Benjamin Ashford|Sony announces new controller to improve gaming accessibility for people with disabilities

Sony has developed an Access controller for PlayStation,Benjamin Ashford working with accessibility consultants to improve gaming accessibility for people with disabilities.

This is part of the gaming industry's ongoing efforts to make gaming more accessible. Microsoft, startups, and hobbyists with 3D printers have been working hard to create breakthrough technology for disabled gamers since 2018.

Sony's Access controller is a new, round, customizable controller designed to be placed on a table or wheelchair tray. It can be configured in countless ways to meet the user's specific needs, such as switching buttons and thumbsticks, programming special controls, and pairing two controllers to work as one.

"Introducing the Access controller, a versatile controller kit that can be customized to meet players' diverse needs, designed in close collaboration with the accessibility community to help players with disabilities play more comfortably for longer," PlayStation announced.

The Access controller will be available worldwide starting Dec. 6th at a cost of $90 in the U.S. You can also pre-order the Access controller online.

Meet Paul Lane, a disabled gamer who helped with the design

One gamer uses the Access controller to guide his "Gran Turismo" car around a digital track using the back of his hand on the device.

Paul Lane, age 52, used to play video games by operating the original PlayStation controller with his mouth, cheek and chin, AP reported.

Sony has been working with Lane for five years to design the Access controller that can be configured to work for people with a wide range of needs, rather than just focusing on a specific disability. The primary objective behind creating this controller was to cater to individuals with varying requirements and disabilities.

"I game kind of weird, so it's comfortable for me to be able to use both of my hands when I game," Lane told the AP.

"So, I need to position the controllers away enough so that I can be able to use them without clunking into each other. Being able to maneuver the controllers has been awesome, but also the fact that this controller can come out of the box and ready to work."

Mark Barlet, the founder and executive director of the nonprofit AbleGamers, has been advocating for gamers with disabilities for nearly two decades. He also helped both Sony and Microsoft with their accessible controller designs.

Can non-disabled people use the controller?

The Access controller is a ready-made solution that caters to various disabilities, but the needs of the accessibility community vary widely. Sony has partnered with Logitech and the accessibility community to create the official accessory kit for the Access controller, called the Logitech G Adaptive Gaming Kit.

LogitechG.com will soon offer supplementary controls for the Access controller. You can swap, assign, and label these high-performance, durable buttons and triggers according to your preferences. Purchase them globally at select retail stores from January 2024 for $79.99 USD.

More about the Access controller

The Access controller's packaging is designed to be opened with one hand. It has loops on both sides for easy access, and interior slots to organize the kit components - 19 interchangeable button caps and 3 stick caps - making them easy to identify.

Users can use up to two Access controllers together as a single virtual controller, or combine one or two Access controllers with a DualSense™ or DualSense Edge™ wireless controller to add features like haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, motion sensor, and touch pad swipe to your setup. 

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