In an interview with Inverse, former Nintendo boss Reggie Fils-Aimé shared that an adaptive controller was in development. The interview starts with his thoughts on the “metaverse” and associated techniques. He sees these in a more positive light than most in the industry, at least those below an executive paygrade. He also talks about the industry needing to be more diverse itself, to effectively cater to a diverse market.
The talk about diversity leads us to accessibility, specifically for the hardware. Fils-Aimé reveals to Inverse that an adaptive controller was in the works in 2019 when he retired from Nintendo. The initiative regarded the Xbox Adaptive Controller (XAC) as a jumping-off point, a wish we’ve heard expressed from the people behind the XAC. Interesting about this controller is that it would be compatible with all platforms, not just the Nintendo Switch. Its aim was to give players a single solution for all of their systems. At this moment (adaptive) controller support across consoles is limited without the using additional hardware.
If we will see this controller from Nintendo is uncertain, as Fils-Aimé is not sure if it is still in development. In his own words: “My hope is that controller — and the ability for that controller to connect with all of the various systems — is launched and shared with consumers as quickly as possible.” And that is something we at Can I Play That? certainly agree with.
