Sometimes, the solutions to problems that seem impossible to solve are the simplest ones.
Over the past few months, we have often received messages from people with disabilities who “complained” about the poor accessibility of peripherals designed for the world of sim racing. Almost in disbelief, we looked around and realized that, apart from a few isolated cases, no one had developed specific solutions for the world of online driving simulation.
After giving it some thought, we came to the conclusion that it was not simply a matter of “not being able to play a video game.” There was much more at stake. For example, being able to prepare properly for obtaining a driving license from the comfort of home, or finally experiencing the thrill of driving a supercar while competing in online championships with friends. In short, feeling part of a community without barriers.
Once we understood the importance of this issue, we immediately got to work, carrying out an in-depth study of the ergonomics and compatibility of the device we had in mind. From the outset, the best solution seemed to be developing a peripheral independent of the steering wheel base, thereby ensuring compatibility with the vast majority of steering wheels on the market. So, also thanks to our collaborator Alessandro Buccato (electronics engineer), we equipped the hand controller with a programmable 12-bit electronic board (and 4096 steps) featuring proprietary firmware.
And finally, the mechanism: two simple levers to control the accelerator and brake, solving a major problem for those who are unable to use their lower limbs.
The result is an excellent compromise between compactness and precision that has nothing to envy in the flagship products in our shop!
We never imagined that our little Facebook post would reach tens of thousands of users and attract the attention of journalists from publications such as automoto.it!
We hope that this small step forward will encourage more and more gaming peripheral manufacturers to follow this path and involve people with disabilities in the wonderful world of sim racing.
