Today is a special day as we celebrate the global launch of the Access controller for the PS5 console – a true passion project inspired by the accessibility community and fueled by our mission to break down gaming barriers and create a future of more accessible play.
Five years ago, we started our journey by engaging experts and organizations like AbleGamers, Stack-Up and SpecialEffect, as well as PlayStation Studios, to help us craft a novel controller design that could deliver broad impact for the accessibility community. Thanks to their input, and drawing from 28 years of SIE’s design expertise and playtests with dozens of participants across three continents, we created a highly customizable accessibility controller kit that works “out of the box” to help gamers with disabilities play more comfortably and for longer periods.
To celebrate today’s launch, we invited some friends from the community who consulted on this project to share their thoughts on how the Access controller will open up new ways to play:
Highly customizable play experience
Every facet of the Access controller was crafted in close consultation with accessibility experts, focusing on three common challenges players with disabilities face: difficulty holding a standard controller for long periods, accurately pressing small clusters of buttons or triggers, or positioning thumbs and fingers optimally. The Access controller is designed to address all three challenges through a highly customizable play experience, including a carefully curated kit of 19 swappable button caps and 3 stick caps in various shapes and designs. Players can freely tailor these to suit their individual strength, range of motion, and physical needs, and create personalized control configurations through an array of other hardware and software customization features:
Every detail, down to the inclusively-designed packaging that’s openable with one hand, was inspired by our conversations with accessibility experts and playtesters. To everyone in the community who contributed to this project, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. The Access controller would not have been possible without your passion, feedback and invaluable insights.
Getting started
Here are some resources to help you discover all the configuration options the Access controller offers:
If you’re curious how some of our accessibility consultants have been using Access controller in their gaming setups, check out the video below:
The journey forward
We’re deeply grateful for the enthusiasm you’ve shown for the Access controller and can’t wait to see how you’ll take its expansive customization options into your own hands. Early next year, Logitech G will start rolling out the complementary LogitechG Adaptive Gaming Kit for Access controller, providing even more customization options for players with specific accessibility needs.
Our highest aspiration is that the Access controller encourages more people with disabilities to experience the joy of play and try games they never thought were possible to play. Drop us a comment if you already have some ideas for how you’ll customize yours!
Thanks for being part of our journey to create a future where play has no limits.
Source: Playstation Blog
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