English Newspaper (7) Sony develops gaming controller for...

Playing video games has long been a challenge for people with disabilities, chiefly because the standard controllers for the PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo can be difficult, or even impossible, to manoeuvre for people with limited mobility. Losing the ability to play the games does not just mean the loss of a favourite pastime; it can also exacerbate social isolation in a community already experiencing it at a far higher rate than the general population.

長期以來，玩電玩遊戲對殘疾人來說一直是一個挑戰，主要是因為 PlayStation、Xbox 或任天堂的標準控制器對於行動不便的人來說可能很難甚至不可能。失去玩遊戲的能力並不僅僅意味著失去最喜歡的消遣；它也可能加劇社區中的社會孤立，該社區已經經歷過這種情況，其發生率遠高於一般人群。

Sony's Access controller

索尼的門禁控制器

As part of the gaming industry’s efforts to address the problem, Sony has developed the Access controller for the PlayStation, working with input from accessibility consultants. It is the latest addition to the accessible controller market, whose contributors range from Microsoft to startups and even hobbyists with 3D printers.

作為遊戲產業解決問題的努力的一部分，索尼根據無障礙顧問的意見，開發了 PlayStation 的存取控制器。它是無障礙控制器市場的最新成員，其貢獻者包括微軟、新創公司，甚至 3D 列印機愛好者。

The Access is a round, customisable gadget that can rest on a table or wheelchair tray and be configured in myriad ways, depending on the user's needs. That includes switching buttons and thumbsticks, programming special controls and pairing two controllers to be used as one.

Access 是一款圓形、可自訂的小工具，可放在桌子或輪椅托盤上，並根據使用者的需求以多種方式進行配置。這包括切換按鈕和拇指桿、對特殊控制進行編程以及將兩個控制器配對以用作控制器。

Many gamers have been working with Sony since 2018 to help design the Access controller. The idea was to create something that could be configured to work for people with a broad range of needs, rather than focusing on any particular disability.

自 2018 年以來，許多遊戲玩家一直與索尼合作，幫助設計 Access 控制器。我們的想法是創造一些可以配置為滿足具有廣泛需求的人的東西，而不是專注於任何特定的殘疾。

“Show me a person with multiple sclerosis and I’ll show you a person who can be hard of hearing, I can show someone who has a visual impairment or a motor impairment,” said Mark Barlet, founder and executive director of the nonprofit AbleGamers. “So thinking on the label of a disability is not the approach to take. It’s about the experience that players need to bridge that gap between a game and a controller that’s not designed for their unique presentation in the world.”

「向我展示一個患有多發性硬化症的人，我會向你展示一個可能有聽力障礙的人，我可以向你展示一個有視力障礙或運動障礙的人，」非營利組織AbleGamers 的創始人兼執行董事Mark Ba​​rlet 說。 「因此，思考殘疾的標籤並不是應採取的方法。這是關於玩家需要彌合遊戲和控制器之間差距的體驗，而控制器並不是為他們在世界上的獨特呈現而設計的。”

Barlet said his organisation, which helped both Sony and Microsoft with their accessible controllers, has been advocating for gamers with disabilities for nearly two decades. With the advent of social media, gamers themselves have been able to amplify the message and address creators directly in forums that did not exist before.

巴萊特表示，他的組織為索尼和微軟提供了無障礙控制器，近二十年來一直致力於為殘疾遊戲玩家提供支援。隨著社群媒體的出現，遊戲玩家本身已經能夠在以前不存在的論壇中放大訊息並直接向創作者講話。

“The last five years I have seen the game accessibility movement go from indie studios working on some features to triple-A games being able to be played by people who identify as blind,” he said. “In five years, it’s been breathtaking.”

「在過去的五年裡，我看到遊戲無障礙運動從致力於某些功能的獨立工作室發展到盲人也能玩的 3A 遊戲，」他說。 “五年來，這真是令人驚嘆。”

Microsoft, in a statement, said it was encouraged by the positive reaction to its Xbox Adaptive controller when it was released in 2018 and that it is “heartening to see others in the industry apply a similar approach to include more players in their work through a focus on accessibility.”

微軟在一份聲明中表示，其 Xbox Adaptive 控制器在 2018 年發佈時獲得的積極反應令該公司感到鼓舞，並且“很高興看到業內其他公司採用類似的方法，通過專注於可訪問性。”

The Access controller will go on sale worldwide on 6 December and cost US$90 (HK$704) in the US.

該門禁控制器將於 12 月 6 日在全球發售，美國售價為 90 美元（704 港元）。

(AP, 12 October 2023)

（美聯社，2023 年 10 月 12 日）

Vocabulary 

manoeuvre (v) 精巧動作

exacerbate (v) 使惡化

myriad (n) 無數

configure (v) 設定

impairment (n) 障礙

heartening (adj) 令人振奮的

新聞來源:https://student.thestandard.com.hk/text/juniorstandard/article/stories/572

中文翻譯: 晚晚有魚