Sony has been widely criticised for not having an accessibility controller in a similar capacity to Xbox’s accessibility controller, but that’s all set to change with the company taking to the CES 2023 stage to announce Project Leonardo, an accessibility controller for the PS5.
Project Leonardo is described as a highly customisable controller kit that not only looks like it fits with the PlayStation 5 family, but also has many of the same buttons that we’ve seen on PlayStation controllers since its origins.
Where it differs is in its ability to hot swap out buttons and different analogue sticks from existing third-party companies that have already been proven to be helpful for those living with disabilities.
In terms of what’s included with the controller, Sony has said that it includes a robust kit of swappable components and a variety of analog stick caps and buttons.
Sony has said that two Project Leonardo controllers can be paired and you can also pair a DualSense controller as well to totally mix and match the experience. This can also be for the purpose of another person assisting someone using a Project Leonardo controller with a DualSense controller.
The controller also uses 3.5mm AUX ports to connect with other external switches and third accessories.
There’s also a number of software elements at play that work with the controllers:
- Button mapping
- The controller’s buttons can be programmed to any supported function and multiple buttons can be mapped to the same function. Conversely, players can map two functions (like “R2” + “L2”) onto the same button.
- Control profiles
- Players can store their programmed button settings as control profiles and easily switch between them by pressing the profile button.
- Up to three control profiles can be stored and accessed by the player from their PS5 console at any time.
Sony has said that Project Leonardo is in development without a release date and it will continue to seek valuable feedback from the community as it heads toward release of the product.
You can read all about Project Leondardo on the PlayStation Blog here.
