One of the best ways to start the working year is with some genuinely feel-good news, and thanks to Sony, I didn’t even have to search for it. Something I’m passionate about is accessibility in games. Not because I necessarily need them myself (except for subtitles – I can’t live without subtitles) but because I want everyone and anyone to be able to play and enjoy games as much as I do.
This past week PlayStation echoed my sentiments by revealing a brand new controller kit currently being developed for the PlayStation 5, codenamed Project Leonardo; it’s entirely focused on improving accessibility for gamers.
According to Sony, Project Leonardo aims to “remove barriers to gaming and help players with disabilities play more easily, more comfortably, and for longer periods on PS5.” if that doesn’t bring a smile to your game-loving face, your heart is still clearly a good few sizes too small.
Project Leonardo is being developed with the help and contributions of accessibility experts, community members, and game developers. The controller will consist of various swappable components, including analogue stick caps and buttons in different shapes and sizes.
Once the controller is connected to the PlayStation 5, players will be able to customise and improve their experience even further with button mapping, as well as the ability to switch between up to three different control profiles easily.
As of now, Project Leonardo is still in active development, but Sony has said that Project Leonardo can be used on its own or paired with an additional Project Leonardo or DualSense controller and that it will also be compatible with external, third-party devices via its four 3.5mm AUX ports.