Here’s Why One Of Microsoft’s Most Important Products Almost Never Saw The Light Of Day – SlashGear

The Xbox Adaptive Controller didn’t just come into being overnight. The design journey began back in 2014, and it went through several iterations, multiple hackathons, and reviews with partner groups including The AbleGamers Foundation, The Cerebral Palsy Foundation, SpecialEffect, Warfighter Engaged, and community members (via Microsoft). Bryce Johnson, a senior inclusivity designer on the Xbox team at Microsoft who worked on the project, explained, “We’re not trying to design for all of us, we’re trying to design for each of us. If we design for people who have a unique need, it benefits people universally.”

In an interview with The Verge, Microsoft’s corporate VP of Windows and devices Robin Seiler divulged, “There was a point in time when the Xbox controller that was designed for accessibility was on the cut list.” This was amid a period of budget cuts at the company. Thankfully, the teams involved refused to let the Xbox Adaptive Controller get axed, eventually making the case that its value was greater than what could be measured by profits. It’s lucky for everyone that they did, because the lessons learned here are making their way into other products, and there’s no reason to think Microsoft is going to turn back now.