Forza Motorsport [PEGI 3] includes a wide range of options for players to customise how they play the game and potentially improve the motor accessibility of the game. In this post, we are going to go through the Braking, Throttle and Steering Assists found in the Driving Assists menu. The game is available on Xbox Series S/X consoles and Windows PC. We will be mainly focussing on using a controller to play, though the game can also be played using a keyboard or compatible steering wheel.
Whilst there are many actions in the game that take up most of the available buttons or stick directions on a controller, the required core inputs to race are Steering (left and right directions on the Left Stick by default), Brake (LT by default) and Gas (RT by default) to control the throttle. The keyboard inputs for these actions are W,A,S and D, by default.
The assists you choose to use can reduce these core controls further still. These assists can allow you to reduce the amount of inputs you use and/or the frequency you need to use them to play. Some assist settings may just allow you to use a certain input less frequently, or they can be customised to remove the need to use one or more of the inputs entirely. For instance, you could choose to use the Assisted Throttle setting so you can focus on steering and braking, or you could use Fully Assisted steering and braking, so you just control the throttle. The driving assists can be used in single-player races such as in Free Play or Career Mode and also Featured Multiplayer events online.
We will go through each of these options and share the developer’s descriptions of these, which will explain each of the settings you can choose from. We will finish by showing examples of gameplay, using different combinations of these particular assists to give an idea of the control inputs required whilst using them.
Global Assists Presets
The Global Assists Presets option allows you to adjust multiple assists by changing just one setting. The available settings are Maximum Assists, Heavy Assists, Moderate Assists, Balanced Assists, Light Assists and Minimum Assists. You can then customise each of these presets, to tailor the settings to you. The default setting is Heavy Assists, which is suggested when starting the game.
Braking Assist Settings
This option sets the amount of support you will get with braking and will alter how much you will need to use the Brake input (LT by default) yourself. You can still apply the brake manually at any point if using one of the assists. The following settings are available to choose from:
Fully Assisted: When a driver approaches a corner, this system automatically applies the necessary level of brakes to get the driver through the turn. In addition, this system applies brakes in certain circumstances to help avoid rear-ending other cars. NOTE: This can make it more challenging to pass other cars.
Partially Assisted: When a driver approaches a corner, this system automatically applies the necessary level of brakes to get the driver through the turn.
ABS On: When a driver applies the brakes, this system pulses the brakes to ensure that they don’t lock up.
ABS Off: The driver is in full control of the braking force. If the brakes are applied with too much force, they will lock up. As drivers master braking, they will find this option can lead to faster races.
Throttle Assist Settings
This option allows you to choose whether you will use the Gas input yourself (RT by default) or allow this to be applied automatically. You can still use the Gas input to control the throttle manually, to supplement this action. The following settings are available to choose from:
Assisted: When not needing to slow down for a corner, this system automatically applies throttle, so the driver doesn’t need to hold the input constantly, reducing muscle tension and fatigue.
Unassisted: The driver has full control of the throttle.
Steering Assist Settings
This assist allows you to choose how much support you will receive with Steering from full control (using L Stick by default), to not needing to use the input at all.
Fully Assisted: provides strong guidance to help the car stay near the Suggested Line. Note that this has no effect when using a Force Feedback input device.
Partially Assisted: provides some guidance to the driver’s steering, but only when necessary. Note that this has no effect when using a Force Feedback input device.
Normal: gives the driver full control over steering but dampens certain physical effects to make driving easier.
Simulation: eliminates any damping and steering speed assistance for a more realistic effect, making counter-steering much quicker. NOTE: This mode is difficult with a controller and is recommended for advanced drivers.
Gameplay Examples
The below video shows some examples of the Steering, Throttle and Braking assists in use during gameplay and examples of how a player may use the core Steering, Gas (Throttle) and Brake controls alongside these. Please note, different tracks, difficulty levels, offline or online opponents and personal driving styles will affect how many and how frequently certain inputs are used.
The onscreen controller shows how the Steering (Left Stick), Gas ( RT – to control the throttle) and Brake (LT) inputs are being used whilst using the Steering, Braking and Throttle driving assists.
0:00 | Heavy Assists Preset – Player is shown controlling the throttle, steering (Partially Assisted) and occasionally braking (Partially Assisted) to avoid collisions.
0:52 | Fully Assisted Braking – Player is shown controlling the throttle and steering (Partially Assisted).
1:55 | Assisted Throttle + Fully Assisted Braking – Player is shown steering (Partially Assisted) and briefly using the throttle on an open part of track to gain additional speed.
3:56 | Maximum Assists Preset – Player is shown just controlling the throttle, whilst not using inputs for steering and braking (both Fully Assisted).
5:33 | Assisted Throttle + Fully Assisted Steering – Player is shown controlling braking (ABS On) and steering (Fully Assisted) just to overtake.
Additional Related Settings
Remapping Controller/Keyboard Layouts – There are 15 controller layouts to choose from. These can be customised by remapping the individual inputs used for different actions. All actions can be remapped to all inputs on a controller, including swapping actions between analog and digital inputs and being able to remap individual stick directions to different actions. There are also five keyboard layouts, which can also be remapped to swap individual actions to keys of your choice.
Deadzones – ‘Inside’ and ‘outside’ deadzone options are available for actions that are analog, like steering and acceleration. For instance, for steering using an analog stick, if you decrease the inside deadzone, less movement of the stick is required for the car to start turning. Increasing it, more movement is required before it will start turning. Decreasing the outside deadzone for steering will mean that less input is needed to reach the full activation (full turn), whilst increasing it will mean more movement is required.
Car-to-Car Collisions – This can be set to ‘Off’ to drive through cars instead of colliding. This setting can be found in the Accessibility menu within the Blind Driving Assists options and is only applied during single-player events.
Drivatar Difficulty – You can choose the difficulty of the AI opponents in single player races from the Difficulty menu, which affects their precision when braking, cornering and using the throttle.
Rewind – When playing single player with Club rules or Sport Rules, you are able to use the Rewind option (Y button or R key by default) to go back in time before a mistake has been made, such as colliding with another car or coming off the track.
