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Naughty Dog details the extensive accessibility in 'The Last of Us Part II'
'The Last of Us Part II' will have accessibility on a level you likely haven't seen in any other game.
'Overwatch' tests new colorblind options and tweaked Torbjörn
Ever since Overwatch debuted, Blizzard has continued to poke and prod at the game by adding heroes, game modes, maps and making tweaks to existing content to keep players interested. With a game that functions as a funnel toward its professional esports league, balance is key and that occasionally means big reworks to characters who have been seen as residing outside of the "meta" picks to increase the chance of winning. Blizzard already made major changes to one character who saw little use in its competitive modes, Symmetra, and now it's testing a rework for Torbjörn, a Swedish engineer who built turrets and distributed armor to teammates. As described by the team in a video and patch notes, his armor pack and scrap collecting feature has been removed entirely.
Apple's digital wellness features don't go far enough
Apple's digital wellness initiative might be well intended, but it doesn't go far enough to combat screen addiction. Sure, the announcement of grouped notifications to reduce lock-screen clutter (and some anxiety) drew rapturous applause from the developers gathered at WWDC, but Apple could've done so much more, even if it meant looking like it was late to the party.
Microsoft's iOS app augments hues for color-blind folks
Color Binoculars landed on the App Store today, promising to infuse the real world with color for anyone with the three most common forms of color blindness. This isn't the first app designed to help color-blind folks see a broader spectrum of colors, but it comes from two Microsoft software engineers (one of whom is color blind), and its straightforward filter method is simple to use.
ICYMI: Homo sapien ancestor, AR Pokémon game and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-690648{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-690648, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-690648{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-690648").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: We are pumped about the discovery of a previously unknown homo sapien ancestor who looked ape-like but still cared enough to bury its dead. Color blind people who have long struggled with watching TV will have the option of buying a device that has a chipset designed to boost colors for their needs. And Pokémon is rolling out an augmented reality game that combines a bluetooth ball with GPS in your phone to hunt the little rascals down in virtual real life.
Set-top box chip comes with TV enhancer for colorblind viewers
Researchers from the University of East Anglia developed a technology called "Eyeteq" that can tweak what's shown on TV for colorblind viewers sometime ago. Now, they're making sure the tech is more accessible to hardware manufacturers, particularly those that make set-top boxes. Their spin-off company, Spectral Edge, has integrated Eyeteq into STMicroelectronics' Cannes set-top box chipset. As you can see in the demo video below the fold, users would be able to adjust their TVs based on the kind of colorblindness they have using a remote control. The chip enhances the colors in each frame, but the changes show up on screen instantly.
ICYMI: Electric surfboard, '80s video app and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-143496{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-143496, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-143496{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-143496").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: If Jaws has kept you out of the ocean, there's another way to experience surfing. Just pay $4,000 for the Onean Electric Surfboard and cruise lakes and rivers instead. And you can re-live the glory days of Saved by the Bell and Zumba pants with an iOS app that turns captured videos into vintage gems. And an art installation lets you sing to it and vibrates back with its own song.
Chrome add-on helps you see the web if you're color-blind
The web isn't always a great a place to visit if you're color-blind -- in fact, you may not properly see the Chrome logo above. Thankfully, Google may have a way to fill in some of that missing picture. It recently released a Chrome extension, Color Enhancer, that tweaks the browser's colors to help overcome partial color blindness. All you do is walk through a basic calibration process, and the add-on does the rest. This isn't the most complicated addition in the world, but it could make a big difference if it helps you spot web objects that would otherwise go unnoticed. [Image credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan]
Borderlands 2 adding colorblind mode
Color plays a big part in the vivid world of Borderlands 2, particularly in its loot system, so it makes sense Gearbox is adding a colorblind mode to its shooter. In an extensive post that goes into what colorblindness is and what can be done to help players who suffer with it, programmer Jeff Broome said the mode is coming to all platforms, with more info on its release "in the near future." Like many loot-heavy games, Borderlands 2 uses colors to distinguish the rarity of the items spread across its wasteland. That color shines out from loot in a beam, and it features on their descriptions in the title. For colorblind players, distinguishing those different colors from one another is problematic, so Gearbox is modifying them to make them more identifiable, as well as denoting the color in text on the descriptions. It's a shame it wasn't there when the game shipped - it it had, Gearbox would've been able to apply i to just one side of a split-screen, rather than the whole screen. Still, it's good it is being added, and that Gearbox has gone to the lengths of letting players specify different types of colorblindness; when toggling the mode, players can select Deuteranopia, Prtoanopia, or Tritanopia.
