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AudioGames.net Forum → General Game Discussion → Two XB1 accessibility features unveiled
Larry Hryb's latest XB1 new interface preview video shows a quick glimpse of the settings screens, which contain a new 'ease of access' area. This contains both a screenreader and a hi-vis mode.
07:30 here, although it isn't spoken about, just seen briefly - https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=444&v=ex1WjrkLjAA
Hello,
Initial reaction: oh my gosh it's coming, screen is coming. Delayed reaction and thought: start to wonder what the first version of this screen reader will do.
what is this game abouth?
Hello,
It's not so much a game, so much as a games console. xb1 stands for xbox one, and in NOvember there is going to be a huge update, and one of the new features will be some sort of screen reader.
Indeed.
Based on PS4's approach and what the CVAA legal requirements are it may only cover a few basic bits of communication functionality, but I'd hope that they would take the opportunity and extend it out to cover more of the operating system.
Hello.
This is great, I hope that more and more improve the special accessibility in video game consoles.
Greetings and thanks.
@ianhamilton_
Thanks for spreading the word, it's good to know that Microsoft are finally making what I would consider to be moves they could've started on a long time ago.
Although you're probably right that this will only cover the rudimentary functions at first, something tells me they'll expand it even beyond the reach of Sony's device, given the right support and encouragement.
To put this in to some context:
I contacted Microsoft a while ago via [email protected], the Microsoft Xbox access email address, to suggest a screen reader be implemented if it hadn't already been discussed. I also suggested a couple of other features that currently escape me.
I got a response very quickly (within a day or so if I remember correctly), with the reply implying that they were looking into it and asking further questions about what I would want to see from such a system. I responded with as much information as I could think of to at least get things going if they decided to create this additional accessibility method for the system and left it at that.
It's good to know that the hard work and dedication of individuals in this community must've paid off somewhere, I don't like to think that it's just the laws that have pushed Microsoft to do this. I mentioned to them in my email that Sony had added an element to their system that would sway more blind people to purchase PS4's, so they should try and make some sort of competition at least to give everybody a choice.
Seems like they've done it and hopefully we get to see some clarification as to how far this thing will go.
Hi.
Sounds awesome. thanks for sharing this.
Hello,
This is strange because when I contacted them a couple of days ago they said they weren't currently considering it at that current time but to keep checking back, so either something got confused or they didn't want to reveal anything lest it get leaked early. I'm definitely wondering what's going to happen and I hope that it will read some more stuff then just messages to start with, as while messages is good, being able to launch games would be very nice.
I hate sounding like the perpetual pessimist, but if Windows 10 is anything to go by, Microsoft's quote unquote accessibility endeavours will be at best rudimentary. The programmers working on such a feature won't have a clue, because it's highly unlikely they've ever had a personal need for such a feature, so are only coding bare essentials.
I don't want to be the voice of gloom, but just remember how much hope was had for the Sony implementation. When it was finally released, it was, from my understanding, in no wise comprehensive.
So salute to accessibility endeavours, but just remember to take that excitement with a grain of salt. It can improve in the future, but dare we review narrator's path to flakiness>
There's more improvements coming to the ps4 tts? I haven't heard about this... lol. This looks to be interesting if the rumours of it on the xb1 are true as well, but as a ps4 owner... I won't lie, I'm more curious about what's going to happen in the next update of the sony firmware if anything regarding tts. Though I wouldn't be surprised if the first tts release on xbox 1 proves to be a little better than the ps4, since the Xbox 1 is based on a windows framework and tts would probably be easier to code for that.
Hello,
I'll definitely be watching this space, and headed right to that new ease of access area when the update hits in November. Let's hope it'll be easy to find.
well, one big update they need for the TTS on the ps4 is to release it outside of the US. Once that is done, I really won't care as at the moment, those in europe, australia etc are unable to use the friend list or the party feature because there is no TTS.
