Forza Motorsports' Impressive Accessibility Features Include Blind Driving Assist
Racing is a lot more than a visual experience — after all, there are few things better than hearing a race-tuned engine fire up or listening to a torquey electric motor whirr by. As such, Turn 10 Studios, the maker of the "Forza Motorsport" series of games for Windows and Xbox consoles has released a new feature it has developed called Blind Driving Assist, in an effort to make the newest upcoming game, "Forza Motorsport," more enjoyable and accessible for everyone.
According to the Xbox team, Blind Driving Assist (BDA) will allow players who are blind or have low vision to play "Forza" in a way that was previously very difficult or downright impossible. Through different audio cues and screen narration, the game will now be able to guide players to race more effectively. Turn 10 wanted to make sure players got the full "Forza" experience, stating: "It was important to the entire team that Blind Driving Assists operate as a set of features, rather than a mode. We wanted Blind and Low Vision players to experience 'Forza Motorsport' as it was intended..."
Virtual racing for everyone
In addition to Blind Driving Assist, Turn 10 has added a "One Touch Driving" accessibility option for players who may have issues with mobility and stamina. That option allows virtual racers to entirely remap the control scheme on whatever controller they use to fit their specific needs, including options as granular as changing the required button pressure.
With the gameplay-specific features, Turn 10 has announced a host of new quality-of-life improvements to make the game more inclusive of gamers with disabilities, including colorblindness modes that augment onscreen colors for better visibility, text-to-speech and speech-to-text functionality, and a litany of other changes to ensure that everyone can have fun whipping a 1000-plus horsepower supercar around a virtual track. Specifics as to how Blind Driving Assist and the new accessibility options will work in the game will be elaborated on as the game gets closer to launch later this year.