18 PCWorld JUNE 2022NEWS MICROSOFT’S ADAPTIVE PC PERIPHERALS
Controller (fave.co/3sxXPYN) at
that year’s E3. The peripheral
featured large, accessible
buttons, as well as 20 3.5mm
jacks on the rear of the device
for users to plug in third-party
accessibility controls. Last year,
Microsoft announced the
Surface Adaptive Kit (fave.
co/3Nbn8HJ) alongside its
Surface Pro 8. The Kit included
keycap labels and stickers to
highlight keyboard commands
and indicate ports—useful for all users, not
just those with disabilities.MICROSOFT
ADAPTIVE MOUSE
In a demonstration in advance of the Ability
Summit, Microsoft’s Gabi Michel, director
of accessible accessories, showed how the
Microsoft Adaptive Mouse is really just the
“front” of a typical mouse, with a squarish
shape, two buttons, and a mouse wheel.
The back is more of a structural addition,
known as a “tail.” At the bottom of the
mouse is a small “eject” button that allows
the back to come off.
Essentially, this allows the Adaptive
Mouse to be clipped into any number of
custom frames, or “tails”—even those a user
can 3D print. The thumb support itself can be
swapped to either side, providing the
ergonomic benefits of a right-handed orMicrosoft’s Gabi Michel shows how the Microsoft Adaptive Mouse
can slide into a “tail.”left-handed mouse, but the flexibility of an
ambidextrous device.
“When we developed and launched the
adaptive controller...all of those learnings, all
of that interface with the community continued
even after launch,” Michel said. “Over that
time, we continued to listen to the community.
And that all influenced what has become the
new adaptive accessories for Microsoft: the
mouse, the hub, and the buttons.”MICROSOFT ADAPTIVE
HUB AND MICROSOFT
ADAPTIVE BUTTON
The Microsoft Adaptive Hub serves as a
control box of sorts, connecting wirelessly via
Bluetooth to up to four Adaptive Buttons as
well as standard 3.5mm assistive tech
switches, Microsoft said.
The Microsoft Adaptive Button is as
intriguing as the Microsoft Adaptive Mouse,