PlayStation has revealed a new accessibility controller kit at CES 2023, currently called “Project Leonardo”. The kit is designed to remove barriers to gaming and help players with disabilities play more easily, more comfortably and for longer periods on the PS5.
“Through conversations with accessibility experts and incredible organizations like AbleGamers, SpecialEffect and Stack Up, we’ve designed a highly configurable controller that works in tandem with many third-party accessibility accessories and integrates with the PS5 console to open up new ways of gaming.”says Hideaki Nishino, Senior Vice President, Platform Experience, SIE on the blog post detailing the controller itself.
“It is built to address common challenges faced by many players with limited motor control, including difficulty holding a controller for long periods, accurately pressing small clusters of buttons or triggers, or positioning thumbs and fingers optimally on a standard controller.”
The controller kit includes several features to help those with disabilities game in a way that is comfortable and accessible. Project Leonardo includes a robust kit of swappable components, including a variety of analog stick caps and buttons in different shapes and sizes.
“Players can use these components to craft a wide array of control layouts. And the distance of the analog stick from the game pad can be adjusted to suit the player’s preference. These components allow players to find a configuration that works for their strength, range of motion, and particular physical needs.”
On the PS5 itself, players have a range of options to tailor Project Leonardo, including button mapping and storing control profiles so they can switch between them easily. Project Leonardo can be used as a standalone controller, or can be paired with additional Project Leonardo or DualSense wireless controllers to be used together, if needed.
Microsoft released its own Adaptive Controller back in September 2018, so it’s great to see PlayStation get on board with their own design that can help everybody game the way that they want or need to.
There’s no release date for Project Leonardo yet as they continue to gather valuable feedback from the community, but we imagine we’ll find out more about its release later this year.
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Luke Mitchell
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Luke spends his time making radio, playing video games, binge-watching TV, getting unreasonably invested in wrestling, hosting bear events and hanging out with his beautiful pets.
