A Console Interface for Game Accessibility to People with Motor Impairments

Nowadays technology has lead to the realization of high technology videogame consoles supporting very complex and realistic games in terms of graphics, fluidity, near real-like behaviour. Console controllers (joypads) are sophisticated, too, providing several controls like pushbuttons and joysticks. For people with motor impairments, operating such controllers is often difficult or impossible, due to small size and reduced spacing of controls and their arrangement. More over, action games, very popular among young people, also require quick response times. As an overall result, for people with upper limb motor impairments and cognitive disabilities, a barrier exist for accessing videogames. In this paper we propose an interface device allowing upper limb and mild cognitive impaired users to play with a popular video game console, adding beside the original controller a man-machine interface able to manage commercial switch interfaces normally used by disabled people to access and control electronic equipments. The proposed device allows for both autonomous and cooperative game. By means of a very easy and quick procedure, the device allows the mapping of up to nine joypad controls to external switch sensors, turning suitable for many different games, and allowing assignment of game functions to users according to their potential. The device is now available on the market. © 2011 IEEE