Last week at CES 2023, Sony announced a long-awaited accessible controller for the PlayStation 5. Codenamed Project Leonardo, the customisable accessibility controller kit allows players to configure their controller in a way that works with their disability.
It’s specifically designed for people who have limited motor control, which can mean it’s hard to hold a controller for a longer period of time, or press tiny buttons at speed.
How does Project Leonardo work?
Not only can players change the position of various physical buttons, but they can also use button mapping to get any button to do almost any supported function, and multiple functions can be mapped to the same button and vice versa. Players can also set different profiles for different games, to better match their needs.
The box comes with a variety of buttons and analogue stick caps, but there are also 3.5mm inputs for players can add extra accessories, like external switches.
The controller was designed in conjunction with AbleGamers, Special Effect and Stack Up, which are all charities with an emphasis on gamers with disabilities.
Project Leonardo comes after Xbox launched an Xbox Adaptive Controller in 2018, which is compatible with both the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles. Both the Xbox and PlayStation accessibility controllers have very different designs, meaning they will provide larger coverage for people with different disabilities to find something that works for them.
What else did Sony show at CES 2023?
As well as the ground-breaking accessibility controller, Sony also announced a bunch of other stuff, even showing a first look at the Gran Turismo movie based on the driving sim series.
There was also a prototype electric car in collaboration with Honda. The car is named Afeela, immediately lending itself to a wide variety of jokes on Twitter. Afeela appears to feature a lot of large screens for the driver to look at, as well as a focus on automation. It’s the first for the new Sony Honda Mobility brand, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens next.
Other announcements included Star Sphere (a nano satellite that can take photos in space), a variety of more traditional digital cameras and drones for creators (Venice 2, Vlogcam and Airpeak), a proof of concept fan engagement platform, a portable volumetric capture device, and a new Spatial Reality Display prototype.
Pricing and availabilities for all products are TBC.
Visit our event hub page for the full rundown of everything CES 2023.
