It was in January that Sony first revealed it is working on an accessibility controller of its own, dubbed Project Leonardo, aimed at letting even more players enjoy games on the PlayStation 5. A couple of months back, the project officially received the name Access. Today, Sony finally gave it a release date, plus the all important pricing information.
The PlayStation 5 Access controller is releasing on December 6, 2023, for $89.99 USD/$119.99 CAD/¥12,980 JPY/€89.99/£79.99.
Built from the ground up for customizability, the 360° usable controller touts an array of buttons and sticks with different shapes. These can be affixed onto the base structure in various orientations to maximize the player"s comfort when using it. There"s third-party accessory support too via the four 3.5mm industry-standard AUX ports.
Here"s a handy overview of all the parts, and their specifications, that the Access controller will ship with:
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Access controller for PS5 | Dimensions (w/h/d): Approx. 141 x 39 x 191 mm Weight: Approx. 322 grams (0.7 lbs.) |
| (4) expansion ports | 3.5mm industry-standard AUX ports for players to connect additional buttons, specialty trigger switches and other compatible accessories |
| (19) button caps | (1) wide flat button cap (covers two button sockets) (2) overhang button caps (benefits players with smaller hands as they are positioned closer to the center) (4) curve button caps (can be pushed if placed along the top or pulled if placed along the bottom of the controller) (8) pillow button caps (4) flat button caps |
| (3) stick caps | (1) ball stick cap (1) standard stick cap (1) dome stick cap |
| (23) button cap tags | Swappable button cap tags for players to easily mark which inputs they map to each button |
| USB cable | 1.5m USB Type-C to Type-C cable (Hi-Speed USB) |
| Quick start guide and safety guide | Instructions for setting up the controller, UI settings and button configurations on PS5 |
Sony is also offering software-based customization for each key to map them for different functions, with toggles, stick settings, disabling buttons, and up to 30 control profiles being available. Two Access controllers plus a DualSense can all be used to mimic a single player"s inputs as well.
"Thank you to the wonderful organizations, accessibility experts and PlayStation Studios teams who’ve been on this journey with us," added Sony. "We’re especially grateful to all the players who continually share their passion for the games and products we make. We truly believe gaming should be accessible to everyone, and the Access controller is our latest step toward living up to that promise"
Pre-orders for the PlayStation 5 exclusive Access controller will begin on July 21 from the PlayStation Store as well as retailers across the globe.