Fantastic! I velieve that NVDA will be ported to X Box one...
Hello,
I don't think it will be NVDA. NVDA has nothing to do with Microsoft. It'll more likely be a version of narator or who knows, maybe something new.
Let's hope that the UK get it, as from what brad has said the ps4 in the UK doesn't get the tts at all, let's hope Microsoft do better in that regard.
Yes, it is narrator, the name of it is visible in the preview video. The three items in the current ease of access area are:
- Narrator
- Closed captions
- High contrast
Will be interesting to see what else (if anything) makes it in there before launch
Hello
Narrador is quite accessible on phones with Windows 10.
Also on the Windows 10 computer it is more accessible.
So this news is encouraging.
Greetings and thanks.
@Xoren
I get where you're coming from. I'm not building up as much hope as you might think, I'm just glad that Microsoft have decided to go for this. Other posters are right in the regard that, theoretically at least, the windows core of the Xbox One's firmware means that Narrator should be easier to code for this.
There is also an interesting issue that I thought about a little; that of latency/lag between movement and response times of the TTS engine. Hopefully the time between a UI sound and the speech won't be that long, but if it is hopefully they can improve it in the future.
Part of me wishes I could test the preview build to let people know but then again two things stop that from happening. NDA's and potentially bricking and crashes on the console, in addition to the fact that the preview program is cutting back on new invites. If only I had a spare Xbox to run it on.
I 100% agree, personally I'm not too worried about whether or not the initial releases of the console screenreaders are perfect or even hugely useful, as that's something that can be improved through successive releases (as Sony are already doing).
The real important thing here is that console manufacturers are now recognising that accessibility (and accessibility for a range of impairments, not just blindness) is something that they need to be thinking about. That alone is an astronomical leap forward. And extending screenreader compatibility from messaging to the store is a tiny job compared to implementing a screenreader from nothing.
My biggest hope for the XB1 over other consoles is due to it using existing tech (narrator), that on other platforms is already open for developers to make use of. So the XB1 seems like the most likely place for developers to have the option to expose some of their own UI to screenreaders, or even push out notifications directly.
Even if it's only the latter, developers being able to push out the text label of a UI element to the system screenreader when it recieved focus, rather than the screenreader being able to see the UI itself.. that would allow devs of games like Mortal Kombat to quickly and easily make the entire experience blind-accessible, rather than just the gameplay.
Hello.
One major difference I see between Sony and Microsoft is that Sony added a TTS voice for them console, while Narrator is a screen reader that supports several languages.
Greetings and thanks.
We don't necessarily know that it will support multiple languages, though that would make the most sense. Companies have done weird things before... cautious optomism is best here. lol
Hello.
I hit them a comment that he said a Spanish blind programmer who works for Apple and Microsoft.
Good, indicate that although the video console take a screen reader does not imply that the games are compatible with the screen reader. With these accessibility features what is sought in principle is that the user can see the individual menu items loadmaintenance and configuration of the console in an accessible and in the future hopefully not too distant, some applications and games using the services of accessibility OS ... Let's have an open mind and hopes.
Here the original message in Spanish, sorry for my English translation above.
Buenas, indicar que aunque esta vídeo consola lleve un lector de pantallas no implica que los juegos sean compatibles con el lector de pantallas. Con estas características de accesibilidad lo que se busca, en principio, es que el usuario pueda hacer ver a los distintos elementos del menú de carga, mantenimiento y configuración de la videoconsola de forma accesible y, en un futuro esperemos que no muy lejano, algunas aplicaciones y juegos utilicen los servicios de accesibilidad de sistema operativo… Tengamos la mente abierta y muchas esperanzas
Greetings and thanks.
I am oficially getting close to microsoft fanboy status in the console wars. I was already wanting an xbox1 as soon as rare replay was announced for it, which is a collection of over 30 classic games from my favorite second party microsoft developer, one of them being the n64 version of killer instinct.
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