Forza Motorsport Sets New Standard for Accessibility in Racing Games
Microsoft's Turn 10 Studios has released Forza Motorsport for PC and Xbox Series S/X, featuring groundbreaking accessibility options for blind and visually impaired players. The game includes 'Blind Driving Assists' with audio cues for navigation, extensive text-to-speech customization, and motor disability-friendly input simplifications. Despite these advances, blind gamer and consultant Brandon Cole notes that the assists are less effective against human opponents. Accessibility expert Ben 'SlightlessKombat' Breen of the Royal National Institute of Blind People praises the game for enabling social integration with sighted players. However, Microsoft faced criticism in October 2023 when it disabled unofficial controllers, affecting custom accessibility devices. The game is included in Xbox Game Pass subscriptions.
Key facts
- Forza Motorsport is developed by Turn 10 Studios for PC and Xbox Series S/X.
- The game includes 'Blind Driving Assists' with audio cues for navigation.
- Brandon Cole, a blind gamer, worked as a consultant on the game.
- Ben 'SlightlessKombat' Breen is the Accessible Gaming Officer at the Royal National Institute of Blind People.
- Microsoft warned in October 2023 that unofficial controllers would stop working on Xbox.
- The game is included in Xbox Game Pass subscriptions.
- Top Speed 3, a leading audio racing game, last updated 13 years ago.
- Microsoft launched an adaptive controller in 2018.
Entities
Artists
- Brandon Cole
- Ben "SlightlessKombat" Breen
Institutions
- Turn 10 Studios
- Microsoft
- Xbox Game Studios
- Royal National Institute of Blind People
- Sony
- Ubisoft
- Playing in the dark
- AbleGamers
- The Game Accessibility Conference