Accessible Game Console Interface for Upper Limbs and Mild Cognitive Impaired People

In this paper a hardware interface device allowing people with upper limbs disabilities and mild cognitive disabilities to play with videogame consoles is presented. Modern console controllers are provided with several, small sized pushbuttons and joysticks often to be operated at the same time; playing turns out to be very difficult or impossible for people with upper limb disabilities and mild cognitive disabilities. Especially in the world of children and teenagers, the impossibility to experience videogames may also represent another barrier to social inclusion. Some existing do-it-yourself solutions for game accessibility are based on the adaptations of commercial controllers to special needs. With such solutions, the game control is totally left to the user with disabilities, who very often is still not able to control the game with his residual functionalities. Such solutions, being non-certified modifications of a commercial device, are not even marketable. The interface presented in this paper is a new device to be connected between the original controller and the console; and allowing the connection of the most suitable switch sensors for the specific disability. Thanks to this device the specific interfaces allow the control of the same functions of pushbuttons and/or joysticks of the original controller. The mapping of external sensors to the functions of the original controller may be carried out by means of a very easy procedure. The number of external switch sensors used may be decided on the basis of the user potential. The presented device allows the collaborative playing between one or more disabled persons and another player.