Here's how to get an Xbox Adaptive Controller, Microsoft's extra-accessible new hardware

The newest addition to the Xbox accessory family is an exciting step in a more accessible direction: the Xbox Adaptive Controller, which is now available for purchase. First revealed back in May, the Xbox Adaptive Controller has a unique design and expansive third-party peripheral support to make the act of play easier for people with limited mobility - a demographic that hasn't historically received much support in terms of official, affordable hardware. Speaking of which, you can pick up an Xbox Adaptive Controller on the Microsoft Store for $99.

The term "limited mobility" covers a lot of ground, which is why this controller is capital-A Adaptive. In addition to the inputs on front (including a D-Pad and huge A and B buttons), the sides of the controller feature a series of 3.5mm jacks and USB ports that support routing all the standard controller functions to accessible hardware like larger joysticks, sip-and-puff switches, and more. And you can use Xbox One's built-in copilot feature to divide up controls between the Adaptive Controller and any other standard input.

The Xbox Adaptive Controller works with both Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs, and you can use the Xbox Accessories App to further customize and tweak all of the input settings, or create multiple profiles that you can swap between with the built-in toggle switch.  Plus, it looks really cool, with a minimalist slab aesthetic that could go toe-to-toe with any other Xbox One controller design.

Another part of the controller's appeal: if you like experimenting with alternative control options (like playing Dark Souls with a Guitar Hero controller) it could be pretty useful for that too. Though if that's what you're after, I'd wait a week or two to make sure the stock isn't limited first - you wouldn't want to buy one up just for funsies if it means somebody else couldn't use it to really enhance their ability to play.

Find some more stuff to play with your new controller on our list of the best Xbox One games. 

Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.