I’m not a horizontal handheld gamer unless it has detachable controllers like the Nintendo Switch or the Legion Go, or it’s small enough to play with one hand. I woke up to some exciting news during GDC week that made me jealous of Steam Deck owners like my friend Glitched Vision. For adaptive controller enthusiasts like myself, Byowave’s Proteus controller will be compatible in the next Steam Deck update, SteamOS 3.7.0!
Byowave Proteus and Steam Deck
If this is your first time hearing about Byowave and its fully modular controller, that’s ok. It only made a little splash in the tech world last year with its one-of-a-kind modular design. Naturally, I’ve had my eye on it since then, but I have yet to get my claw on it.
The $315 (that includes taxes and shipping from Ireland) price tag is a little too steep for me at the moment. That, and I just bought the 6-button Retroid Pocket Classic, so I’m going to have to save till the summer to buy one. However, when I do have that much fun money or when Stubbs lets me go crazy with the company card, then I’ll get it.
Now that the Proteus is finally compatible with SteamOS, it makes me want to get the Proteus controller along with a Steam Deck. While expensive, I think that $1000 for both is a great investment for adaptive gamers like myself or pro gamers who are trying to keep that competitive edge up while traveling.
As is the case with most things, anything to help a disabled person live a more adaptive lifestyle always comes with an expensive price tag. This is something that most disabled people can’t afford, and I understand why $1000 for these things can be nothing more than just a pipe dream.
Following the announcement, I was able to ask the Byowave team about this new partnership during its busy week at GDC, and Co-Founder Brandon Blacoe told me the following:
“It came from customer requests starting with one of our discord community members Arkratos when we met at PAX – as he wanted to use Proteus Akimbo style portably. We were informed that you could email Gabe directly via the valve website for requests. We asked if our device could be integrated to increase the overall ecosystem of accessibility, and we were very happy to receive a reply saying they would look into it for us.
We sent them a kit, and after a few back-and-forths, the systems were aligned, and they made it official. They were super helpful, and we are really happy to have been able to move forward with this community request. We have lots more to work on!”
To my surprise, compatibility wasn’t the only news from Byowave. The company also quietly announced that it will release a more affordable collection called “The Builders Kit,” priced at around $99. Whether you’re a controller or modular tech enthusiast this could be a great investment for your collection. You can check it out at the Byowave website using the button below.
Accessible Games Initiative Announced
In other surprising accessibility news, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) announced the Accessible Games Initiative at GDC. This new initiative was created with founding members from Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo of America, and Ubisoft.
AGI is a cross-industry effort to provide consumers with clear information about the accessibility features available in video games. It’s akin to how games are rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, or ESRB. Games will now have “tags” on the packaging and digital storefronts, letting customers know what kind of accessibility options are in the game.
This could be very good for the disabled community, however, it could also be a hindrance to game devs and players alike. I don’t disagree with the tags themselves, as it’s already difficult enough to determine whether you can even play a game. For example, I can play an MMORPG like WoW, though with my autistic and ADD quirks, but I’ve found that I need a game that has some kind of ending.
I fear that some people may look at the labels and see that the game may not be for them. Then, they end up missing out on a game they may have a deep love for, or it will teach them how to adapt to playing video games. Max Payne was that game for me. I never used the bumpers or triggers until I was forced to use my whole hand to do so with how Max Payne’s controls were laid out.
If Max Payne hadn’t looked as fun as it did, and the PS2 controller hadn’t been laid out the way it was, I wouldn’t have felt challenged. Nor would I have realized that the PS2 was the most accessible controller for me. That was the case up until the Sony’s PS4 controller added the touchpad. That is what I hope this new initiative doesn’t do.
I hope that this doesn’t end up coddling the disabled community, and instead hope they will try and adapt the way they play. There’s nothing like being able to experience something that has a profound impact on your life, physically and mentally. While I may not be great at games like Hotline Miami or Katana Zero, that doesn’t stop me. I may die a thousand times before I beat a game, but that’s all part of the journey.
Maybe I’m just a masochist for dying over and over, or maybe I keep playing these games even though I lack the necessary reflexes. When I stick with one of those kinds of games, I love that feeling when I do beat a level or the whole game. As a result, I feel more confident in my abilities in other aspects of my life.
When you play video games for 40 years, you’re bound to come across titles that you simply can’t play, but that doesn’t mean you should give up. I just hope that this new tag system doesn’t take away the discovery of finding a game that challenges you and helps you become a better person for it.
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