We hope that this post has been useful in sharing how gameplay can be customised using the Steering, Braking and Throttle driving assists in Forza Motorsport. For information on additional driving assists, customisable options and accessibility features, please visit the Turn 10 article about Forza Motorsport Accessibility Support: https://support.forzamotorsport.net/hc/en-us/articles/20964254277267-Forza-Motorsport-Accessibility-Support
We have recently added some articles and videos to the GameAccess site that show different methods of using an alternative controller to play PlayStation 5 (PS5) games on a PS5 console, when someone is unable to use a PS5 DualSense controller.
This article will share all of these methods in one place and link to the original articles for further reading. The transcripts below each video can also be opened to help follow instructions.
At the time of publishing this, these methods are allowing us to play PS5 games on the console with a range of alternative controllers. However, future device or console updates may alter this, so players must follow these methods at their own risk.
In addition to the methods below, Sony have announced the PlayStation 5 Access Controller which will be released on 6 December 2023, which may be a suitable and first-party supported alternative for some players.
Method 1. Cronus Zen + Titan Two (for one or two alternative controllers on PS5)
This method uses two adapters (a Cronus Zen and a Titan Two) to enable two alternative controllers to be used simultaneously. This could be a DualShock 4 controller or an Xbox One or Series controller alongside an Xbox Adaptive Controller (XAC), for instance. The Cronus Zen allows you to use one alternative controller on the PS5 console, whilst the Titan Two enables you to add an additional controller to use two alternative controllers simultaneously.
Set-up video:
Please note, the LEDs on the Cronus Zen, Titan Two and the Xbox Adaptive Controller will appear differently in person to how they appear on-screen.
Some of the people we work with are unable to use a DualSense controller that is required to play many PlayStation 5 games.
In this video, we will look at how to set up a Cronus Zen and a Titan Two to use alternative controllers like an Xbox Adaptive Controller (also known as an XAC) or DualShock 4 controller to play PlayStation 5 games on a PlayStation 5 console.
You can plug compatible controllers like an Xbox Adaptive Controller or DualShock 4 into the Cronus Zen directly, but using the Titan Two allows us to use two controllers simultaneously to play.
For instance, we may use a DualShock 4 controller as the main controller, but we use an XAC alongside it to use some accessibility switches. Or you may use joysticks and switches via the Xbox Adaptive Controller for most controls but have the DualShock 4 ready to use for any touchpad or Sixaxis parts of games.
The PlayStation 5’s DualSense, whilst connected as part of the set-up to verify the Cronus Zen, cannot be used for controls.
Using the Titan Two also allows you to use Titan Two scripts that may improve accessibility for you and also gives you the option to connect a PC to add certain controls, such as voice control.
We will go through setting up each of the pieces of equipment, then show how to connect them all to play.
Step 1. PlayStation 5 Console Settings
You will need to make sure your PlayStation 5 console is set so that controllers are used via a USB cable and not via Bluetooth.
To do this, in the PlayStation Home menu, navigate to ‘Settings’, select ‘Accessories’, go into ‘Controller’, then select ‘Communication Method’ and set it to ‘Use USB Cable’ instead of ‘Use Bluetooth’.
Step 2. Set Up the Cronus Zen
Download the software currently in beta from beta.cronusmax.com/ps5-beta and unzip the folder.
Open the ‘cm update tool’ file from the downloaded and unzipped folder to open the ‘Collective Minds Firmware Update Tool’ and connect the Cronus Zen to a PC using the Cronus’ rear USB port.
Hold down the Reset Button underneath the Cronus Zen. Its screen will say ‘Zen Bootloader’ and the device should then appear in the Update Tool. Follow the on-screen instructions to update the firmware. Close the tool when finished and unplug the Cronus Zen.
Hold the two blue buttons on top of the Cronus Zen and reconnect it to the PC again to hard reset it, again using the Cronus’ rear USB port.
After 4 seconds the LEDs will flash red, green, then blue, indicating a successful hard reset, erasing all memory slots and putting your Zen back to factory defaults.
Unplug Cronus Zen from your PC.
Open Zen Studio from the downloaded and unzipped folder and connect your ZEN to the PC using its ‘PROG’ USB Port this time, which is on the side of the Cronus.
Go to ‘Tools’ then select ‘Reset Zen Studio’ to reset all of Zen Studio’s settings back to its defaults.
When Zen Studio restarts, go to the ‘Device’ tab and make sure that both ‘PS4 Specialty’ and ‘PS Remote Play’ are ‘DISABLED’. Also check the Output Protocol is set to ‘AUTO’ and nothing else.
Step 3. Set up the Titan Two
Download and install some Titan Two software called ‘Gtuner IV’ from the Titan Two’s consoletuner.com website.
Once downloaded and installed, connect your Titan Two to a PC with its USB cable, using the PROG port on the back of the Titan Two. If you are prompted to update the firmware, follow the on-screen instructions.
Under Device Configuration, set the ‘Output Protocol’ to ‘USB Automatic’ and make sure ‘Recall loaded memory slot between power cycles’ is ticked, which will automatically load the profile we will put on next, instead of needing to manually select it using the buttons on the Titan Two device. Then select the tick box to ‘Power Off the device with the Console’.
We need to install a script that blocks a bug that appears if using an XAC. It will also force the necessary ‘PS4 mode’.
Click on the Device Configuration tab, and search ‘Online Resources’ with “adaptive Zen”, then drag the DRAG DROP box to a free memory slot.
Then, finally, click on the number of the memory slot you saved the profile to.
These settings will automatically save to your Titan Two.
Close Gtuner and unplug the Titan Two from your PC.
Step 4. Setting up equipment for the first time
Connect the short cable that comes with the Cronus Zen to its ‘CONSOLE/PC’ USB port which is on the back of it.
Then connect a PlayStation 5 DualSense controller, to the ‘A1’ USB Port on the side of the Cronus Zen.
Use the short Titan Two USB cable to link the Titan Two OUTPUT port to the front left USB port of the Cronus Zen.
Connect your gaming controllers to the front of the Titan Two. Next, plug the short cable connected to the back of the Cronus Zen into your PlayStation 5 console.
You can turn on the PlayStation 5 by pressing the button on the front of the console or by using the PS Home button on the connected DualSense PlayStation 5 controller.
If the light on one or both of your alternative controllers is not on, you may need to manually turn the controller on.