Dota 2 gets new heroes, crafting, and Diretide
Last week, the folks at Valve apologized to the Dota 2 community for silently skipping the game's Halloween-themed Diretide event. In the apology, the Dota team promised that Diretide would go live with the next big update, which they hinted would include a bunch of other features the community would be happy to see. Today, Valve announced the update, titled Three Spirits. And true to the Dota team's word, it's a big one. It includes two new heroes in the form of Earth Spirit and Ember Spirit (counterparts to the existing Storm Spirit), an in-game coaching mechanic that enables teams and individuals to improve their play, and a crafting and socketing system that provides for customizing existing items or combining unneeded ones to make something better and more useful. The patch also brings a new showcase view of matches, a lane-picker, colorblind mode, new training missions and more. Oh, and yes, Diretide is coming; the event runs from November 14th to November 28th. Check out the full patch notes on the official Three Spirits site.
Battlefield 4 beta includes options for the colorblind
Developer DICE has included a host of options in the Battlefield 4 beta test designed to make the game easier to play for those who suffer from colorblindness. Those who suffer from colorblindness generally see a distorted field of colors, different from those seen by the non-colorblind. By changing certain hues within the game to those the colorblind are more easily able to discern, DICE is able to make Battlefield 4 far more inclusive to potential virtual soldiers. As Reddit user Orli155 points out, the squad colors in the Battlefield 4 beta can be altered to appear more recognizable to those suffering from Deuteranopia, Tritanopia or Protanopia - three of the most prevalent forms of colorblindness. The Battlefield 4 beta is currently ongoing on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms. The game is slated to make its retail debut on October 29.
Daily iPad App: Color Blindness Test by EnChroma
Color blindness is a common vision problem that affects up to 8 percent of men and 0.5 percent of women in the population. People are usually diagnosed when they visit their optometrist for a routine vision check, but you can screen yourself at home using the new Color Blindness Test from EnChroma. The Color Blindness app steps you through a series of pictures to evaluate the type and severity of your color blindness. It presents you with images of varying colors and asks you to identify the shapes (square, diamond or circle) that you see. In some images, the color differences are great and the shapes are readily visible. In other images, the color differences are subtle and the shapes are difficult to see, especially for those who are color blind. When you have completed the test, the app will tell you whether you have normal or impaired vision. If you are color blind, the app will let you know if you are a deutan or protan and whether it is mild, moderate or severe. Protan and deutan are two types of red-green color blindness. I tested the app with my 11-year-old son who has been diagnosed with severe red-green color blindness and the EnChroma test was spot on. I watched him take the test and he failed to discern several shapes and misidentified many of the squares and diamonds as circles. He was classified as a severe deutan by the EnChroma test, which is the same diagnosis he has received from two different optometrists. The Color Blindness Test is available in the iOS App Store for free. It works on the iPhone, the iPod touch and the iPad. I chose to review the iPad version because the big screen made it easier to take the test. If you download the Color Blindness Test, please remember that the app is meant to be a screening tool and shouldn't be used to diagnosis a vision problem. You should see an optometrist or ophthalmologist for detailed information about any potential color vision deficiency you might have.
BioShock 2 hacking minigame could cause issues for colorblind gamers
[Image credit: Negative Gamer] Allow me to break from the usual third-person writing style we employ at Joystiq to address my personal stake in writing this post -- I'm part of the approximately 10 percent of human males with colorblindness. I had to return Super Puzzle Fighter for GBA and turn on the symbols in Hexic (the price I pay for the love of puzzle games). Like Russ at MTV Multiplayer, I (quite likely) have the most common form of colorblindness: Deuteranopia. Personal info aside, Negative Gamer put together a bit of an analysis of BioShock 2's hacking system -- a system which applies color matching to various rewards/punishments (green = hack, blue = reward, red = alarm, white = electric shock) and one which could be problematic for those suffering from colorblindnesses many forms. The piece takes a program called "Colour Contrast Analyser" (yes, it's a British-born application) and runs an example image of the hacking program through it, pointing out how the colors would appear to people with a variety of types of colorblindness -- the image you see above is but one example. So! If you've ever wondered what it's like to deal with the frustration of being colorblind and not being able to play a game because of it, now's your big chance. If you want to start a petition to "fix" the situation like these folks did for Modern Warfare 2, I'd really appreciate it. [Via MTV Multiplayer]
Petition asks for colorblind options in Modern Warfare 2
