Sony had a busy CES 2023 headlined by a new accessibility controller in development for the PS5, codenamed Project Leonardo.
Jim Ryan, president of Sony Interactive Entertainment, unveiled Project Leonardo on stage at CES 2023 during the company’s press conference. Ryan said that the PS5 accessibility controller will “allow players with disabilities to play more easily, more comfortably, and for longer periods.”
Project Leonardo looks to be highly customizable. Early renders displayed during Sony’s press conference show a circular pad with large buttons surrounding a central plate. Resting on the bottom is a sizable joystick that will likely be designated for motion and camera controls by default.
Another render shows the Leonardo broken down into its individual components, demonstrating that similar to ‘pro’ controllers such as the DualSense Edge or Xbox Elite Controller Series 2 and Microsoft’s own Adaptive Controller, some modules can be adapted to a user’s needs or preferences. Can be swapped depending on.
Seriously, Project Leonardo can be used in conjunction with the DualSense wireless controller or another Leonardo pad, which is fantastic for those who may need some extra support when playing, or have a lot of multi-button Those wanting more control options for games with input.
Project Leonardo is being developed in conjunction with the charities Special Effects, Able Gamers and Stack Up, and while a price has not been announced, Ryan ends the segment with more news to follow in the coming months.
led the charge
Sony and PlayStation Studios’ commitment to accessibility is impressive. Looking at the accessibility options for games like The Last of Us Part 2 and God of War Ragnarok, it’s easy to see why those games have won accessibility awards. Both have an interchange of options to assist gamers across a broad spectrum of disabilities.
The company’s efforts have clearly had an impact, too. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and other big Ubisoft titles are starting to have similarly robust accessibility menus. And Street Fighter 6’s accessibility suite brings such options to a genre I personally never thought I’d see them in.
Project Leonardo looks to be Sony’s next innovation in accessibility, and it’s reassuring to see the company investing further in bespoke accessibility hardware. I hope the device is not exorbitantly expensive. Both the PSVR 2 and DualSense Edge have shown that Sony is willing to charge a premium for its hardware, but if it can lower the price point for the Leonardo, that would be great news for the players who need it the most. needed. This is also one area Microsoft’s adaptive controller has disappointed players.
I’d love for Project Leonardo to see Microsoft return to its Xbox Adaptive Controller, which is the Xbox Series X | S, but rarely becomes a part of the conversation when we’re talking about accessibility in gaming.
Microsoft is looking at a busy few years with anticipated games like Starfield, Forza Motorsport and Fable on the horizon. With its release schedule heating up again, it’s a great time for the company to bring its own accessibility efforts back to the forefront as Sony continues to innovate.