LONDON, United Kingdom– With large buttons arranged in a circle and a joystick on one side, Sony is launching a PlayStation controller from December, designed to make gaming easier for people with disabilities.
Jeremy Lecerf, also known as Mr Gyzmo, tries out the new Playstation Access controller at a demonstration event in London on October 5, 2023. With large buttons arranged in a circle and a joystick on one side, Sony is launching a new PlayStation controller from December, designed to make gaming easier for people with disabilities.
"I wouldn't be surprised to see able-bodied people using it" said impressed gamer Jeremy Lecerf, aka Gyzmo. The new controller"is extremely well thought-out", according to Lecerf, because the company has tried to make it accessible to people with a range of disabilities. "Video games have enabled me to have a life that is closer to normality, to have a social life," said Lecerf.Taking accessibility issues into account is"an industry-wide trend, not limited to PlayStation," explained Alvin Daniel, Senior Technical Program Manager at PlayStation."No two people experience a disability in exactly the same way," he added.The new device can be placed on a table or fixed to a stand and orientated in any direction.
Eilert, who can play only with the right hand, came with her own coloured buttons -- there are many accessories on the market developed by third-party manufacturers.