The Future of Accessible Gaming is Now!

Both Sony and Microsoft--two of the biggest players in the video game industry--are looking to support gamers with disabilities by removing barriers to gaming with the introduction of new customisable controllers for their consoles. These new controllers are designed to help gamers with disabilities to play more easily, more comfortably and for longer periods of time.

Sony has been in talks with accessibility experts and organisations in designing Project Leonardo (see first picture above) to open up new ways of gaming. 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.

But it's not just controllers that are becoming more user-friendly, games are also shipping with more accessibility support than ever before. Take Sony's much beloved game The Last of Us Part 1. This game launched in September 2022 hoping to be played by all gamers, including an accessible experience for blind players, deaf players as well as those with motor accessibility needs. For example, a deaf player, through haptic feedback on the controller, can essentially feel the way a line of dialogue is delivered by the voice actor.

The future is looking very bright indeed for those with challenges when it comes to gaming.

Watch this space--who knows what will be next?!