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Sony's PS5 Accessibility Controller Is Coming in December for $90

The customizable controller looks radically different to -- and is cheaper than -- the Xbox Adaptive Controller.

David Lumb Mobile Reporter
David Lumb is a mobile reporter covering how on-the-go gadgets like phones, tablets and smartwatches change our lives. Over the last decade, he's reviewed phones for TechRadar as well as covered tech, gaming, and culture for Engadget, Popular Mechanics, NBC Asian America, Increment, Fast Company and others. As a true Californian, he lives for coffee, beaches and burritos.
Expertise Smartphones | Smartwatches | Tablets | Telecom industry | Mobile semiconductors | Mobile gaming
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David Lumb
2 min read
A very customizable controller with accessibility in mind: a central black plastic hub has space for eight white buttons that can be swapped in and out, while a black joystick extends to varying lengths off the side. The image shows multiple different button types and sizes.

Sony introduced the Access Controller, which retails for $90 and will be released in December.

 Sony

Sony teased its "Project Leonardo" accessibility controller at CES 2023, and on Thursday it formally introduced a new way to play on the PlayStation 5 with the Access Controller, a highly customizable gamepad built for gamers with disabilities that will be released in December.

Sony has lagged for years behind Microsoft in offering an accessible first-party game controller. The rectangular Xbox Adaptive Controller was launched in 2018 for $100.

Read more: Inside Microsoft's Lab With the Xbox Adaptive Controller

The PS5-compatible Access Controller is cheaper at $90, but also radically different in design, with large interchangeable buttons radially arranged around a circle with an adjacent joystick for directional control.

That design lets the Access Controller be used from any orientation or direction, said Isabell Tomatis, Sony's hardware and peripherals vice president, in a blog post. The company has been developing the controller for five years and worked with accessibility organizations and experts to refine its design and features.

The controller comes with 19 differently sized button caps and 23 icons to label each button for which traditional input it corresponds to (X, circle, square, triangle, R1/L1, etc.). It also has four 3.5mm aux expansion ports to plug in additional buttons, switches or accessories, and can save 30 profile configurations for different setups.

While Microsoft has kept the lead on accessible gaming with its Xbox Adaptive Controller and a new line of adaptive accessories released last year, Sony's new controller will be welcomed by disabled PS5 gamers. The Access Controller can be preordered on the PlayStation website starting July 21 and will go on sale on Dec. 6.

Read more: Veterans Who Lost Limbs Learn to Game Again With Adaptive Controllers