PlayStation Unveils Project Leonardo, A Customizable Accessibility Controller Kit

PlayStation’s Project Leonardo is a highly customizable accessibility controller kit. 

Yesterday, the company announced this at its CES 2023 presentation. It stated that it was “designed to eliminate barriers to gaming” and allow players with disabilities to play on PS5 more efficiently, comfortably and for longer periods of time. The kit is designed to make gaming more accessible for all gamers and appears to be PlayStation’s response to Xbox’s Adaptive Controller. It claims that it collaborated with Accessibility Experts from AbleGamers and Special Effect to develop a controller system like this. 

It was created to solve common difficulties faced by players with restricted motor control such as difficulty holding controllers for extended periods of time, pressing triggers or buttons accurately, and positioning thumbs and fingers on standard controllers optimally,” reads a PlayStation Blog post.  

Let’s take a look at the main features of Project Leonardo. 

• Modifications to HardwareIt includes several swappable parts, such as a range of button shapes and caps for analog sticks and other buttons. You can create many control layouts with these parts. You can adjust the distance between the analog stick and the gamepad to fit your preferences. The components enable players to select a configuration that suits their particular strength and range of motion. 
• Button Mapping: “The controller’s buttons can be programmed to any supported function and multiple buttons can be mapped to the same function. In reverse, players may map more than one function (e.g. L2 + R2) to the same button.
• Profil Control“Players have the option to save their button programming as control profiles. They can then switch between them easily by using the profile button. The player can store up to three control profiles and access them from any PS5 console. 

Project Leonardo is available as either a single controller, or in combination with other DualSense or Project Leonardo controllers. Up to two Project Leonardo controllers and one DualSense can be used together to create a virtual controller, according to PlayStation. 

You can expand your controller by adding four 3.5mm USB ports to “support a range of external switches or third-party access accessories.” Split, symmetric design of the controller allows for players to position the analog sticks however they like. Because the controller is flat, and doesn’t need to be held by players, it can lie on tables, wheelchair tray or desks. PlayStation says it can be easily secured to AMPS mounts or tripods, and oriented 360 degrees, too. 

So Morimoto, a designer at Sony Interactive Entertainment writes that Project Leonard is part the PS5 product line and shares the same design concepts. We were drawn to the concept of everyone enjoying PlayStation’s world together. The team worked with accessibility specialists to test a variety of designs and find solutions that address the key issues in controller usage. Split controllers allow for quick and easy thumbstick positioning, are easily used with no need to hold, and offer flexible buttons and stick cap switching. 

Project Leonardo is customizable by players so there’s no set form factor. They can create and modify their configurations. To create an individual look, the controller can accept a variety of accessibility accessories. The design process will not be a one-off affair. Instead, players and I will collaborate on it. 

Project Leonardo is not available yet.