Sony announces Project Leonardo accessibility controller

Sony has announced Project Leonardo: a heavily customisable controller aimed at broadening accessibility for the PS5 and opening the doors for many out there with disabilities to play for longer and with greater comfort.

Its key features include high customisable physical components and software, as well as collaboration options with other devices so players can set up their controller in a unique fashion that works best for them.

Starting with physical customisation, Project Leonardo allows you to swap out analog stick caps and buttons on each controller, as well as replace those buttons with alternates of different sizes to make the experience of using them more physically comfortable for players.

When it comes to software customisation, this new controller allows for vast button mapping options, including the capability to map the same function to different buttons, or even multiple functions (say R1 and R2), to the same button. These custom configurations can be saved to profiles, allowing you to switch between them depending on the game / player.

In addition, you can pair up the Project Leonardo controller with other devices, such as the standard PS5 Duelsence pad. This allows for those comfortable doing so to mix and match their devices, something players have been doing for years now on PC. Having this available on PS5 at last is great news for those who need it.

Finally, Project Leonardo has 3.5mm Aux ports so external switches and third party accessories can be integrated into your set-up, further expanding the number of devices you can pair with the controller.

So Morimoto, head of the design team that worked on Project Leonardo, states: “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.”

What do you think of the Project Leonardo controller? Do you think it looks better than Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive controller? Let Us know below!

For more articles on accessibility, check out our pieces on God of War: Ragnarok's accessibility options, as well as Last of Us: Part 1’s bar-raising accessibility options too!