Waypoint prototype turns game visuals into tactile direction and audio
Published:
In short
Waypoint is a controller prototype for blind and low-vision players. A camera watches the game screen, while direction and other visual information are conveyed through a tactile pointer, audio, and haptics.
The project appears in the 2026 James Dyson Award gallery. A 360-degree tactile compass on the back of the controller is intended to point toward the player’s chosen objective. A camera dock analyzes depth, game logic, and interface information, and the system is also designed to answer spoken questions. It works without changes to the game’s code.
Waypoint began as a master’s thesis at Imperial College London. The team says blind players, accessibility consultants, and organizations took part in interviews and workshops, and that an early prototype was tried in a workshop with visually impaired participants. A community pilot is planned next; the team is also seeking funding for patent work and possible mass production.
This is not yet a product you can buy. There is no public price, release date, platform list, or list of tested games, and the source provides no independent results covering latency, incorrect interpretations, or completion of full games. The claim that the system can make almost any game fully playable without sight is therefore the project team’s goal, not documented playability.