Microsoft announces wheelchair avatars for disabled Xbox One gamers
Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, has confirmed on Twitter that player avatars will soon have a wheelchair option
Your support helps us to tell the story
As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.
Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.
Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election
Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
In a move that will make Xbox One avatars significantly more inclusive for gamers, Microsoft is planning to make wheelchair options available.
The news was confirmed by Xbox head Phil Spencer, who stepped into a conversation between two Twitter users discussing the possibility of creating a petition to bring in a wheelchair option for avatars, stating “no petition needed, we hear you. This is something we’ve already looked at, not far off.”
Shortly after this, Xbox engineering lead Mike Ybarra tweeted a “sneak peek” of the coming update which showed two Xbox avatars in wheelchairs that were not-so-subtly Xbox-themed. It’s also been noted that the avatars depicted in Ybarra’s sneak peek appear to be visually improved with more detailed faces, leading fans to wonder if there’s a more significant upgrade to be announced.
It wasn’t stated when the updated avatars will be made available but the next major Xbox One and PC update called Anniversary is coming in early August so there’s perhaps a chance we’ll hear more about these improvements then. Planning to include this avatar option is a positive move on the part of Microsoft that will make an important contribution towards improving gamer representation on the Xbox platform.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments