The video above is a glimpse of some of the research and development game accessibility work I'm doing at the moment for SpecialEffect.
When I first got my hands on the build your own controller Makey Makey kit, I was disappointed to find that it wouldn't connect to an Xbox 360 or PS3 via any adapters I had to hand. With the brilliant Cronus Device and a PC, it will. This enables custom very light pressure controls to be used in a wide variety of ways.
Quick D.I.Y. Help: 1. Link your PS3 and PC using the Cronus Device and supplied Cronus cable. 2. Start the Bullseye software. 3. Download, import then start this "Test: MM Pinball" profile. 4. Connect one control to the SPACE BAR or LEFT-CLICK for flippers etc. and the other control if needed to "W" for nudging.
The Tattoolan YouTube clip above shows how to make a Do It Yourself (DIY) Tattoo foot pedal. Interesting to see that on eBay there are hundreds of these from China starting from £1.89 delivered.
These will work great as accessibility switches with modern switch accessible toys, gadgets and computers, so long as you use an adapter (search for "6.35 socket to 3.5mm plug mono adapter") or you cut the plug off and fit your own 3.5mm plug. You could also just cut the ends off and screw the exposed wire into a MakeyMakey or the likes of an Ultimarc i-Pac or A-Pac (A-Pac for the easiest and greatest power using JoyToKey where you can latch controls, switch profiles and more). Use a Cronus Device and use these on a PS3 or Xbox 360. More to follow on this.
This inflatable R2D2 is another switch accessible toy added to the OneSwitch shop. You can use one-switch to spin, making a great cause and effect device. Add another to go forward up to total of four switches for maximum control...
This R2 unit is a bit spin-happy, whereby if you press spin, he won't stop the instant you release the button/switch. This makes controlling him quite fun if a little unpredictable, which I think was probably deliberate as it gives him a bit of R2 personality (i.e. a mind of its own).
The Controller Project from Caleb Kraft of Hack-a-day is an excellent new addition to the gamut of people sharing and promoting game accessibility solutions.
I've long been an advocate of people finding their own solutions, but for some people the range of possibilities and barriers they face are utterly daunting. For that, thank goodness for the likes of the charity SpecialEffect (at least in the UK) and their loan-library, games-room, OTs and home visits. Anyway, here's some more D.I.Y. resources for accessible gaming tinkerers:
Acid-Mods: A forum full of ideas for hacks and solutions. It's dried up a bit recently but still worth trawling through.
Hack Ability Blog: A more "life-in-general" hacking blog with top ideas.
Dual-Ring: A brilliant game accessibility site, that shares some very affordable/free hacks/get-arounds for improving access such from Auto Hot Key scripts to adapting Ikea furniture. A must see.
Makey-Makey Hackcess: The brilliant and very easy D.I.Y. controller that works on PCs out of the box, and using the Cronus Device and Bullseye software, can be used on Xbox 360 and PS3. Huge possibilities, especially if you link it other controls with JoyToKey. More on that soon.
One Switch D.I.Y. pages: also try searching this blog on "hacked", "adapted" or "enabled". Loads more links here to easy to complex adaptations from me, and the likes of Gavin Philips and Ben Heck.
Sugru: Wonderful blu-tack feeling material that sets hard for easy physical adaptations. More to follow on that soon.
And there's tons more besides this. If you have any that I've not mentioned though, do feel free to get in touch to share them. Happy hacking.
Apple are really starting to get their act together as regards switch access so it seems looking at previews of the iOS7 accessibility options.
The "Activate a switch on your input device now, or enable a built-in switch" looks like a way to make all the disparate methods of interfacing work (I hope). Love the addition of the head-switch using the built in camera. I assume accuracy would improve with the iPhone, iPad, iPod being mounted, rather than wobbling around in the hands of the user.
More info at 9To5 Mac, with thanks to Will Wade for the tip.
I've made no secret that I think current Apple iOS switch access is a confusing mess and extremely limited. With news of the pending iOS7 operating system update (see the video above (update: the clip was swiftly removed after publication - have a test card instead)), it looks like things could be improving soon. I'm second guessing, but I think there will still be some way to go before the following ever becomes a reality...
For Apple to set up a versatile Alternative User Interface Device protocol. Something that takes into account switch, joypad and mouse/head-tracker/eye-gaze access.
That (ideally) the wide range of existing switch interfaces remain compatible with the new interfacing protocol.
That a keyboard can be used to simulate a switch interface, and ideally a mouse can be used to simulate a future head-tracker or eye-tracker interface to keep costs down for developers. This would also open up a path for a wide range of controllers being developed for alternative access and some exciting D.I.Y. hacks.
That switches can be set-up to trigger held presses, taps, emulated gestures/taps, and work on old Apps and games (even if only to a limited extent).
Multiple-controller profiles being possible to easily set-up, save and load. How brilliant this would be for massively improving physical access to iPhones, iPods and iPads.
