Father Builds a Special Controller So His Daughter Can Experience Breath of the Wild

As a father of two, one of my greatest joys has been sharing games I love with my children. It warms my heart when my son’s eyes light up at the sight of Mario, or when my daughter pretends to be Link (she insists on being Link). However, I also recognize that not everyone has the ways or means to share these things as easily as I do. For one father of a daughter with a disability, this desire turned into a heartwarming passion project.

Rory Steel, through his Twitter handle @JerseyITGuy, showed how he turned an Xbox Adaptive Controller into a full key and joystick board for his daughter, Ava. Using this special controller, Ava was finally able to fulfill her desire to play Breath of the Wild, just like her friends. For the average consumer, this was far from a simple project. Rory mentioned in his tweets the need for custom buttons, for quite a bit of soldering, and even to modify it to allow Nintendo Switch compatibility. In the end, Rory built a remarkable controller, perfectly suited to his daughter’s needs.

By itself, the Adaptive Controller is a fascinating piece of hardware. The board has several USB ports and 3.5mm jacks around the outside. Using these, gamers can build out a controller unique to them and their special needs. Additionally, each button, trigger, and thumb stick can be mapped to a unique peripheral. As a result, games are more accessible than ever to the entire gaming population.

Truly, what Rory did for his daughter was above and beyond. It was a labor of love and shows us all just what a father will do to put a smile on his child’s face. What do you think of think of this project? Do you have any experience around the Adaptive Controller? We would love to hear from you in the comments!

Source: Rory Steel’s Twitter (via Kotaku)