I have some pretty low vision, 20/400 in my good eye at last check, and I love to game. My biggest recommendation is to use PCs, not consoles.

I have the smallest 1920x1080 LCD display that I could find attached to an Ergotron LX arm. This is great and lets me move the monitor an inch away from my face so that I can see it, and lets me easily move it away again when I don't want to feel so claustrophobic. With my sight I can't view the sides of the screen while I'm looking at the middle (this wasn't a problem with smaller 4:3 displays). Most games give me a resolution and aspect ratio choice, and when available I'll take a 4:3 screen mode. For games that only show you navigation in a minimap that sits in the corner of your screen this is a must. While your at it, take a lower resolution if the text is too small. This will enlarge the game in a way the developer has planned for. I've been playing games since the 80's so a few less pixels doesn't bother me nearly as much as slow framerates which will be less of a problem the fewer pixels there are.

I also like to play solo and co-op games with my spouse. To make this happy for everyone we use separate monitors hooked up to the same nVidia GTX 780ti graphics card, one as DVI-D and the other as HDMI. Any halfway decent nVidia or AMD card can do dual monitors without any problem. Put Windows in mirrored mode and game away. Our monitors both have USB hubs in them, so we can plug controllers, keyboards and mice into our own monitors and not have to worry about cord tangles or stretches. This is also how we watch movies, browse the web together or anything else. You can also do this in living rooms, you just need longer cables. Sighted people can watch the TV from the couch (which is just a big monitor really) while you watch an arm mounted monitor hooked to the couch arm or a side table.

After all that though, some games are just less accessible than others. I have always found that driving in GTA using the minimap is almost game-breaking, while using the >>> GIANT FLOATING ARROWS >>> in Saints Row lets me get really immersed. So there are some design elements that can help and hinder, and little you can do about them.

So in summary:

* Use a PC
* Use a monitor arm
* Use two monitors in mirrored mode
* Put your game into a lower resolution to magnify it
* Put your game into a 4:3 display mode to bring the sides closer.

For most of my low vision friends, they usually sit much closer to the screen to play.

For totally blind players, they often play games by listening for audio cues. Or playing games specifically designed for blind players.

[http://www.audiogamehub.com/] (http://www.audiogamehub.com/) develop mobile games for the blind and visually impaired available on almost all platforms. They are trying to include the blind/visually impaired in the gaming community. However, they need all the support they can get. If you'd like to support them, give Audio Game Hub and Blind Cricket a try. They are very addicting and fun!

Hi there just stumbled across this sub and this post. For me personally, the ability to stream the game to the PC/Laptop is what allows me to play most console games. The PS4 and Xbox One both have the ability to stream the games to your Windows PC and from there you can use your typical Windows accessibility software such as zoom to make the games more accessible.

I play primarily on PC and sit pretty close to my monitor (about a foot away for a 24" monitor). If I need to read something specific, I'll either use windowed mode and Windows Magnifier or $1 I picked up at Target for $10 or so.

We also have a larger TV in the living room for when I play on consoles. The bedroom has a RetroPie I set up for her and I to play older console games together, and she'll sit on the bed and I'll stand to the side or sit on the edge of it closer to the TV so we can play together.

Some of it is also adjusting/knowing my limits for games in general-
I don't care for FPS anyway, but wouldn't play that or LoL-type games where I'm part of a team that needs me to act/react quickly. I'll generally play ARPGs where I can be solo or part of a mob rather than a specific group. Also turn-based strategy games where amount of time spent doesn't matter.

Back when I had 20/200 visual acuity I only played games on the PC, where I could adjust the screen to a comfortable distance. I also had a 52" TV which I could watch perfectly from the comfort of the couch.