Console performance drawbacks and PC accessibility options

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SquishyTia wrote:

I actually tried a couple of those MMO mice. Unfortunately there were two issues. The first is that the buttons were all membrane and not mechanical or even scissor switch, meaning they were incredibly difficult to depress with any reliability for me. The second and more prominent issue is...I simply can't reach most of those buttons. I have hands that stopped growing when I was ten. They're kid sized hands. Most adult women, even petite ones, have hands bigger than mine. When I shop for gloves, I have to get womens' small size to fit me. That threw the guys at Cycle Gear for a loop, lemme tell ya. Even on my Logitech G9x mouse I still have one thumb button I can't reach without releasing my grip on the mouse and angling my arm forward. It's just out of reach of my thumb.

Physical accessibility is a very real issue for a lot of us. Having more options means a great deal to people like myself. I didn't ask to be like this. GGG didn't make my body to be like this. But they are the ones in a position to empower me and others like me to enjoy the game more fully (or even just at all in some cases). The good news is, once it's put in, it's one of the few aspects of the game that wouldn't need constant retooling. Input is a very basic thing that you don't tend to change very often.

All I can do right now is hope. But man would it be nice. Doubly so if they gave us that and the Mac client they said they want (some of their devs work using Apple hardware and really would like to play PoE on those machines too). Me? I have a hackintosh. I built it myself. I configured it myself. I know my way around tech. And believe me when I say I wouldn't be here asking for controller support if I'd found another sustainable way already.

:)

Sorry if my reply was a little flippant i had had a whisky that night,
https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/KEYLOG3020622/Logitech-K380-MULTI-DEVICE-BLUETOOTH-KEYBOARD the kind of keyboard i think could help. I am interested in the issues you face as i used to work as a comp tech and my son is differently abled. Best of luck with whatever solution you find.

I can't use keyboards like those sadly. Both due to the way the keys are (rounded, and too short travel for a membrane keyboard) and because there is no bluetooth in my computer as I have no need for it.

The problem for me is my deformed right arm, which controls the mouse. Due to my small hands and how I have to position them when using a keyboard for games, I can only access a few keys on the bottom left corner of the keyboard. That means very few skills in use at any given time. With a controller I could use more skills far more easily and at the same time not suffer RSI from keyboard use while using the mouse.

Controllers like the Razer Raiju Ultimate on the PC would give me plenty of buttons for PoE. And it'd feel nicer too. GGG has shown they can do a good controller accessible UI on the console, but sadly performance on consoles is horrible and I have a decently high end gaming PC, so that's where I'd prefer to play. :)

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Rolfil wrote:

Have a look at


How to Remap any Controller to Keyboard Keys

I think Steam supports something similar, but in big picture more only

Remapping isn't the problem. Movement is. Native controller support would also need to implement the console UI changes for accessibility. It isn't as simple as remap and go, since any inventory movement would need keyboard and mouse access to do so in any reasonable amount of time.

It's up to GGG to open up that accessibility route for players with disabilities like myself. I'm hoping they'll realize a lot of players want in but are hampered by the keyboard/mouse requirements. The current method for utilizing a controller in PoE on the PC is both inefficient and has too many drawbacks, not to mention it is not well suited for twitch reflex requirements in many encounters.

Simple remaps are also the reason I can't currently play World of Warcraft. For that game I actually use a controller + mouse combo, only using the keyboard's spacebar for jumping (while still holding the controller in my hand). WoW is getting controller support built in as an accessibility feature, but lack of exclusive fullscreen mode means I'm knocked out of the game randomly due to the Dock (OS X) somehow stealing app focus, which then breaks my mouse acceleration curve that I had to spend weeks fine tuning just so I could click the onscreen buttons in WoW without over or undershooting them every time I moved the mouse.

There's a whole lot more that goes into accessibility than many people realize. I don't get mad at them for not realizing those things though because more often than not, if you haven't been disabled at any point in your life it's really hard to fully understand what is truly needed for accessibility. And I honestly hope those that don't understand never have to understand personally. Disabilities suck. Massively.

i hope GGG implements native controller support. checking everyday but it seems like its a low priority which sucks big time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rdjv3qtwk4
in the comments there is some talk that poe already has basic controller support in it its just not turned on and its a low priority for them but it will come. The comments are below wicked ones comment.

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SquishyTia wrote:

Disabilities suck. Massively.

have a look here, some guys got programs to get controllers running for pc poe, although you will have a hard time picking up currency ;)

I'm aware of people hackjobbing controllers into PoE. Unfortunately it's not only suboptimal, but lacks even basic functionality that the console ports have with ther controller support. It's really sad to see accessibility ignored "just because it's the PC version". It's 2020, not 1990.

I enjoy PoE, but I'd enjoy it a lot more without the RSI and limitations of having to limit myself to just the tiny corner of my keyboard due to physical limitations I endure.