Sony proclaims Project Leonardo, a PlayStation 5 accessibility controller

During Sony’s CES 2023 presentation, the corporate shared that it’s engaged on a brand new accessibility controller equipment, codenamed “Project Leonardo”.

Sony shared in an official blog post that it consulted with online game accessibility advocates like ReadyGamers and SpecialEffect to create a controller that’s “highly configurable” and “works in tandem with many third-party accessibility accessories.”

Leonardo’s equipment options PlayStation 5 face and set off buttons that may be swapped round a large round gamepad in addition to a joystick which will be repositioned relative to the gamepad. It can even include equipment in a wide range of sizes and styles for “players to find a configuration that works for their strength, range of motion, and particular physical needs,” and has 4 3.5mm aux jacks to plug in third-party accessibility equipment, much like Microsoft’s Adaptive Controller.

Leonardo can be utilized as a standalone controller, as a pair, or in live performance with the PS5’s bundled DualSense wi-fi controller, making it adaptable for a spread of accessibility wants. Leonardo’s bodily customization capabilities are matched by its software program choices; Leonardo will enable gamers to map capabilities to varied buttons and save three totally different configurations as profiles for ease of use.

While Sony’s first-party video games have been fairly good at providing a strong suite of accessibility choices — each The Last of Us and God of War Ragnarök have received Game Awards for accessibility — it’s lagged when it comes to accessible {hardware}. Microsoft launched its Adaptive Controller in 2018 and in 2021, it launched a program by which builders can submit their video games to Microsoft to have them evaluated for accessibility and examined by players with disabilities.

Project Leonardo remains to be in growth with no phrase but on a launch date.