Access Controller for PlayStation 5 Launches Globally to Empower Gamers with Disabilities

Sony Interactive Entertainment launched the Access controller for the PlayStation 5 console, an all-new controller kit designed to make gaming more accessible. Developed in close collaboration with accessibility experts and organizations like AbleGamers, Stack-Up, and SpecialEffect, the Access controller features an expansive array of hardware and software customization options, enabling players with disabilities to create personalized control configurations for longer and more comfortable gaming sessions.

Today, approximately 1.3 billion people experience significant disability. Gaming is a shared passion globally, but many players have difficulty holding a standard controller for long periods, accurately pressing small clusters of buttons or triggers, or positioning their thumbs and fingers optimally. The Access controller is designed to address all three challenges by providing gamers with a highly customizable play experience, refined through playtests with dozens of participants across three continents.

“The Access controller is rooted in our mission to break down gaming barriers and connect the world through the power of play,” said Hideaki Nishino, Senior Vice President, Platform Experience, Sony Interactive Entertainment. “The opportunity to partner and learn from the accessibility community has been a genuine privilege. Together, we’ve created a unique out-of-the-box solution that’s adaptable to diverse needs and will empower many players with disabilities to enjoy gaming to their fullest potential.”

Key product features include:

• Swappable button and stick caps. The Access controller offers exceptional versatility through 19 interchangeable button caps and 3 stick caps in various shapes and designs, enabling players to freely tailor their gaming experience to their individual strength, range of motion, and physical needs.
• Adjustable orientation and placement. The controller can be positioned in any 360 degree orientation, on flat surfaces, a wheelchair tray, or attached to an AMPS pattern mount or tripod.*
• Configurable controls. On the PS5 console, players can create up to 30 control profiles, adjust stick settings, toggle commands on/off, disable buttons to stop accidental pressing, or even map two different inputs onto the same button.
• Accessible packaging. The inclusively-designed packaging can be opened with one hand and features interior slots that conveniently organize the kit components in a single layer for easy identification and access.
• Add extra control devices. Up to two Access controllers and one DualSense wireless controller can be used together as a single virtual controller, allowing players to mix and match devices or play collaboratively with others.
• Expandable inputs. Gamers can connect additional buttons, specialty trigger switches and other compatible accessories through the controller’s four industry-standard 3.5mm expansion ports, and configure those inputs on their PS5 console.

For more information, please visit: https://www.playstation.com/accessories/access-controller/

For a behind-the-scenes look at the Access controller, check out this video featuring accessibility consultants Paul Amadeus Lane and Cesar Flores, AbleGamers’ Peer Counselor Aaron Price, SpecialEffect Ambassador Paul Phillips, and Insomniac Games’ Accessibility Design Researcher Sam Schaffel talking about how the controller opens up new ways for them to enjoy gaming that previously weren’t possible.

*AMPS is an industry-standard mounting screw pattern for attaching devices to equipment, including accessibility equipment.

About Sony Interactive Entertainment

Sony Interactive Entertainment pushes the boundaries of entertainment and innovation, starting from the launch of the original PlayStation in Japan in 1994. Today, we continue to deliver innovative and thrilling experiences to a global audience through our PlayStation line of products and services that include generation-defining hardware, pioneering network services, and award-winning games.

Headquartered in San Mateo, California, with global functions in California, London, and Tokyo, and game development studios around the world as part of PlayStation Studios, we believe that the power of play is borderless. Sony Interactive Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. For more information about our company, visit sonyinteractive.com.

“PlayStation,” “PS5,” and “DualSense” are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.