If one or more high-powered USB devices are connected to the XAC, the Titan Two may need extra power.
Here, we are connecting a Micro USB to USB-C cable from the USB PROG port on the Titan Two, into the USB-C slot on the front of the console to give it the extra power needed for using this particular set-up.
Step 5. Playing after initial set-up
Connect the cable from the back of the Cronus Zen to your PlayStation 5.
Turn on the PlayStation 5 from the front of the console or using the PS Home button on the DualSense controller.
If you are using an additional cable to give extra power to the Titan Two, connect this as well.
If the light on one or both of your alternative controllers is not on, you may need to manually turn the controller on.
Turn off the console in the usual way, in the PlayStation Home menu.
Unplug the Cronus Zen from the PlayStation 5.
If you are using an additional cable to give extra power to the Titan Two, unplug this as well.
Method 2. Besavior + Titan Two (for one or two alternative controllers on PS5)
This method also uses two adapters (a Besavior and a Titan Two) to enable two alternative controllers to be used simultaneously.
The Besavior allows you to use one alternative controller on the PS5 console, whilst the Titan Two enables you to use an XAC (which is not compatible just using the Besavior), and also to add an additional controller to use two alternative controllers simultaneously, if needed.
Set-up video:
Please note, the LEDs on the Besavior, Titan Two and the Xbox Adaptive Controller will appear differently in person to how they appear on-screen.
This video will show how to use a Besavior and a Titan Two device to use an Xbox Adaptive Controller on PlayStation 5. This is a method that is currently allowing us to play PlayStation 5 games on the console with an Xbox Adaptive Controller, without using PS Remote Play.
The Besavior itself can be used as a stand-alone controller with back paddles, but it also has a feature that allows you to connect different controllers through it to use on the PlayStation 5 console.
In this set-up we are using it for this second feature and not for the back paddles. It is, however, needed for touchpad, Sixaxis and microphone access, but the rest of the inputs on the Besavior will not work.
We are using the Titan Two device in this set-up to enable us to use the Xbox Adaptive Controller with the Besavior and also to allow us to use a co-pilot controller alongside it.
Step 1. Set up the Titan Two
First, we will need to put a script onto a free slot on a Titan Two to help these devices to work.
You do this by downloading some Titan Two software called ‘Gtuner’ from the Titan Two’s consoletuner.com website.
Once downloaded and installed, connect your Titan Two to a PC with its USB cable, using the prog port on the back of the Titan Two.
In Gtuner, select ‘File’, ‘New’, ‘Minimum GPC Script’ and give it a name.
Then visit the forums on the Console Tuner website to locate and copy the script. The link to this page is in the video description.
Paste the code into the space in the script and then put it onto a free slot by selecting the ‘Install Active Code to Memory Slot’ icon and choose a free slot. In this case we put it onto slot ‘2’.
Then click on the number of the slot you have put the profile on.
You also need to set the ‘Output Protocol’ to ‘USB Automatic’ by going to ‘Device Configuration’, then selecting ‘USB Automatic’ from the drop-down option.
Under Device Configuration, you can also select ‘Recall loaded memory slot between power cycles’ to automatically load your profile instead of manually selecting it on the Titan Two device’.
You can then close Gtuner and remove the Titan Two from your PC. You can now use the Titan Two in this set-up.
Step 2. PlayStation 5 console settings
You will need to make sure your PlayStation 5 console is set so that controllers are used via a USB cable and not via Bluetooth. To do this, in the PlayStation Home menu navigate to “Settings”, select “Accessories” and go into “Controller (General)”, then select “Communication Method” and set it to ‘Use USB Cable’ instead of ‘Use Bluetooth’.
Step 3. First time equipment set-up
Turn on the PlayStation 5 console.
Link the Xbox Adaptive Controller to the front of the Titan Two. You can also connect another compatible controller to use alongside it, in the second slot.
Connect the ‘on the go’ USB adapter that comes with the Besavior and then use the short cable that comes with the Titan Two to link the Titan Two via the OUTPUT port to the Besavior.
To give the Titan Two the extra power it needs, we are connecting a Micro USB to USB-C cable from the USB PROG port on the Titan Two, into the USB-C slot on the front of the console.
You can now connect the Besavior via USB, to the PlayStation 5 console. Make sure you are in the correct Titan Two memory slot. Here we select slot 2, where our profile is.
When prompted on-screen to ‘press the ‘PS’ button on your controller’, you need to press the Xbox button on the Xbox Adaptive Controller.
When you are using this set-up, you need to make sure that you always turn your PlayStation 5 on at the console, not the controller. Otherwise, the controller might connect wirelessly, and the set-up won’t work.
Step 4. Playing after initial set-up
Next time you want to play, turn on the PlayStation 5 using the power button on the front of the console. Then connect the Besavior again, along with the extra power to the Titan Two.
Make sure you are in the correct Titan Two memory slot.
When prompted on-screen to ‘press the ‘PS’ button on your controller’, press the Xbox button on the Xbox Adaptive Controller.
To turn off the console, do this in the normal way in the PlayStation menu…and then unplug the Besavior from the console and also unplug the additional power to the Titan Two.
Method 3. Cronus Zen (for one alternative controller on PS5)
This method uses one adapter (a Cronus Zen) to enable one alternative controller, such as an XAC, a DualShock 4 or an Xbox One or Series controller, to be used.
Setup video:
Please note, the LEDs on the Cronus Zen will appear differently in person to how they appear on-screen.
In this video, we will look at how to set up a Cronus Zen to use alternative controllers like an Xbox Adaptive Controller, an Xbox One or Series controller or a DualShock 4 controller to play PlayStation 5 games on a PlayStation 5 console.
The PlayStation 5’s DualSense, whilst connected as part of the set-up to verify the Cronus Zen, cannot be used for controls whilst another controller is connected to the Cronus Zen.
So, for touchpad or motion controls, you will need to temporarily unplug the alternative controller to use the connected DualSense, unless using a DualShock 4 controller as the alternative controller, which does have motion and touchpad controls.
Step 1. PlayStation 5 Console Settings
You will need to make sure your PlayStation 5 console is set so that controllers are used via a USB cable and not via Bluetooth.
