Over the last handful of years, accessibility in gaming has been — rightfully — brought to the front and center of the industry. At its CES 2023 keynote presentation on Wednesday, Sony continued that movement with the announcement of its new accessibility controller known only as Project Leonardo for PS5.
In the announcement, Sony says that the new controller is designed with help from organizations such as AbleGamers, SpecialEffect, and Stack Up.
“It is built to address common challenges faced by many players with limited motor control, including difficulty holding a controller for long periods, accurately pressing small clusters of buttons or triggers, or positioning thumbs and fingers optimally on a standard controller,” the announcement says.
Project Leonardo is customizable for everyone
Project Leonardo will allow for numerous customization options to make sure players can play the games they love more comfortably. The controller is able to be used as a standalone controller, or it can be paired with additional Project Leonardo or DualSense controllers. Up to two Project Leonardo controllers and a single DualSense controller can be set up as a single virtual controller, giving a mix-and-match option.
“Project Leonardo is expandable through four 3.5mm AUX ports to support a variety of external switches and third-party accessibility accessories,” Sony says. “This enables users to integrate specialty switches, buttons, or analog sticks with the Project Leonardo controller. The external accessories can be dynamically connected or disconnected, and each can be configured to act like any other button.”
“Because players can customize Project Leonardo according to their needs, there is no one ‘right’ form factor. We want to empower them to create their own configurations,” Sony Interactive Entertainment designer So Morimoto said.
For more on Project Leonardo for PS5, you can check out the video from Sony below or view the blog post on Sony’s website.
As of writing, there is no expected release date.
Want more Insider Gaming? Check out our story on Gran Turismo 7 and Beat Saber coming to PSVR 2.
