Over the last few years, gaming companies and Sony in particular, have been going to great lengths to ensure that gaming is something that everyone can enjoy instead of just a select few. It’s now become commonplace to see accessibility features as part of game settings, and we’ve even seen hardware like controllers take on a more inclusive approach.
Sony has announced that to take accessibility even further. Accessibility Tags will roll out globally for the PlayStation 5 console this coming week. Accessibility Tags will allow game developers to provide more detailed insight into the accessibility features supported in their games before the game is purchased.
As players browse through games using the PlayStation Store on the PlayStation 5, they can now see a complete list of accessibility features active for each game. These tags will range from visual and audio accessibility settings to DualSense controller options, difficulty settings, and online communication features like chat transcription.
Sony also released a short clip showcasing what these tags will look like for PlayStation Store users:
When the rollout is complete, Accessibility Tags will be available for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games viewed through PlayStation Store on PlayStation 5. On release, there will be over 50 Accessibility Tags available for game developers to choose from across six categories.
Some of the tags users can expect are:
- Visual accessibility features, including clear text, large text, colour alternatives, audio cues and directional audio indicators.
- Audio features including volume controls, mono audio, a screen reader and visual cue alternatives.
- Subtitle and caption options, including subtitle size, clear captions, and large captions.
- Control options, including button remapping, thumbstick sensitivity, and the ability to play without button holds, rapid button presses or motion control.
- Gameplay options, such as difficulty settings, skippable puzzles, simplified quick-time events, and game speed.
- Online communication options, such as text or voice chat transcription and ping communication.