Turn 10 has revealed a new driving aid for the upcoming Forza Motorsport that will allow players with even the most significant visual impairments to take part and race: Blind Driving Assists.
It’s the latest development in a series which has long-championed accessibility, with a number of assists already in Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon games for players with a variety of physical disabilities.
Created with the help of accessibility consultant Brandon Cole, whose own visual impairment qualifies him as blind, the Blind Driving Assists (BDA) enhance the entire game from menus through to track. This will allow players with all levels of vision loss to take part in and enjoy Forza Motorsport.
Naturally the system works through audio enhancements, delivering sound cues to inform players of their car position without having to rely on what’s displayed on the screen.
A tutorial will guide players through each of the audio cues, which provide information on where the car is on track, how close it is to the track edges, how the car is oriented, whether — and how much — braking is required, when to change gear, how the car is progressing through turns, and the position of opponents.
Once players have learned all of the audio cues — many will never have driven a car before, real or virtual — they’ll be able to get out on track and race. Cole comments that he has actually won a race against the AI cars, so it’s not simply a case of solo lapping; it’s not a mode, but an assist, and players using it will be able to progress through the game.
Alongside the driving assist, Forza Motorsport will offer screen narration, which can be adjusted for volume, pitch, speed, narrator voice, and “verbosity”. That will allow players to tailor the assist, which essentially reads out what’s on each screen, to suit their preference and experience.
Another new assist is “One Touch Driving”, which will help players who have disabilities that may affect their manual dexterity or stamina, making it more difficult to hold a controller or press multiple buttons at once. It includes multiple assists, including automatic shifting, steering, and braking, as well as a new pit-entry assist.
The title will also come with accessibility aids we’ve seen in previous games, including low vision assists like text scaling, color-blindness filters, and subtitling, as Turn 10 continues to provide one of the most accessible games out there.
We’re still waiting to find out when Forza Motorsport will launch, with the window shifted from “Spring 2023” to just “2023”, and no further new information since January. Microsoft’s Showcase, coming on June 11, should provide more on both front.