To do this, in the PlayStation Home menu, navigate to ‘Settings’, select ‘Accessories’, go into ‘Controller’, then select, ‘Communication Method’ and set it to ‘Use USB Cable’ instead of ‘Use Bluetooth’.
Step 2. Set Up the Cronus Zen
Download the software currently in beta from beta.cronusmax.com/ps5-beta and unzip the folder.
Open the ‘cm update tool’ file from the downloaded and unzipped folder to open the ‘Collective Minds Firmware Update Tool’ and connect the Cronus Zen to a PC using the Cronus’ rear USB port.
Hold down the Reset Button underneath the Cronus Zen. Its screen will say ‘Zen Bootloader’ and the device should then appear in the Update Tool. Follow the on-screen instructions to update the firmware. Close the tool when finished and unplug the Cronus Zen.
Hold the two blue buttons on top of the Cronus Zen and reconnect it to the PC again to hard reset it, again using the Cronus’ rear USB port.
After 4 seconds the LEDs will flash red, green then blue indicating a successful hard reset, erasing all memory slots and putting your Zen back to factory defaults.
Unplug the Cronus Zen from your PC.
Open Zen Studio from the downloaded and unzipped folder and connect your Zen to the PC using its ‘PROG’ USB Port this time, which is on the side of the Cronus.
Go to ‘Tools’, then select ‘Reset Zen Studio’ to reset all of Zen Studio’s settings back to its defaults.
When Zen Studio restarts, go to the ‘Device’ tab and make sure that both ‘PS4 Specialty’ and ‘PS Remote Play’ are ‘DISABLED’. Also check the output protocol is set to ‘AUTO’ and nothing else.
Step 3. Setting up equipment for the first time
Connect the short cable that comes with the Cronus Zen to its ‘CONSOLE/PC’ USB port, which is on the back of it.
Then connect a PlayStation 5 DualSense controller, to the ‘A1’ USB Port on the side of the Cronus Zen.
Connect your compatible alternative controller to the front left USB port of the Cronus Zen.
Next, plug the short cable connected to the back of the Cronus Zen into your PlayStation 5 console.
You can turn on the PlayStation 5 by pressing the button on the front of the console or by using the PS Home button on the connected DualSense PlayStation 5 controller.
Step 4. Playing after initial set-up
Connect the cable from the back of the Cronus Zen to your PlayStation 5.
Turn on the PlayStation 5 from the front of the console or using the PS Home button on the DualSense controller.
Turn off the console in the usual way, in the PlayStation Home menu.
Method 4. Besavior(for one alternative controller on PS5 (XAC not compatible))
This method also allows a single alternative compatible controller to be used through the Besavior, but unlike the Cronus Zen in Method 3, you are unable to use an XAC with this method. You can use a DualShock 4, Xbox One/Series or Nintendo Switch Pro controller.
To use an XAC with a Besavior, you would need to add a Titan Two adapter, as demonstrated in Method 2.
Method 5. PS Remote Play + Titan Two (for one or two alternative controllers on PS5)
This method uses a Titan Two adapter on a PC or PS4 console to allow you to use one or two alternative controllers to control your PS5 console via the internet using the PS Remote play app. It may be a good idea to check that your internet is fast and stable enough before purchasing additional equipment, by trying out the PS Remote Play app, first.
You can already use a DualShock 4 without an adapter with PS Remote play, but using a Titan Two lets you use an alternative controller (such as an Xbox One or Series controller or an XAC) or combine two, to use two controllers simultaneously.
Further information on what you need can be found on the PlayStation website: PS Remote Play
Method 6. PS Remote Play + reWASD (for one alternative controller on PS5)
This method uses a piece of software called reWASD on a PC to use one connected alternative controller to control a PS5 console, via PS Remote play. This allows you to use an alternative controller, such as an XAC or an Xbox One or Series controller to play.
As before, it may be a good idea to check that your internet is fast and stable enough before purchasing additional equipment or software, by trying out the PS Remote Play app, first.
You can use the ‘PS5 Access‘ tag on the GameAccess site, to access posts related to accessing the PS5 console.
The ‘PlayStation‘ category also shares PS5 game settings related to the motor accessibility of games and equipment for PlayStation Console access, too.
Information on the PlayStation 5 Access Controller, to be released later this year, can be found here:
The Besavior is a modified PlayStation 5 (PS5) DualSense controller from Beloader, that includes features such as configurable back buttons, programmable macros and input remapping. It is also available as a self assembly ‘DIY Kit’ option.
In this article, we will highlight an additional feature that allows you to make it ‘expandable’ and connect an additional alternative controller to it, to play PS5 games on your PS5 console. This may be useful if you are unable to use the DualSense controller to play and have a preferred alternative compatible controller or if you have an existing modified controller that you want to continue to use.
You connect your preferred controller to the Besavior via the included ‘on the go’ USB adapter which goes into the USB-C port on the back of the Besavior. When connected, your controller will communicate with the PS5 console via the Besavior.
Compatible controllers that can be connected include PS4’s DualShock 4 controller, Xbox One and Series controllers and the Nintendo Switch Pro controller. The Xbox Adaptive Controller (XAC) is not compatible. To find out how you could use the XAC on PS5, please see our alternative methods using our ‘PS5 Access‘ tag.
When a DualShock 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series or Nintendo Pro controller are connected to the Besavior, most of the inputs on the Besavior controller will stop functioning. Only the D-pad, Menu, Share, stick clicks, Touch Pad and Motion Controls will continue to work on the Besavior itself.
If using a connected DualShock 4, the Touch Pad and Sixaxis will not work on the DualShock 4. These inputs will need to be used on the Besavior when required, as when using Xbox One/Series or Nintendo Pro controllers.
Vibration continues to work though DualSense (Besavior), but not your connected controller.
If you use a headset, then a wireless one connected directly to your console, bypassing the controllers, is recommended.
At the time of publishing this article, this function of the Besavior is working for us. However, future device or console updates may alter this, so players must follow this method at their own risk.
Some players are unable to use a DualSense PlayStation 5 (PS5) controller to play games and need to use an alternative controller. Whilst a PlayStation 4 (PS4) DualShock 4 controller can be connected directly with the PS5 console and used to navigate the Home menu and play PS4 games, you cannot play PS5 titles with it.
