Sony announces highly-customisable accessibility-focused PlayStation controller

Back in 2018 Microsoft announced and released its Xbox Adaptive Controller: An accessibility-focused piece of hardware which allowed for many different people with all manner of varying disabilities to play video games thanks to its intelligent design and customisability. Now, Sony has finally announced their own accessibility-focused controller – Project Leonardo for PlayStation 5.

Announced at CES and elaborated upon further on the PlayStation Blog, Hideaki Nishino, the Senior Vice President of Platform Experience at SIE said:

“Today at CES, we announced the next step in our journey to make gaming more accessible: Project Leonardo for PlayStation 5. Developed with key contributions from accessibility experts, community members, and game developers, Project Leonardo is our codename for a new highly customizable controller kit that works ‘out of the box’ to help many players with disabilities play games more easily, more comfortably, and for longer periods.”

The controller was developed in partnership with various accessibility organizations including AbleGamers, SpecialEffect and Stack Up to make for “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. 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.”

As expected, the controller introduces complete customisation of the hardware, including pretty much all of the buttons, analogue sticks and more. This is then enhanced by the software available, allowing you to remap all the buttons, as well as create macros and controller profiles. What’s more, the controllers can be paired with other peripherals for complete flexibility on how you use them.

Sony did not give a price nor release date for Project Leonardo, but concluded by saying “Project Leonardo is currently in development and we continue to gather valuable feedback from the community. We’d like to thank all the wonderful organizations and accessibility experts who are supporting us in this effort. We are also grateful to everyone in the community who has advocated for greater gaming accessibility. You are the reason we do our work and your passion inspires us every day. It’s truly a privilege for us to create products that better serve your needs. We look forward to sharing more in the future, including additional product features and launch timing.”

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KitGuru says: What do you think of Project Leonardo? What features are a must for the controller to succeed? Let us know down below.

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