The Universal Modular Adaptive Gaming Interface Controller isn’t just called the “UMAGIC” because it’s a clever acronym. With the improvements AbleGamers Brazil’s new controller makes inaccessibility for disabled gamers, the UMAGIC is designed to allow gamers with mobility difficulties to enjoy as wide a variety of games as possible without the limits of lengthy setup times.
In a conversation with Game Rant, AbleGamers Brazil president Christian Bernauer shared stories of how UMAGIC came to be. The team was inspired both byGamescom LATAM’s desire to make future showcases more accessible and an encounter with a young disabled gamer at a ComicCon event who could not play the games he wanted to because of how much time it took to set up an accessible controller at each station. Motivated by both experiences, the team created a modular, portable, and universal controller that officially premiered at the recentGamescom LATAMevent.
Gamescom LATAM Wanted To Center Accessibility
Gamescom LATAM, which is a combination of Brazil’s BIG Festival and Gamescom, wanted disabled gamers to be able to enjoy the show and play the wide variety of games available on the massive show floor. Unsure of the best way to implement this, the event’s higher-ups contacted AbleGamers Brazil and discussed how to make upcoming events more accessible. Bernauer described how theAbleGamersteam and Gamescom staff struggled to find a workable solution:
“Then Gamescom said, ‘How about we put the adaptive controller with one game station, we install all the games in there, and then a person with disabilities can go there and play all the games?’
We thought about it for a little while and said, ‘This is a good idea when you think about accessibility. It’s not a good idea when you think about inclusion.’ Because you have this huge floor area, and you say to the person, ‘You can only play here, and you cannot enjoy the rest of the show.’ This felt wrong.”
The UMAGIC’s compatibility with Xbox,PlayStation 5, and Switch fixes this issue. Instead of needing separate adaptive controllers for each platform, the UMAGIC works for all of them. The controller is also lightweight and portable enough that it can easily be transported around such events, thus not limiting disabled gamers to a single space.
A Fateful Encounter Helped Inspire The UMAGIC
Bernauer explained that the team was also inspired by an interaction with a young boy at an event where AbleGamers was working with Xbox. TheXbox Adaptive Controllerwas available for players who needed it, but the distinction between stations, the set-up for the controller, and necessary accommodations for the child spread the team thin.
The boy wanted to playMinecraftand Bernauer’s team was able to set up a station for him, but it took “15–20 minutes” to do so. Then, when he wanted to switch toForza,they could not simply set him up because he and his mother did not have time to go through the setup process again. He also could not playFortniteat the event at all due to the lack of a compatible controller.
“The mom said, ‘Sorry, we don’t have time for this,’ and that really broke my heart.
These were the two drivers. We said we have to find a way that people can have a controller where they can play everywhere, and they don’t have the hassle of having to adapt it every time.”
Now, with the UMAGIC, gamers can experience everything a showcase like Gamescom LATAM has to offer. Bernauer and the team debuted the UMAGIC to great acclaim during the multi-day event and intend to continue testing the controller, including its potential compatibility with iOS and Android devices.