We recently shared a couple of methods that we have started using that allow players to use two alternative controllers simultaneously to play PS5 games on a PS5 console, using two connected adapters. You can find links to these at the bottom of the post. The method shared in this post, allows players to use one adapter (a Cronus Zen), if just a single alternative controller is required.
Compatible controllers using this method, include an Xbox Adaptive Controller (XAC), an Xbox One or Series controller or a DualShock 4 controller.
A DualSense PS5 controller is connected to the Cronus Zen for verification purposes, but most features will not function whilst an alternative controller is also connected to the Cronus Zen.
The Cronus Zen software and firmware updates that allow for PS5 access, are currently in beta. At the time of publishing this post, this is a method that is working for us. However, future device or console updates may alter this, so players must follow this method at their own risk.
You can find the latest information about the Cronus Zen’s beta software, the download file and more information, here: https://beta.cronusmax.com/ps5-beta
Please watch the video below for information on this set-up and instructions on how to set it up. These are also available in written form, in the transcript below the video.
Video Timestamps:
0:00 | Intro
0:47 | Step 1. Playstation 5 console settings
1:22 | Step 2. Set up the Cronus Zen
3:35 | Step 3. Setting up the equipment for the first time
4:16 | Step 4. Playing after initial set-up
Please note, the the LED’s on the Cronus Zen and the Xbox Adaptive Controller will appear different in-person to how they appear onscreen.
In this video, we will look at how to set up a Cronus Zen to use alternative controllers like an Xbox Adaptive Controller, an Xbox One or Series controller or a DualShock 4 controller to play PlayStation 5 games on a PlayStation 5 console.
The PlayStation 5’s DualSense, whilst connected as part of the set-up to verify the Cronus Zen, cannot be used for controls whilst another controller is connected to the Cronus Zen.
So, for touchpad or motion controls, you will need to temporarily unplug the alternative controller to use the connected DualSense, unless using a DualShock 4 controller as the alternative controller, which does have motion and touchpad controls.
Step 1. PlayStation 5 Console Settings
You will need to make sure your PlayStation 5 console is set so that controllers are used via a USB cable and not via Bluetooth.
To do this, in the PlayStation Home menu, navigate to ‘Settings’, select ‘Accessories’, go into ‘Controller’, then select, ‘Communication Method’ and set it to ‘Use USB Cable’ instead of ‘Use Bluetooth’.
Step 2. Set Up the Cronus Zen
Download the software currently in beta from beta.cronusmax.com/ps5-beta and unzip the folder.
Open the ‘cm update tool’ file from the downloaded and unzipped folder to open the ‘Collective Minds Firmware Update Tool’ and connect the Cronus Zen to a PC using the Cronus’ rear USB port.
Hold down the Reset Button underneath the Cronus Zen. Its screen will say ‘Zen Bootloader’ and the device should then appear in the Update Tool. Follow the on-screen instructions to update the firmware. Close the tool when finished and unplug the Cronus Zen.
Hold the two blue buttons on top of the Cronus Zen and reconnect it to the PC again to hard reset it, again using the Cronus’ rear USB port.
After 4 seconds the LEDs will flash red, green then blue indicating a successful hard reset, erasing all memory slots and putting your Zen back to factory defaults.
Unplug the Cronus Zen from your PC.
Open Zen Studio from the downloaded and unzipped folder and connect your ZEN to the PC using its ‘PROG’ USB Port this time, which is on the side of the Cronus.
Go to ‘Tools’, then select ‘Reset Zen Studio’ to reset all of Zen Studio’s settings back to its defaults.
When Zen Studio restarts, go to the ‘Device’ tab and make sure that both ‘PS4 Specialty’ and ‘PS Remote Play’ are ‘DISABLED’. Also check the output protocol is set to ‘AUTO’ and nothing else.
Step 3. Setting up equipment for the first time
Connect the short cable that comes with the Cronus Zen to its ‘CONSOLE/PC’ USB port, which is on the back of it.
Then connect a PlayStation 5 DualSense controller, to the ‘A1’ USB Port on the side of the Cronus Zen.
Connect your compatible alternative controller to the front left USB port of the Cronus Zen.
Next, plug the short cable connected to the back of the Cronus Zen into your PlayStation 5 console.
You can turn on the PlayStation 5 by pressing the button on the front of the console or by using the PS Home button on the connected DualSense PlayStation 5 controller.
Step 4. Playing after initial set-up
Connect the cable from the back of the Cronus Zen to your PlayStation 5.
Turn on the PlayStation 5 from the front of the console or using the PS Home button on the DualSense controller.
Turn off the console in the usual way, in the PlayStation Home menu.
Unplug the Cronus Zen from the PlayStation 5.
DualSense Compatibility Notes:
The buttons, triggers and stick inputs on the attached DualSense do not work whilst an alternative controller is connected to the Cronus Zen. These do work when the alternative controller is disconnected from the Cronus Zen. The same is true of the touchpad and motion sensors. However, if using a DualShock 4 as an alternative controller with the Cronus Zen, its touchpad and motion controls can be used, instead.
Vibration feedback continues to work through the DualSense, but not connected alternative controllers.
The DualSense’s integrated speaker and external mic both work whilst an alternative controller is connected, unless it is a DualShock 4 connected, in which case the speaker on the DualShock 4 takes over but does not work and there is no external mic included on the controller.
When an alternative controller is connected to the Cronus Zen, a mic/headset plugged into the verifying DualSense controller will not work. A wireless headset connected to the PS5 console can be used as an alternative.
Alternative Methods:
If using two controllers simultaneously is beneficial for players, there are alternative methods that are currently available at the time of publishing this post:
Xbox’s ‘Accessibility Feature Tags’ allow players to see whether a game has included particular accessibility features. It also enables the filtering of games using these tags to help you to find games that have included particular accessibility features. This video will be an introduction to using these tags to discover motor accessibility-related features in games.
When navigating the store, games that have included accessibility features and applied the tags may also be highlighted by the badge showing the game accessibility information symbol.
When viewing a game in the store on Xbox, these tags are listed in the information when viewing a particular game. You can find these by scrolling down the game’s store page. A game may also have further information going into more detail on particular accessibility features they provide, which you can access by selecting ‘Discover available features’ below these tags. This will link you to a website page. You can also learn more about tag definitions, by selecting ‘Show feature definitions’ which is also underneath the list of tags for a game.
