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Image: Christopher using his gaming setup. The two finger switches help him turn the Mech Warrior so that he can use voice commands for walking forwards when facing in the right direction. He uses the chin-controlled joystick for aiming, and everything else is controlled by his voice via the microphone seen at the bottom of the image.<\/em><\/p>\n Christopher\u2019s been eyeing up the challenge of playing games like Mech Warrior 5 on his Xbox, but he finds the standard controller difficult to use. He has Duchenne\u2019s Muscular Dystrophy, and although he can access the left stick and a couple of buttons, it\u2019s not at a speed that would allow him to get the best out of the games he wants to play.<\/strong><\/p>\n Our specialist assessment team visited Christopher at home to look at what alternative or additional accessible tech might help to level up his gaming skills. They carefully considered all aspects of his gaming abilities and the practicalities of his environment before suggesting and loaning a setup that consists of a combination of a chin-controlled joystick, two switches positioned underneath his fingers and a comprehensive set of voice control commands that were created and implemented by the team.<\/p>\n In the right circumstances and with appropriate training, voice control can be a powerfully effective component in a successful accessible gaming setup. We\u2019ve seen how it\u2019s transformed the gaming experiences of Helen, Zoe and many others, and we\u2019ve also been there to provide alternatives when it doesn\u2019t quite work out \u2013 for example when the arrival of a loud new family dog scuppered its effectiveness for one gamer that we support. There\u2019s an in-depth guide to getting started with voice control commands on our gameaccess website if you\u2019d like to learn more.<\/p>\n