With plenty of actual controversy surrounding Modern Warfare 2, the issues of colorblind gamers seem a relatively innocent (and common) oversight. An ongoing petition and Facebook group is requesting a patch for the game. According to the petition, those with a particular type of red/green color blindness "cannot tell friend from foe in the online matches, as their names appear in these colors, and the radar uses the colors too." Infinity Ward's community manager has acknowledged that he will bring up the concern to the team. Our very own red/green color blind Ben Gilbert, who doesn't have a particular issue with MW2's spectrum decisions, noted, "I can think of about 20 other games that need a solution for this before MW2. How about every puzzle game ever made that depends on color matching -- I'm looking at you especially, Super Puzzle Fighter, you heart breaker." Considering color blindness is relatively common, especially among males, it's surprising that it isn't tested for more regularly. Any QA folks who can give better insight into whether color blindness is tested for (and how) should feel free to drop a note in the comments. [Via Escapist, Evil Avatar]
AbleGamer talks to Blizz about 3.1 accessibility
AbleGamers has a conversation with Jeff Kaplan about the upcoming accessibility changes to the game in patch 3.1. We saw in the patch notes already that there would be a new colorblind mode added to the game, but Kaplan goes into more detail here -- Blizzard is making sure that even when the interface depends on color to get information across (as in, how difficult your quests are or whether you'll get a skill point from making a crafting recipe or not), there will be other text and symbols in there that relay that information without color.Unfortunately, while the changes that are going in the game will be helpful. AbleGamers points out that the game isn't perfect for those with colorblindness yet -- mob levels are often shown to the player in a certain color, and there's no option yet for players to see that information in any other format. Additionally, Rogue combo points are shown by filing those little circles in with colors, and colorblind players who aren't able to see that color will have difficulty with that mechanic as well.The good news is that, while Blizzard does want to make sure their core game is as accessible as possible, there's lots of room for addon authors to do more. Colorblindness is surprisingly prevalent, and everything coders can do to make the game easier to play will be welcomed by those who need it.
WoW Patch 3.1 PTR Galleries: Equipment Manager, LFG, colorblind mode, joining battlegrounds
Arawn from Crusader Aura sent in some excellent screenshots straight from the 3.1 PTR. And being the helpful netizens we are, we're passing them straight on to you. Check out the in-game Equipment Manager, which is simple, but functional; changes to the LFG tool; WoW's new colorblind mode; and the new ability to join battlegrounds from anywhere. Check the screenshots themselves for additional comments on these features' functionality.%Gallery-45754%%Gallery-45755%%Gallery-45758%%Gallery-45767% Want more news from the 3.1 PTR? Patch 3.1 brings us Ulduar, dual specs, significant changes to all the classes, and more! We've got you covered from top to bottom with our Guide to Patch 3.1.
EIZO's 24-inch FlexScan for the colorblind
Eizo's back with a new 24-inch Flexscan SX2461W-U monitor for the colorblind color-weak chromatically sight challenged interpeoples. It chews the same CUD (Color Universal Design) technology of their 19-incher which uses shapes, positions, patterns, and so on to communicate color information back to the user. The monitor itself is capable of 92% color reproduction on a 1,920 x 1200 panel with 850:1 contrast and 300cd/m2 brightness. It will source input from a pair of HDCP-enabled DVI jacks while passing USB back to your PC with a pair of USB 2.0 ports. Available in Japan starting December 6 for ¥136,000 or about $1,047 of the green stuff, or blue stuff, depending.[Via Akihabara News]
Color Oracle
Today is rapidly turning into Color Blindness awareness day here at TUAW. Earlier I told you about Sim Daltonism, which creates a little panel in which you can simulate how something would look viewed by various types of color blindness, and now we have Color Oracle.Pixel pointed it out to me in the comments, and so I took a gander at it. Unlike Sim Daltonism, Color Oracle simulates the effect of color blindness on your whole screen. Simply click on the menubar item (or use a hot key) and all the colors on your screen are shifted. Click any where and they are back to normal. Pretty neat little application, and the icon (seen to the right) is very cool indeed (it brings back memories of not being able to tell what number was supposed to be in those dots).Color Oracle is free, and requires OS X 10.3.9 or higher.
Sim Daltonism
Red is red, right? Wrong. There are some people out there (this humble blogger amongst them) who are color blind in one degree or another (I have a slight case of red/green colorblindness). This means you can't assume people see colors in the same way you do, which is very important when you're a designer. But what can a designer who sees in full color do in order to make sure their websites are legible to all those colorblind surfers out there? That's where Sim Daltonism comes in. This little donationware app simulates what the area around your mouse looks like to a person with a variety of different types of colorblindness.[via Zeldman]
Frenzic 1.2.1
Frenzic is a frantic game which has the player match and then move colored game pieces to form pies. Trust me, it is a lot more fun than that sounds, and it is even more fun when you play against someone else.Sadly, as with any game based on color recognition, there was a small portion of society that couldn't play Frenzic (or at least not very well). That's right, I'm talking about the color blind people of the world, of which I am one. Happily Frenzic 1.2 introduced a new option to help those of us who have trouble distinguishing colors.The current version of Frenzic is 1.2.1, the most recent update fixed an issue with the demo timing out. Frenzic costs $14.95 (though there is a guru package which includes an lifetime of online play for $24.95).
