands for one movement. It would be like using two of those one-handed NES controllers you describe, and having to press the same button on both for it to register.

Not so sure

[killmenow]

Why couldn't it be done such that one controller in one hand could get you through the game, (making certain features automatic or supplemented by the console/game) but still configurable such that you could take over the automatic functions by using a second controller in your other hand? Speaking of the Metroid series, one controller could easily be assigned movement and fire, with automatic aiming turned on...or two controllers could be used with one assigned to weapons control and the other to movement.

It seems to me those new controllers are designed (waiting and ready) for games to take advantage of one player using one controller in each hand.

Dear 3rd (hell, even 1st) Party Peripheral Makers

[kevin.fowler]

Teaching/TA'ing/Subbing in a few Middle school programs, I had a chance to work with a lot of disabled kids. Bright kids who enjoyed the same activities as their classmates. Some of them tried ridiculously hard to play video games, even though the conventional controller designs were prohibitive. If any game company were to embrace adaptive technology, I certain feel like Nintendo would. And I would applaud it.

Games aren't made with any thought to the disabled

[SleepyHappyDoc]

And they should be. There are a lot of us, ranging from car accident victims to war veterans to crazy old men with perceptual disorders like me. If a game company stepped up to the plate and spent the small amount they would need to make a game accessible (integrate it with MS's text-to-speech and other accessibility features; permit simplified game control layouts, even if they allow less of the game to be fully explored, as long as it's finishable with the reduced control set; there's a million ways), I'm certain disabled gamers would respond. I'm not talking about targetting games solely at that section of the market, just removing the artificial and unnecessary barriers that exists as it is, adding features to normal game releases.

Re:I am disabled....sort of...

[Lehk228]

try out polarium, it's a stylus only puzzle game and it gets wicked hard as well as allowing custom puzzles

Few People *Aren't* Handicapped...

[macserv]

...when it comes to modern video game systems - at least, emotionally. That's the problem Nintendo strives to correct. Most people, outside of a core group of gamers, won't even pick up a controller. And who can blame them? A DualShock 2 has 17 buttons! Seventeen! The Revolution controller is much more akin to a computer mouse, or even a simple pointer, offering direct manipulation of the game.

Non-gamers love direct manipulation... it's the reason my girlfriend plays her Nintendo DS so much. She won't touch my PlayStation 2. With the DS, in many games you don't use the controller to tell a representative character what to do, you just do it.

The fact that it allows adaptation for physically handicapped individuals is gravy, and a very tasty gravy indeed. Country gravy, even. Imagine that... so much is possible when a company innovates.

Re:This is precisely what I'm worried about

[Phantasmo]

If Nintendo can make a solid platformer that's controlled with bongo drums, they can certainly make plenty of great games for the one-handed and nunchaku Revolution controllers.