Sony set to usher in a new era of accessibility with Project Leonardo

I?ve been fortunate to be relatively ?normal” and have had no difficulty handling game controllers, but for millions of people with disabilities, your standard controller is a hindrance from enjoying a world of fun and entertainment. Microsoft tried to lower that wall with their adaptive controller and this week at the Consumer Electronics Show, Sony has removed a couple more bricks from this ever lowering wall.

Dubbed Project Leonardo, it?s a saucer-like controller with eight partitions, which users can map buttons to and an extension which features a joystick with 2 analog stick caps is Sony?s salvo in the war for accessibility. Like the Adaptive controller, this controller also features 3.5mm AUX ports that allow you to incorporate various switches, buttons and sticks if the default configuration is still lacking. Project Leonardo can be used as a standalone device, paired with another unit/dual sense controller or another unit AND a dual sense controller.

For a full breakdown of the device, and the activist groups Sony collaborated with in developing this controller, please visit the PlayStation blog for all the details. As of right now no release or pricing details (Let?s hope it?s cheaper than the Adaptive controller?s $99 dollars MSRP, especially if you can use 2 of them) have been revealed, but even as an able bodied person, the controller is intriguing for certain genres?like rhythm games.

Introducing Project Leonardo for PlayStation 5: Perspectives from Accessibility Experts | PS5:

We?re honored to team up with incredible organizations and accessibility experts to develop Project Leonardo for PlayStation 5, a highly customizable accessibility controller kit designed to help players with disabilities play more easily, more comfortably and for longer periods.