Accessibility, Xbox One, and Kinect FAQ

At Microsoft, we believe that as many people as possible should enjoy interactive entertainment. Xbox One brings significant technical improvements to users. With gestures, voice, and wireless controller input, we've made many features and options more accessible, expanding the ways users can enjoy games and entertainment on the Xbox.

We recognize that each person's abilities are unique and that not all Xbox games and experiences will be accessible to all users. We're continually working to improve the Xbox experience for all users. We actively seek feedback on how we can improve Xbox and Kinect technology, and we consider this feedback as we work on updates and future versions of our products and services.

Seated users can enjoy several features and games developed for Xbox One. Currently, the ability for the Kinect sensor included with the Xbox One console to work with seated users is largely dependent on individual games and apps. Some games and experiences are more accommodating of seated users than others. Developers can design their apps and games in such a way so some users can skip or complete activities they have trouble with. We continue to educate publishers in an effort to encourage them to provide an entertaining gaming experience that meets the needs of a broader audience.

You can navigate the Xbox One user interface and use the controller to experience free entertainment features on Xbox Live, such as Groove and Video Kinect, while seated or standing.

At present, Xbox One does not support sign language as a form of command input to the Kinect sensor.

For information on using speech recognition, see Use voice commands with Xbox One.

Note Voice commands are not available in all regions. For a list of Xbox One features and the regions where they're available, see Xbox One feature availability.

In an effort to deliver the appropriate response to user commands, by design, voice recognition on Xbox One responds to specific speech patterns. This feature helps limit the amount of unintentional on-screen responses from environmental sounds. This can affect the system's ability to track and respond to sounds and voices it's unable to map to the recognized spoken commands database.

Note Voice commands are not available in all regions. For a list of Xbox One features and the regions where they're available, see Xbox One feature availability.

Yes. The Xbox One console makes it possible for Movies & TV to display closed captions for videos that offer them. Video programming owners, not Microsoft, provide the captions.

Video programming owners are expected to provide IP-delivered closed captioning for all full-length, nonexempt, prerecorded video programming that airs on U.S. television. Additional programs will continue to be captioned in accordance with FCC guidelines.

For videos offered through Movies & TV, and for many third-party apps, you may use the settings on your Xbox One to play closed captions when they're available.

Here's how to enable closed captioning on your Xbox One console:

1. Press the Xbox button to open the guide.
2. Select Settings.
3. Select All Settings.
4. Under Ease of Access, select Closed Captioning.
5. Select from the available options.

The Xbox One console usually saves closed captioning preferences for first-party videos and third-party apps. As a result, any caption-equipped video that plays on your console or computer will display the captions. To turn off the captions, follow the preliminary steps in the previous answer, and select Closed Captioning off.

For more information on closed captioning settings, see How to modify the closed captioning settings on your Xbox One console.

Notes

• Some third-party apps such as Netflix can save your closed captioning preferences in the app's account settings.
• If you use your Xbox account to sign in on an Xbox One console that's not yours, you'll need to set up your closed captioning preferences on that console or computer, just as you did on your own console or computer.

Xbox One video captions are similar to closed captions on your television, with the console displaying them as text in front of the video playing on the screen. After enabling closed captions, the default caption setting will display white text on a black background.

To change the characteristics of the captions displayed on your screen, see How to modify the closed captioning settings on your Xbox One console

No. When you purchase and download a captioned video through Movies & TV, the entire file—including the capacity for closed captions—is stored on your Xbox One console whether or not you've enabled closed captions through the console. This means that although you need an Internet connection to download a video to your console, you don't need a connection to the Internet or Xbox Live to play the video with closed captions.

Captions are provided by the video programming owners—usually the movie studios or television networks (or their parent companies) that own the video content. To request captions for a specific movie or TV show, contact the content owner.

If you're experiencing problems with Internet Protocol (IP) closed captioning, contact Rob Sinclair, Chief Accessibility Officer, by email at Microsoft Closed Captioning Accessibility Issues or by using the following contact information:

Rob Sinclair
Chief Accessibility Officer
Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399
Phone: (425) 882-8080
Fax: (425) 936-7329

In an effort to continually improve the Xbox One experience, we engage with the accessibility community to help us improve our Xbox and Kinect technology for all users. We also educate publishers on how to design their titles to reach a broader audience, including users with physical and sensory impairments and those with unique gameplay needs. Community members can also contact the Xbox Accessibility Information team.

Visit the Microsoft Accessibility website.

If you have accessibility questions or feedback about Xbox One or any Xbox product, contact us by email at xaccess@microsoft.com. One of our team members will gladly answer your questions or direct you to the most appropriate person.