If you are interested in games that have a particular accessibility feature, you can filter games by Accessibility Feature Tags in the store. To start filtering on Xbox, you need to select a particular group of games. For instance, here, we select the ‘Top New Games’ and then press ‘X’ to bring up the filters. As another example, if you are a ‘GamePass’ subscriber, you could also use the filter on GamePass games in the store.
On Windows PC, when looking at a game the Accessibility Feature Tags can be found under the ‘more’ tab when looking at a game in the Xbox App and they can be used to filter games within the GamePass section of the app using the ‘filter’ dropdown. If a game developer has linked to further information on accessibility features in their game on a webpage, this can be found under the ‘more’ tab, on the game’s store page, too.
On the Xbox.com website, you can use the ‘Accessibility Feature’ tags to search all available games on both Xbox and on Windows PC, using the filters on the left. Again, by clicking on ‘more’ on a game’s store page, you can see all the tags that particular game has and also select a link to access another webpage with more information, when available.
The tags are added by developers themselves for their own games. As not all developers who have appropriate accessibility features in their games have tagged them, not every game which could include these tags will appear, when using the filters. For the same reason, not all games will have accessibility feature tag information available on their store pages. To be able to apply a certain tag to a game, the game must include certain features to qualify.
In this video, we are going to go through the tags available that are related to the motor accessibility of a game and look at their definitions and what a game needs to include to be able to apply these tags to their game.
The first tag we are going to look at is ‘Accessibility on Launch’ which appears under the ‘Gameplay’ heading. Using this filter will show games that allow you to amend certain accessibility settings before you start playing. For instance, in Halo Infinite, you can alter settings right at the outset when first loading the game. A game may not include all settings here (such as motor accessibility options), but it will show you a message letting players know where they can be found.
Also, under ‘Gameplay’, there is a tag for ‘Adjustable difficulty’ which shows games that have ‘multiple ways to adjust the difficulty on in-game mechanics’ and which also include modes for a ‘wide range’ of players to progress. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, for instance, has various difficulty levels including ‘Story Mode’. Forza Horizon 5 offers a range of difficulties, too, including ‘Tourist Mode’ that slows down the AI opponents in races when you fall behind, allowing you to catch up and rejoin them. It also includes a wide range of assists which can be used to adjust the difficulty and customise gameplay and controls for players.
The ‘On-demand tutorials’ tag shows games which have tutorials that can be accessed during the game ‘explaining basic controls and core mechanics of the game’. These may either be tutorials in which the player has control or videos they watch. Apex Legends has a tutorial available from the main menu, which introduces certain controls and mechanics and in which you can practice various actions while adjusting settings, acting as a space to become familiar with the controls and experiment with settings. Sea of Thieves also has a tutorial that introduces the core controls and mechanics when on foot or sailing.
The ‘Pausable’ tag shows games that can be paused at any point during gameplay or cut scenes, except in multiplayer or during save/load screens. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has this tag and can be paused at any point, such as here during a cut scene. Similarly, Microsoft Flight Simulator can be paused at any point, such as here, mid-flight.
The ‘Progress saving options’ tag displays games that can be regularly saved on multiple slots using both automatic and manual saves at almost any point in a game, to ‘prevent significant loss of in-game progress.’ This tag will allow players to store at least 3 ‘prior game states’ and will provide warnings before saving over save data and will not ‘automatically overwrite itself.’ Both Minecraft and Grounded have this tag and allow players to save games with this criteria.
Under the ‘Input’ filter options, the ‘Adjustable input sensitivity’ tag shows games that have the option to increase or decrease the sensitivity of all analog controls ‘including analog sticks, triggers, race wheels and mouse movement’, if the game uses these inputs. Dirt 5, allows players to adjust various analog settings including deadzones. Similarly, Microsoft Flight Simulator has settings to adjust the sensitivity of all actions linked to the Left Stick, Right Stick and both Triggers.
Under ‘Input’ there is also a tag for showing games that have ‘Full keyboard support’ for games. Games using this tag can be played using just a keyboard, without a mouse or gamepad. Games may not include onscreen key prompts, however. Paw Patrol: Grand Prix allows you to navigate the menus and play with full controls during a race. Minecraft also allows you to do this, using the arrow keys for camera movement when you choose to use the ‘Full Keyboard Gameplay’ option. Pentiment also provides full keyboard support and includes on-screen key prompts.
‘Input remapping’ displays games that allow you to remap all gameplay controls including sticks, triggers and buttons. Dirt 5, for instance, offers these remapping features to players, as does Star Wars: Squadrons…and Grounded. This tag will also cover games that allow you to invert the x and y axis separately for each stick. The games will also show the remapped prompts on in-game screens. Games under this tag will also have menus that can be navigated with either analog or digital inputs (e.g. Left Stick or D-pad) and will not require multiple buttons to be pressed at the same time.
The ‘No button holds’ tag will show games that avoid needing buttons to be held down for an ‘extended period’ or include options to toggle these. Games may still require inputs to be held for movement and camera movement for analog sticks and D-pad. Inputs that need to be held for a shorter set-duration to complete an action may still be shown using this filter, too. As Dusk Falls includes this tag as it does not require these extended holds, as does Sea of Thieves as it offers alternative toggle options for these actions.
‘No quick-time events’ displays games that either don’t require rapid repeated button presses shorter than one second to complete an action, such as a quick-time event or a combo, or they will include an option to remove this mechanic from the game. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Fallen Order both have this tag and both have an option to remove quick time events. As Dusk Falls includes both an option to use a Single Tap only for quick actions, or No Mashing. It also includes an ‘Extended QTE Timer’ option that lengthens the time between required inputs during quick time events.
‘Single stick gameplay’ shows games that only need one stick (or the D-pad) alongside buttons and triggers, rather than both sticks. As examples, both As Dusk Falls and Pentiment only use one Stick (or the D-pad) for gameplay and to navigate menus, as do some platformers, such as Celeste, Ori and the Will of The Wisps and Dead Cells. Sea of Thieves, by default, uses both sticks, but also has a tag because it has options to play using a single stick. Using this option, the chosen stick can be used to turn left and right and move forwards and backwards in one state, and then for moving the camera when in another. The Left Trigger input, will alternate between states in this mode. Please note, filtering with this tag may not include games which use both sticks, but which can be played and enjoyed with just one, such as some driving games which may use the Right Stick to move the camera, but which can be enjoyed without this, too.
