The PlayStation 5 Access Controller is an inclusive complement to the standard PS5 controller
In honor of this year’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Sony on Thursday shared a first look at the all-new Access Controller for PlayStation 5. In a blog post, senior vice president of platform experience Hideaki Nishino detailed what heretofore what internally known as “Project Leonardo”—described as “an all-new, highly-customizable accessibility controller kit designed to help many players with disabilities play games more easily, more comfortably, and for longer periods,” according to Nishino. The product was initially announced in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
“Developed in collaboration with accessibility experts, the Access controller will include a wide array of swappable button and stick caps so players can freely create different layouts that work for their unique strength, range of motion, and physical needs,” Nishino said of the peripheral’s development and industrial design. “In addition, players can use the Access controller on flat surfaces, orient it 360 degrees, or easily secure the controller to an AMPS mount or tripod. They can also adjust the distance of the analog stick from the controller.”
Hardware-wise, the Access Controller bears an obvious family resemblance to the standard PS5 controller, but is circular with buttons adorning the edges. It also features a joystick protruding from one side.
In addition to the physical object, Nishino also shares glimpses of the software component to the controller, writing the user interface enables “a myriad of ways for players to create personalized UI settings and configurations that unlock new ways to play.” Players are able to configure such attributes as button mapping, control profiles, stick adjustments, a toggle mode, and much more functionality.
Alongside detailing aspects of the Access Controller, PlayStation today also shared a video in which the organization “highlights ongoing efforts across our product development and PlayStation Studios teams to make gaming accessible for more players on PlayStation 5.” The video is available to watch on the PlayStation YouTube channel.
News of PlayStation’s Access Controller is big. Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller has been acclaimed by critics and gamers alike, so it will be interesting to see how the community takes to PlayStation’s spin on the idea. For its part, Xbox announced a bunch of accessibility-focused news in celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day.
More information on PS5 accessibility is on the PlayStation website.
