ISSUE NO. 16
After months of intense speculation, rumors, and leaks, Nintendo fully unveiled the Switch 2 with its own Direct. Not only did we receive trailers for new games like Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and even Nintendo GameCube games exclusive to Switch 2 Online, maybe more importantly we also got a good look at the system itself. I’m happy to report that, from an accessibility perspective, the Switch 2 is looking undoubtedly like an upgrade to its predecessor in almost every way.
Several months ago, I explored my accessibility predictions for Nintendo’s latest console. I wanted more robust accessibility offerings, better usage of Joy-Con controllers, and unique inclusive design practices. And to my surprise, Nintendo answered every wish while also giving extras. For this Access Designed, let’s examine the exciting and confirmed accessibility of the Switch 2
New Accessibility Settings
The Direct offered little in terms of tangible accessibility options, aside from fully customizable controls for each virtual GameCube game, respective of the system settings. Instead, Nintendo released an accessibility page detailing a bevy of returning and new features.
Fully customizable controls are back, with the feature performing exactly like the original Switch. Settings to adjust text size to three different variants also return but with the additional capability to also implement High Contrast and change general display colors. Even the Zoom functionality is making a comeback, a necessary inclusion for blind/low vision players. Yet, Nintendo’s biggest surprise comes in the form of a new “Screen Reader” setting.
Blind/low vision individuals often need settings like Text-to-Speech to help navigate menus and settings. While the option is only available for the HOME menu and system settings, this accessibility feature is a necessary tool, allowing disabled players to independently navigate the Switch 2. Options to choose different voices, read speeds, and volume levels accompany the Screen Reader feature. We still don’t know if individual games will support these tools or come equipped with their own accessibility offerings, but Nintendo’s acknowledgment of their disabled audience is a welcome sight, one that absolutely piques my interest regarding the future of accessibility at the company.
Innovative Design
While not within a specific menu, Nintendo did advertise a new inclusive tool that not only adds more depth to a beloved franchise, but also vastly improves the cognitive, physical, and blind/low vision accessibility. Within the renamed Nintendo Switch App, is Zelda Notes, a companion app for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. With the Navigation option in the app, players can choose to locate shops, areas of interest, and even the elusive Korok’s all within the app’s GPS-like UI. The app, which comes with audio cues and voices, will direct players to the exact location of their selected object. While not perfect, as the app does not help with precise navigation or enemies, it helps blind/low vision individuals navigate the overworld while reducing the cognitive overload of having to travel across a vast world.
For cognitive, blind/low vision, and physically disabled players in particular, another feature in the app — the Autobuild Sharing tool — lets players share their custom Zonai tech creations. By scanning a QR code, disabled individuals can automatically build a Zonai machine if they have the corresponding materials. For me, especially, I immensely struggled with the control layout and required buttons to properly build Zonai machinery in Tears of the Kingdom. But thanks to this new tool, I only need to worry about gathering materials, and not the actual building process of Zonai contraptions. And all of this is done with Inclusive design, something I’ve regularly praised Nintendo for in the past.
Finally, disabled individuals can even share items with one another through Item Sharing, a feature identical to Autobuild Sharing. By scanning a QR code, I can immediately access items that my friends send me, reducing physical strain by no longer having to continuously scour the world for weapons and food. Does this make Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom fully accessible? Absolutely not. However, it’s an incredible step forward.
Wheelchair Sports
The biggest surprise for me was by far the announcement of Drag X Drive, a Rocket League-esque game that lets players control characters in manual wheelchairs on a basketball court. Not only is this surprising announcement a fantastic way to show proper disability representation, but it also highlights one of the Switch 2’s few new hardware changes – mouse control.
By flipping the Joy-Con on its side, players can move the controller across any surface, making the device behave similarly to a computer mouse. While we still don’t know how much force is required to move the cursor, – for comparison, my mouse on my ultrawide monitor has a DPI of 6400. But any new way to play will no doubt have accessibility benefits for an array of disabled players. It’s exciting to imagine just how Nintendo will utilize this new feature, but more importantly, it’s yet another tool for disabled individuals. Combine this with the multitude of controller types already available on the Switch and Switch 2, and Nintendo continues to innovate with controller usage.
As a Nintendo fan, I’m beyond excited for the Switch 2. While I’m admittedly hesitant to spend upwards of $450 for the system, my love of gaming began with Nintendo. And with each new system comes exciting accessibility additions that continue to demonstrate Nintendo’s commitment to accessibility and inclusive design. While we still don’t have a first party accessible device like the Xbox Adaptive Controller and PlayStation Access Controller, Nintendo is in its own way innovating with new ways to play for disabled individuals.Combine these innovations with the recent announcement of Nintendo joining other developers to create standardized accessibility tags, and I believe we'll see Nintendo continue to elevate accessibility for the better.
Grant Stoner is a disabled journalist covering accessibility and the disabled perspective in video games. When not writing, he is usually screaming about Pokémon or his cat, Goomba on Twitter.
