Summary
Controllers have evolved and changed constantly throughout video game history, and everyone reading this right now will have their favorites. However, despite that evolution, aside from a couple ofNintendoanomalies, controllers have been the same basic shape and had the same default layout. That shape and layout doesn’t work for everyone, particularly gamers with certain disabilities. Enter the Proteus, a brand new controller created by ByoWave that can effectively be any shape the user wants it to be.
Microsoft revealed the Proteus on Wednesday, confirming it will be released this fall and costs $299. However, if you pre-order the Proteus, you’ll get it for $255. The controller will be compatible withXbox Series X|S,Xbox One, and Windows 10 and 11, but there are no plans to make it work withPlayStationorNintendo Switch. ByoWave has already stated it would be open to working with the platforms to make that or something similar happen in the future, though (via The Verge).
What makes the Proteus so unique is that when it arrives, it won’t technically be a controller at all. It’s a kit with the tools to build your own controller that is customized to your needs and how you want to play. The core of the controller you build will be the cubes which snap together and can be built into various shapes. Faceplates featuring the different buttons you’ll need, as well as LED lights, are then attached to those cubes. ByoWave claims there are over 100 million different combinations of its various parts.
Pre-Order The Proteus For 15 Percent Off
Proteus Controller
The ByoWave is an accessibility controller kit that can be customized to your unique needs, specifically designed to give gamers with disabilities more options. Its cubes snap together into various shapes, and the buttons are on faceplates than can then be attached to the cubes at your unique controller’s core.
The Proteus controller’s cubes and accessories can be arranged to suit gamers with various disabilities, including those of you who can only game with one hand. It also includes handles if you’d like the Proteus to resemble a traditional controller but for everything else about it to be catered to what suits you best. There’s also a companion app that will allow you to map all of its buttons to whatever commands you like. A USB-C charging cable and Bluetooth dongle come with the kit.
Xbox already has a cheaper adaptive controller option for gamers with disabilities which will be getting some significant updates in the near future. Those updates were confirmed alongside the Proteus controller announcement this week as Xbox revealed each of the adaptive controller’s USB ports will be able to support up to 12 additional buttons, a second stick, and a hat switch. Xbox Insiders will be able to download that update within the next couple of weeks, everyone else will have to wait a little longer.
