Sony presents a controller designed for accessibility. Really good news for players with disabilities.
In 2018, Microsoft did very well with the launch of the Xbox Adaptive Controller. A controller entirely designed for people with disabilities and compatible with the existing ecosystem. The controller is still released with many custom-designed accessories, and has been praised by the entire industry.
A new choice will now be offered to people with disabilities. Sony unveils at CES 2023 the Project Leonardo, a controller also designed for the same players, but signed PlayStation.
PlayStation: new accessibility champion
For several years, Sony developers have taken the subject very seriously. Games as The Last of Us Part II were rewarded for their very good ideas allowing more players to enjoy the experience of the game. On God of War Ragnarokit is not less than 60 accessibility features that have been added.
With Project Leonardo, the firm is taking another step in the right direction with a very material product this time that will have to be mass produced and marketed. It is for the moment a simple code name, but Sony intends to move forward on the project to make it a product with a release date and a price.
In the meantime, it is according to the brand of a ready-to-use controller. Like the Xbox Adaptive Controller, it will be a controller that players can adapt to their needs and accessories. It will be customizable both in hardware and software.
Sony promises in particular that it will be possible to program keys to reproduce unsupported functions or to combine two buttons in one. It must be said that the PS5 controller is much more complex than the Xbox controller: it incorporates a gyroscope, a touchpad and adaptive triggers. So many functions that may be inaccessible depending on the handicaps.
To connect accessories, Sony has provided the same solution as Microsoft, namely 3.5 mm jack ports. This is a good sign for the interoperability of the accessories offered for both solutions.
In addition, the firm announces that it will be possible to combine several Leonardo controllers with classic DualSense PS5. It will also be possible for a friend or family member to assist the player with their own controller.
Project Leonardo is announced specifically for Sony’s PlayStation 5, but let’s hope that the manufacturer will have the intelligence to make it compatible with as many devices as possible. In addition, no price has been communicated. Here it is to be hoped that Project Leonardo will not follow the DualSense Edge trend or you PS VR 2particularly expensive.
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