Xbox Series X|S Receives Major Accessibility Overhaul

Xbox have added new accessibility features to their Xbox Series X|S console to make gaming more accessible. Score!

It’s not just on the Xbox Series X|S either – there are improvements coming to the Microsoft Store and to controllers. In a quote on their website, the company said:

“On our accessibility journey, we know that to achieve our goals to make gaming a place where everyone can have fun, we need to continue to innovate and bring new accessibility features to our platform and games.”

We love to see it. Here’s a little video explainer about the changes:

YouTube video

Accessibility features

One feature we really like is the addition of game accessibility feature tags. The Microsoft Store on Xbox will display the accessibility features available in each game. It means you can check out the features in advance, before investing in a game that won’t be accessible to you. 

On the console ‘Ease of Access’ has been changed to ‘Accessibility’ in the settings. A simple but useful change. They’re also adding a Quick Settings feature, to allow you to quickly change Accessibility settings. 

Later this month, new colour filters will be added to the Xbox Series X|S. This will be useful for colour-blind gamers, or those with colour vision deficiency. You’ll be able to tweak these to suit your specific needs too – for example editing the red or green tones.

Also coming soon – players around the world will get access to Speech-to-Text / Text-to-Speech options. There’s also a Night Mode Display coming, which will help gamers with sensitivity to light as well as those of us trying to get a better night’s sleep.

Xbox are also rolling out next-gen features to other controllers – including better cross-device connectivity and reduced latency. These were features that were exclusive to the Xbox Series X|S controllers, but will now be available on Xbox Wireless Controller, Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 and the Xbox Adaptive Controller. You can read more details about the accessibility features on Xbox’s website

Xbox Aqua Shift controller rubber grips design change
Credit: Microsoft

Microsoft is also running a free course on game accessibility, for anyone who wants to learn more about this important work. A cool move.

What do you think about these changes? Will they improve your gaming experience? Let us know via our social media channels.

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