Accessibility in video games is varied and interesting topic to discuss. Not just in terms of “let me access all the games”, but also in the sense of “hey, a lot of games aren’t easily playable for folks with some disabilities, what’s up with that”.

There has recently been a report a study on needs and habits of disabled gamers in the UK, performed by the charity organisation Scope and written up by Vivek Gohill. The study included 1,326 people (812 disabled, 514 not disabled) with the goal of exploring issues faced in the gaming world. You can view the full report here.

Common complaints regarding lack of accessibility include:

• The high expense and low availability of assistive technology.
• Lack of in-game accessibility options.
• An inability to return games upon discovering it does not have contextually essential accessible features.

The report also showed disabled individuals often purchase in-game extras more often in games they do play, as well as watching Esports and engaging in social media more often. Gohill also pointed out the some 14 million disabled gamers in the UK alone spend combined billions in disposable income, so there’s an ethically sound reason for broadening accessible features across more video games. On a similar note, there’s a great Jimquisition episode on how loot boxes and gambling mechanics in gaming effect discourse on accessibility.

Prominent video games praised for their accessibility options include Forza Horizon 5, the latest Ratchet and Clank, and The Last of Us Part 2 (featuring options tailored for players with hearing difficulties, sight impairment and difficulty with physical mobility). We have some of those games, so poke around our store if you’re looking for any deals.

In true Paralympic fashion, Microsoft has also announced plans for an ‘inclusion-based’ Esports tournament, as well as having released an Xbox Adaptive Controller for players who struggle with the standard controller.

Given the toxicity of of many online spaces, the Scope report also highlights that “doing more to tackle negative attitudes about disability online” should be a top priority based on responses from its participants. For more on online safe spaces for gamers and reducing hate, have a look at my past article on Paidia.

As someone on the autistic spectrum, I agree that more should be done to dismantle negative preconceptions about people with disabilities. Not everyone will react the same to having those conversations and progress can be very small on an individual scale, but every little helps.

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The post Accessibility in Games And Why It Matters first appeared on Get2Gaming.

The long-awaited PS5 exclusive game has been receiving well critically and by the fans, but no game is ever perfect. The game came under a lot of scrutiny recently with all the bugs players kept finding, however Insomniac Games has now released the latest patch for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, which brings a dozen of bug fixes and a system that boosts FPS for certain TVs.

What’s New for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart?

Bug Fixes

The 1.002 patch update included a wide variety of minor tweaks and improvements including; several common physics, animation, interface, and audio glitches; a bug where players could complete the same Glitch Challenge twice and locking them out of later challenges; and resolved issues where killing certain Grunthor enemies would not count towards the Extinction Event trophy, a crucial requirement for said trophy.

Yet the most significant addition is a system that boosts the game’s frame rate on certain TVs.

120 Hz Fidelity Mode

The update lets the player choose to enable 120 Hz Fidelity Mode, a feature that typically prioritises visual effect over performance by locking the game at 30 FPS, yet players can now choose to enable this mode in the game’s graphical settings in order to boost the fps to 40 FPS.

The Fidelity Mode supported a Hz refresh rate during the Racthet & Clank: Rift Apart’s launch, however Insomniac removed it due to it’s compatibility issues. Now, players with 120 Hz TVs are able to use this feature again.

The most notable benefit of this system is that the game looks significantly smoother on Fidelity Mode. The Performance Mode still offers the smoothest experience, but the new update closes the gap significantly. Players will also experience reduced latency, thus more responsive controls from the 120 Hz Fidelity Mode.

Other New Features

Players can now also disable Phantom Dash VFX in all gameplay or photo mode, disable level-up messages and bind “skip cutscenes” to the cross button, and a whole bunch of new features to Photo Mode, including coloured backgrounds and the ability to hide your armour.

Hey All!
We added a few things to Photo Mode today! My favorite is the ability to isolate your favorite lombax by adding a solid color background for awesome hero shots!#RatchetPS5 pic.twitter.com/Xe60WIAhVD

— Gil Doron (@GilFromUI) June 30, 2021

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is available from our store!

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The post Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Patch 1.002 Update and Bug Fixes first appeared on Get2Gaming.