In a blog post published on Thursday, Sony’s senior vice president of platform experience, Hideaki Nishino, wrote about the company’s forthcoming Access Controller for PlayStation 5 and shared a first look at arguably the device’s key characteristic: its accessible packaging.
The Access Controller will ship on December 6. It costs $89.99.
“Since development began five years ago, we evolved the Access Controller’s design through half a dozen design concepts and prototypes, engaging in countless insightful discussions with accessibility experts and community playtesters with disabilities. Our goal was to create an innovative design that’s adaptable to the needs of a wide array of players,” Nishino wrote. “For us, the accessible experience starts from the moment you start unboxing the product. Designed to be openable with one hand, the Access controller’s packaging features convenient loops that can be pulled from the left or right side, and additional loops on the inside to help you open the boxes and slide the controller out easily. The interior features slots that conveniently organize the various kit components—including 19 interchangeable button caps and 3 stick caps—in a single layer for easy identification and access.”
In addition to the blog post, Sony shared a video to YouTube in which senior technical program manager, Alvin Daniel, chronicles the journey he and his team embarked on while designing the Access Controller.
In the post, Nishino also discussed the new Logitech G Adaptive Gaming Kit for Access Controller. Built in collaboration with Logitech, Nishino explains the Gaming Kit is an “array of supplementary high-performance, durable buttons and triggers for the Access controller is a comprehensive set of controls that you can swap, assign, and label.” The Gaming includes 8 plug-and-play buttons and triggers, gaming mats, Velcro ties, and stick-on labels of PS5 symbols. The Gaming Kit costs $79.99 in the United States and ships in January. It’ll be available on Logitech’s website, as well as in “select retail stores,” Nishino said.
Nishino notes the Gaming Kit builds on an already highly-configurable peripheral in the Access Controller, and is part of Sony’s efforts to “offer as many customization options as possible, based on our conversations with the accessibility community.” Nishino added players can use the Access Controller’s 3.5mm expansion ports to plug in a range of accessories such as third-party switches, buttons, joysticks, and more.
Read the full article here
