Microsoft has partnered with the US Department of Veteran Affairs to explore the medical benefits of its Adaptive Controller for military veterans.
The Xbox Adaptive Controller launched in September 2018, and can be customised with several different input devices, including buttons, joysticks and touchpads. The Washington Post reports the company distributed controllers to 22 veteran rehabilitation centres last month to not only assist with therapy but also improve veterans' ability to socialise.
While this was originally a trial, the Washington DC VA Medical Center has already said it will host weekly outpatient clinics where veterans can use the Adaptive Controller to play video games.
The VA will also use these sessions to collect data on socialisation and pain management to gauge how the devices are assisting with their rehabilitation.