We hope that this video has been a useful introduction to using the Xbox Accessibility Feature Tags to discover motor accessibility-related features in games. To get started with the tags, as well looking at individual games and using the filters in the store, you can also find games, by viewing the ‘Accessibility Spotlight’ area that shows games with six or more accessibility features tagged. You can currently find these by navigating to ‘Home’ then down to ‘Accessibility Spotlight’, in the store.
For game developers interested in adding tags to their game, Microsoft have provided information, including criterias, for applying tags to games and test steps at learn.microsoft.com
The ‘Accessibility Feature Tags’ allow players to see whether a game has included particular accessibility features. They can also be used to filter titles to help find games that have included these accessibility features. The tags are available in the Microsoft Store on Xbox, Xbox.com and the Xbox App on PC.
In this video and accompanying post, we will go through the tags that are related to the motor accessibility of a game and look at their definitions and what a game needs to include to be able to apply these tags to their game.
When viewing a game in the store on Xbox, these tags are listed in the information when viewing a particular game. You can find these by scrolling down the game’s store page. A game may also have further information going into more detail on particular accessibility features they provide, which you can access by selecting ‘Discover available features’ below these tags. This will link you to a website page. You can also learn more about tag definitions, by selecting ‘Show feature definitions’ which is also underneath the list of tags for a game.
If you are interested in games that have a particular accessibility feature, you can filter games by ‘Accessibility Feature’ tags in the store. To start filtering on Xbox, you need to select a particular group of games, such as ‘Top New Games’ and then press ‘X’ to bring up the filters. As another example, if you are a ‘GamePass’ subscriber, you could also use the filter on the group of GamePass games in the store.
On Windows PC, when looking at a game the Accessibility Feature Tags can be found under the ‘more’ tab when looking at a game in the Xbox App and they can be used to filter games within the GamePass section of the app using the ‘filter’ dropdown. If a game developer has linked to further information on accessibility features in their game on a webpage, this can be found under the ‘more’ tab, on the game’s store page, too.
On the Xbox.com website, you can use the Accessibility Feature Tags to search all available games on both Xbox and on Windows PC, using the filters on the left. Again, by clicking on ‘more’ on a game’s store page, you can see all the tags that particular game has and also select a link to access another webpage with more information, when available.
The tags are added by developers themselves for their own games. As not all developers who have appropriate accessibility features in their games have tagged them, not every game which could include these tags will appear, when using the filters. For the same reason, not all games will have accessibility feature tag information available on their store pages. To be able to apply a certain tag to a game, the game must include certain features to qualify.
Below, we will briefly introduce the tags related to motor accessibility. The video above also includes examples of games that have applied these tags.
Gameplay Tags
‘Accessibility on Launch’ Tag (4:18)
This tag can filter, and will appear on the store page, for games that allow you to amend certain accessibility settings before you start playing. A game may not include all settings here (such as motor accessibility options), but it will show you a message letting players know where they can be found.
‘Adjustable Difficulty’ Tag (5:03)
This tag will appear on games that have ‘multiple ways to adjust the difficulty on in-game mechanics’ and which also include modes for a ‘wide range’ of players to progress. It also includes a wide range of assists which can be used to adjust the difficulty and customise gameplay and controls for players.
‘On-Demand Tutorials’ Tag (5:55)
This tag will appear on games which have tutorials that can be accessed during the game ‘explaining basic controls and core mechanics of the game’. These may either be tutorials in which the player has control or videos they watch.
‘Pausable’ Tag (6:48)
This tag will appear on games that can be paused at any point during gameplay or cut scenes, except in multiplayer or during save/load screens.
‘Progress Saving Options’ Tag (7:20)
This tag will appear on games that can be regularly saved on multiple slots using both automatic and manual saves at almost any point in a game, to ‘prevent significant loss of in-game progress.’ Games with this tag will allow players to store at least 3 ‘prior game states’ and will provide warnings before saving over save data and will not ‘automatically overwrite itself.’
Input Tags
‘Adjustable Input Sensitivity’ Tag 8:00)
This tag will appear on games that have the option to increase or decrease the sensitivity of all analog controls ‘including analog sticks, triggers, race wheels and mouse movement’, if the game uses these inputs. Dirt 5, allows players to adjust various analog settings including deadzones. Similarly, Microsoft Flight Simulator has settings to adjust the sensitivity of all actions linked to the Left Stick, Right Stick and both Triggers.
‘Full Keyboard Support’ Tag (8:42)
Games using this tag can be played using just a keyboard, without a mouse or gamepad. Games may not include onscreen key prompts, however.
‘Input Remapping’ Tag (9:27)
This tag will appear on games that allow you to remap all gameplay controls including sticks, triggers and buttons. This tag will also cover games that allow you to invert the X and Y axis separately for each stick. The games will also show the remapped prompts on in-game screens. Games using this tag will also have menus that can be navigated with either analog or digital inputs (e.g. Left Stick or D-pad) and will not require multiple buttons to be pressed at the same time.
‘No Button Holds’ Tag (9:27)
This tag will appear on games that avoid needing buttons to be held down for an ‘extended period’ or include options to toggle these. Games may still require inputs to be held for movement and camera movement for analog sticks and D-Pad. Inputs that need to be held for a shorter set-duration to complete an action may still be shown using this filter, too. As Dusk Falls includes this tag as it does not require these extended holds, as does Sea of Thieves as it offers alternative toggle options for these actions.
‘No Quick Time Events’ Tag (11:15)
Games with this tag either don’t require rapid repeated button presses shorter than one second to complete an action, such as a quick-time event or a combo, or they will include an option to remove this mechanic from the game.
‘Single Stick Gameplay’ Tag (12:15)
Games using this tag will only need one stick (or the D-Pad) alongside buttons and triggers, rather than both sticks, either by default, or because they include an option to alter the controls from two sticks by default to one. Please note, filtering with this tag may not include games which use both sticks, but which can be played and enjoyed with just one, such as some driving games which may use the right stick to move the camera, but which can be enjoyed without this, too.
