In order to make gaming more accessible for those with impairments, Sony Thursday released a PlayStation controller in December with large buttons arranged in a circle and a joystick on one side.
Despite competitors launching similar items on the market in recent years, the gaming industry has been pressuring the company to address a problem that the sector has long ignored.
“I wouldn´t be surprised to see able-bodied people using it,” said impressed gamer Jeremy Lecerf, aka Gyzmo.
The Frenchman who specializes in video games and disabilities was brought to London by Sony to test the company’s new gadget, which reimagines the look of conventional controllers.
He has myopathy and represents the French organization HandiGamer, which helps gamers with disabilities.
Lecerf asserts that the new controller “is extremely well thought-out” because the business made an effort to make it usable by those with a variety of limitations.
“It´s good to see that the industry is really taking the plunge” on the issue of accessibility, added the 39-year-old, as he tested the “access controller” on “Stray”, an adventure video game in which the player takes on the role of a cat.
“More and more (video game) publishers are playing the game,” he noted.
Scope’s 2021 report reveals that 40% of disabled gamers have purchased video games that are unusable due to poor accessibility.
The issue is currently in the spotlight of major studios, publishers, and manufacturers, driven by ethical and financial arguments.
“Video games have enabled me to have a life that is closer to normality, to have a social life,” said Lecerf.
They are an “extremely inclusive tool that opens you up to the world,” he added.
The new device can be placed on a table or fixed to a stand and orientated in any direction.
Each button can change shape thanks to magnetic caps, making them easier to press or grab, and the user can assign any function to them.
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