Project Leonardo is aiming to make gaming more accessible on PlayStation 5

PlayStation have announced Project Leonardo, a new controller that is still very much in its design phase and aiming to everyone to play, no matter their physical restriction.

There is no denying that the games PlayStation Studios have been making, have made incredible strides in accessibility, God of War Ragnarok and The Last of Us Part 1 and Part 2 especially. But those games still require you to be able to hold the controller to play the game, Project Leonardo is the fix to that problem. Here is what Hideaki Nishino said about it on the PlayStation Blog.

Developed with key contributions from accessibility experts, community members, and game developers, Project Leonardo is our codename for a new highly customizable controller kit that works “out of the box” to help many players with disabilities play games more easily, more comfortably, and for longer periods.

Much like the Xbox Adaptive Controller, PlayStation’s Project Leonardo has come together in conjunction with experts and members of organisations like AbleGamers and more. This isn’t just a one device and you are set, though it will work on its own, but rather the device will connect to PlayStation 5 controllers, additional units and other combinations, letting people make the perfect set up for their needs.

Configuration of units and controllers is not all that you can do, as the unit is customisable, here is a direct quote from the PlayStation Blog again.

It includes a robust kit of swappable components, including a variety of analog stick caps and buttons in different shapes and sizes.

Players can use these components to craft a wide array of control layouts. And the distance of the analog stick from the game pad can be adjusted to suit the player’s preference. These components allow players to find a configuration that works for their strength, range of motion, and particular physical needs.

You can get an idea of what is expected via the image below.

There is still more, as there can be multiple profiles stored on the console, so even if the layout works for two people, buttons can be reassigned per profile.

Thankfully, Project Leonardo is expandable through four 3.5mm AUX ports to support a variety of external switches and third-party accessibility accessories. 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. If that sounds familiar, that is the same basic design for the Xbox controller.

So Morimoto, designer at PlayStation released this message about the overall design over the controller.

“Project Leonardo is part of the PS5 product family and is based on the same design concept. We were inspired by the idea of all players enjoying the world of PlayStation together. Our team tested over a dozen designs with accessibility experts, looking for approaches that would help address key challenges to effective controller use. We finally settled on a ‘split controller’ design that allows near free-form left/right thumbstick repositionability, can be used without needing to be held, and features very flexible button and stick cap swapping.

“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. The controller can also flexibly accept combinations of accessibility accessories to create a unique aesthetic. I am excited that the design will be completed through collaboration with players rather than presenting them with a single form factor.”

In any event there is no release date for it, as the development is still on-going. With more ways to play, it can only be a good thing.