We hope that this video and accompanying post have been a useful introduction to using the ‘Xbox Accessibility Feature Tags’ to discover motor accessibility related features in games.
To get started with the tags, as well looking at individual games and using the filters in the store, you can also find games, by viewing the ‘Accessibility Spotlight’ area that shows games with six or more accessibility features tagged. You can currently find these by navigating to ‘Home’ then down to ‘Accessibility Spotlight’, in the store.
Music in Video: Plastic Breath by Tamuz Dekel, Bark Technology by YesNoMaybe, Bleep Bloops by Flint, Orlais by Mintz and Hello World by Flint (all from artlist.io).
The Eye Gaze Games website has been created to work with a wide range of eye gaze cameras, when both the camera and website have been set up correctly to work together.
The website works with your eye gaze camera, when you are using it to control the mouse cursor position and a left click.
In this video, we will look at how to play on the site using the Irisbond Hiru eye gaze camera and its EasyClick ‘Beginner’ software on Windows. We have a separate video on using its ‘Pro’ software on the site.
With the Irisbond Hiru camera’s EasyClick ‘Beginner’ software, you have constant control of the mouse cursor position, which means you have a few options for how you can choose to play the games.
When using the EasyClick software in ‘Beginner’ mode, you move your eyes to move the mouse cursor around the screen and the windows mouse cursor icon will follow your gaze. You can look at the buttons onscreen to hover the mouse cursor over them and then use the EasyClick software to left-click and select these using a dwell, blink or switch, depending on which option you have chosen to use in the EasyClick options.
For instance, here, we are using the Easy Click ‘Beginner’ software’s dwell option, and we can look at the buttons onscreen to hover the mouse cursor over them and dwell for a set amount of time to left-click and select them.
When using EasyClick’s ‘Beginner’ mode, you can also choose to use the Eye Gaze Games website’s own in-built dwell, which has the advantage of being centralised on the onscreen buttons. Some may find that this can help keep their eyes on a target, whilst dwelling. You can find this option in the eye gaze settings in the Controls Menu on the site or during the Setup Wizard.
If using this feature, just turn off the dwell click option in the EasyClick software whilst using the website, so you are just using EasyClick to control the mouse cursor and not the clicks. If using the in-built dwell, you can also change settings related to this on the site, such as dwell time and also whether you can make repeat selections whilst dwelling on a button or whether you need to look away and back between each selection.
Intro Classic & Precise
There are two control schemes built into the website that you can choose between. The first option is ‘Classic’, which uses large onscreen buttons to control actions in both the 2D games, such as the board games,… and the 3D games, such as Open Drive or Gazey Golf.
The second option is ‘Precise’, which is more direct and often uses either smaller onscreen targets in the 2D games,… or uses the mouse cursor position to steer or aim in the 3D games. You can change between these two options in the Eye Gaze settings in the Controls Menu on the Eye Gaze Games site, or in the top left corner of some games.
With the EasyClick ‘Beginner’ software, you can interact with the website and all of the games using either the ‘Classic’ or ‘Precise’ control schemes. Here we are using the ‘Classic’ controls scheme in some of the 2D games. We are also using and the in-built dwell, but you can also use the left-click option in the EasyClick Beginner options. We use combinations of the buttons on the left and right to navigate and select pieces and where to place them. For instance, in Chess we select a button to choose a piece,… another button to choose where it moves to,… and a third button to make the move.
Here we are now using the ‘Precise’ mode in some of the 2D games and again using the in-built dwell. We can directly select the piece and then select where to place them.
Here we are using ‘Classic’ in the 3D games and also using the in-built dwell. In open drive we use the onscreen arrow buttons to steer and in Gazey Golf we use them to aim.
For the 3D games, such as Open Drive and Gazey Golf, the ‘Precise’ control scheme will change the style of gameplay quite considerably and let you control steering and aiming more directly.
When using the ‘Precise’ mode in Open Drive, the vehicle will follow your gaze as you move the mouse cursor around the environment. You steer left by looking to the left of the vehicle. You steer right by looking to the right…and you go forwards by looking ahead of the vehicle. To brake and then reverse you look below the vehicle. If playing in ‘Classic’ mode, you will instead have onscreen buttons to select to steer the vehicle. You will first steer and choose which direction to face using the arrow buttons… and then choose to drive by selecting the button at the bottom of the screen in the centre. You will then select a button in the same location to stop the vehicle, before changing direction again.
If using ‘Precise’ controls, you may find that adjusting the ‘smoothing’ in the settings in the Easy Click ‘Beginner’ software, helps to make steering feel more responsive and so easier to control. Choosing ‘very low’ is the most responsive when you move your gaze, making the vehicle feel like it is turning quicker.
In Gazey Golf, using the ‘Precise’ controls means that your aim will follow your gaze as you move your mouse cursor. Whilst in ‘Classic’ you will use onscreen buttons to direct your aim.
You may also find it useful to explore the Options within the different games to see what settings can be changed for controls and gameplay, too.
We hope that this guide has helped with setting up the Eye Gaze Games website to use with your Irisbond Hiru and its EasyClick ‘Beginner’ software.
The Eye Gaze Games website has been created to work with a wide range of eye gaze cameras, when both the camera and website have been set up correctly to work together.
In this video, we will look at how the Irisbond Hiru eye gaze camera can be used on Windows to play games on https://www.eyegazegames.com using its EasyClick ‘Beginner’ software. We have a separate video on using its ‘Pro’ software on the site.
The site recognises your eye gaze camera, when you are using it to control the mouse cursor position and a left click. With the Irisbond Hiru camera’s EasyClick ‘Beginner’ software, you have constant control of the mouse cursor position, which means you have a few options for how you can choose to play the games, such as using the site’s ‘Classic’ or ‘Precise’ control schemes and the in-built dwell. Play the video above to find out more.
Timestamps:
0:00 | Introduction to the the Eye Gaze Games website.
1:40 | In-built dwell.
2:43 | ‘Classic’ & ‘Precise’ control schemes intro.
3:55 | ‘Classic’ & ‘Precise’ control schemes in 2D games.
5:10 | ‘Classic’ & ‘Precise’ control schemes in 3D games
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