Gaming is an escape for many people and should be accessible to as many gamers as possible. So for years, companies have been developing new and creative options to bring gaming to everyone. Nintendo first broke ground in 1986 with its hands-free controller for the NES, and that precedent has continued to this day.
Adaptive controllers have come a long way since the '80s, and Sony has unveiled its latest iteration under the code name Project Leonardo.
What Is Project Leonardo?
Project Leonardo is a controller designed for people with physical limitations to help them play video games more comfortably and for longer periods. Sony announced the project at CES 2023, aiming to make gaming more accessible to a broader audience.
SIE senior vice president Hideaki Nishino stated on the PlayStation Blog that the company created Project Leonardo to address the "common challenges faced by many players with limited motor control including difficulty holding a controller for long periods, accurately pressing small clusters of buttons or triggers, or positioning thumbs and fingers optimally on a standard controller."
Sony created Project Leonardo in collaboration with organizations such as AbleGamers, Stack Up, and Special Effect. It aims to make the most highly accessible gaming controller ever for PlayStation gamers.
Aside from Project Leonardo, we're also anticipating the coming of Sony's DualSense Edge controller, which the company revealed in mid-2022.
How Does the Project Leonardo Controller Work?
Making gaming physically accessible to as many people as possible presents a unique set of challenges. Not everyone is the same. Therefore, no one controller would be suitable for everyone.
Project Leonardo tackles this challenge in unique ways to create a fully customizable controller that can be personalized to suit each individual's needs.
The Project Leonardo Controller Has a Modular Design
Project Leonardo has a fully customizable modular design. Each piece or part can be moved around to fit one's individual requirements. This allows players to rearrange things like the controller's thumb sticks, buttons, and other parts to create a puzzle that suits each gamer's range of motion.
The controller is also designed to lay flat, so it can be used on any tray or other flat surface that may be required. Furthermore, it can easily attach to mounts or tripods if necessary.
All of today's next-gen consoles offer accessibility settings within the console that allow you to do things like remap your Nintendo Switch controller, for example. But physical limitations can make regular controllers uncomfortable or even impossible to use for many people, which is why creating dynamic and modular controllers like Project Leonardo can transform gaming for the better.
The Project Leonardo Controller Has Customizable Software Options
The hardware is not the only customizable feature of the Project Leonardo controller. The software is also flexible, allowing players to tailor their controllers. For example, gamers can remap all the buttons on the controllers, letting them create a profile that'll suit their particular requirements.
They can then save these profiles for future use. This means every custom layout they create can be preserved and reapplied whenever needed. The Project Leonardo controller also stores up to three profiles at a time and can easily switch between them through the profile button on the controller.
Another great accessibility option of Project Leonardo is that the north direction can be reconfigured on the joystick to suit any player's preference.
The Project Leonardo Controller Works Collaboratively With Other Devices
The Project Leonardo controller can be used alone or with another Project Leonardo or DualSense controller. This means gamers can use just one or even two Project Leonardo's as a single controller. If necessary, they can also connect another DualSense controller to get assistance from family or friends.
The fact that you can combine up to three different controllers to use as one unlocks many different user options, so there is a combination that can fit as many individuals as possible.
The Project Leonardo also comes with four 3.55mm AUX ports, so gamers can use any other third-party accessibility tools they may already have to improve their gaming experience. These external accessibility options can be configured to act as any of the other buttons and can be dynamically connected or disconnected as needed.
Project Leonardo Will Make the PS5 More Accessible Than Ever
The Project Leonardo controller has a multitude of user options that will make it one of the most flexible and accessible controllers on the market once it is released.
There is currently no further information regarding the price or release date of the Project Leonardo controller. Still, the sheer range of customizable features and assets looks very promising in making gaming more accessible to more people.