At SpecialEffect we use a switch interface, such as an Xbox Adaptive Controller, in almost all of the controller set-ups we create on both console and PC. A switch interface allows you to connect accessibility switches to your console, PC, tablet or phone to use them as inputs recognised by the device.
However, many PC switch interfaces used for keyboard and mouse inputs are often not designed to be used for playing video games, so not all are appropriate.
Eneso’s Encore Plus is a switch interface that does enable players looking to use accessibility switches for keyboard and mouse inputs to carry out actions required by some games. It is connected by Bluetooth to your PC, and the accessibility switches are connected to the interface using their 3.5mm jack plugs to one or more of the eight switch ports. Note that Eneso also have a wired switch interface called the ‘Encore’, but this does not allow more than one switch to be used at the same time.
In this short post, we will introduce the Eneso Encore Plus interface and describe how its eight switch ports can be remapped to different inputs. We will also describe how the switch actions can be toggled or manually held for the duration of pressing. While the device does have joystick options and can also be used as a multimedia input (for Play, Pause etc.), we will be looking at the mouse and keyboard features.
Keyboard/Mouse Features:
The eight ports on the Encore Plus can be used to move the mouse cursor Up, Down, Left or Right or for mouse clicks (including double-click), and for individual keyboard keys or a combination of keys using the Modifiers (e.g. Ctrl, Shift, Alt etc.) via the app used to set up the interface.
The Encore Plus allows for simultaneous inputs to be used at the same time, such as if you wanted to use the Left and Up keys together. The device allows for this by default, so no programming is required.
The interface can accommodate the switches being held for any duration using the Release Manually option. This can be important for games when needing to hold down a switch continuously for a long duration (e.g., holding Gas down in a driving game) or for short holds, such as holding an input down for a couple of seconds (e.g. to open a loot crate in a game).
It also lets you use switches toggled, meaning you can press a switch once to start the action (e.g., to aim down sights in a game), and the input will act as if it is held down until you press your switch again to release it. You set the input you would like to be toggled through Alternate press/release in the app.
Finally, if you want to use a switch for a momentary press and release, no matter how long it is held down, you can use the Release automatically option.
You can use the app to assign each switch port to different keyboard or mouse inputs, or use the ‘Release Manually’ or ‘Alternate press/release’ options. The app is available for Android, iOS, Windows, Mac and Linux and can be found here: https://www.eneso.es/descarga/#sw_encoreplus
More information can be found on the Eneso website here (unaffiliated links): https://www.eneso.es/en_US/shop/product/encore-plus and here: https://www.eneso.es/encoreplus/manual-usuario
More information on switch interfaces can be found on gameaccess.info using the category filter here: Switch Interfaces
More information on switches can be found on gameaccess.info using the category filter here: Switches
