Sony released the PS access controller This week, new PS5 peripherals were announced that are designed to make gaming more accessible to people with disabilities and mobility issues. This marks the end of years of progress for the platform holder, which has won awards for groundbreaking accessibility innovations in titles such as The Last of Us: Part 2 and God of War Ragnarok.
Due to the nature of this product, we felt it was important for the publication to deviate from the usual review style. That’s why we recruited the talented Sam Grier to share his personal experience with the product, as we know everyone has a different relationship with their controller. She hopes you will find her thoughts insightful and interesting.
To explain why I’m so impressed with Sony’s new product: PS access controller, a little background: I suffer from benign essential hand tremors. I don’t often talk about these disorders publicly, partly because they are relatively mild compared to other more serious disorders. The situation has gotten worse and worse over the past decade. While important things are affected (like the critical ability to carry tea without spilling it), so is the ability to play games.
You don’t realize how many games rely on precise controls until you can’t. In my case, the tremors in my hands and lack of fine control make it very difficult to adjust button presses or use analog controls. Aiming, especially in action games, is really difficult because my fingers are always twitching. Fast-paced competitive games with “twitch shooting” like Apex Legends have become essentially impregnable. I also find it difficult to adjust the timing of button presses. Getting your finger where you want it is another matter, but if the buttons are too hard or too sensitive, you may end up pressing something at the wrong time or not being able to press it at all. Armored Core VI (which he has completed twice so far) became a big challenge as it was difficult to use all the buttons on the controller. Just typing this review is taking me quite a while because I keep pressing the wrong keys.
My computer has benefited greatly since switching from a regular mouse to a vertical mouse. With a vertical mouse, your hand is stationary, so you don’t have to make small movements with your fingers, and you rely more on your arm to move the mouse. Additional buttons are placed under your fingers so you don’t have to move them. it was very helpful. So when Sony talked about the access controller, my curiosity was piqued. I couldn’t find a joypad replacement for most games, but the most appealing part of the Access Controller was the promise of having all the buttons you needed underneath and giving your hands a break. Will this make coordinating easier and more comfortable?
The Access controller can be used with multiple devices, including the standard DualSense, so Sony sent us two controllers for review. This speaks to the versatility Sony is aiming for, but it’s nothing compared to how customizable the device is. All buttons can be concave or convex and interchangeable with buttons of different sizes or shapes. Three types of thumbsticks are included, each with a very different feel. All labels can be moved with rubber plugs, making it easy to plan the layout the way you want. Not only is the box impressive with the sheer number of options at your disposal, but the ease with which items can be swapped out thanks to the gentle switch release and magnetic grip is also commendable. The thumbstick arm can be extended or retracted at any time, allowing you to adjust it for more comfort.
Regular PS5 DualSense controller users will be happy to hear that the Access Controller not only comes with a longer USB-C cable (larger than you need), but also has considerably longer battery life. I’m used to charging the DualSense after every session of play, so it was very impressive that the Access lasted his entire week without charging. Perhaps it’s the lack of haptic feedback, but I’ll quickly admit that I mostly miss it and very much appreciate the long battery life. The packaging is very neat and you can open it with one hand by pulling a piece of paper.
At first glance, you can tell that it’s built with a completely different mindset than your standard controller. It’s not a device you hold in your hand, it’s something you put your hand on. The large circle in the center is also a button in itself, and is pushed in when squeezed lightly in the palm of your hand. Granted, this probably requires more space than most controllers, but I was able to sit the two controllers comfortably in my lap without having to bend over a desk or table.
However, that’s only half the story. The other half is on the software side, mapping the button layout through the controller’s “profile” system. Here you can create multiple layouts, name them, and assign them to slots (you can flick them with the buttons on the base of your controller). Connect to different controllers at once. There’s a clear logic to how Sony organized this interface with a lot of necessary fail-safes, considering players change inputs, but I think the most difficult part was interacting with this. I have to say. This is unavoidable given the range of options, but the ease of accessing this menu at any time offsets the difficulty considerably. Still, I spend a lot of time with this menu, experimenting and tweaking the layout, then jumping into the game, trying it out, realizing what I did wrong, and then having to go back to the menu and make further changes. there was.
Of course, this process of trial and error was somewhat fun. Being able to position the hardware so closely together is very innovative. your Rather than adjusting ourselves to know how something is expected to be used, we feel the need. It just takes a little time. Hopefully once these are published players will be able to exchange layout ideas with each other and find something that works faster, but unfortunately the layouts I saw in the way he shares his profile there is no. It would be a great benefit to be able to exchange them through the PlayStation Network.
For reviews and to get a feel for the controller, I simply played the games I normally play on the PS5: Returnal, Armored Core VI, Dead Space, Ratchet & Clank, The Last of Us: Part II, and God of War. , and Demon’s Souls. Returnal and Armored Core VI turned out to be the most demanding, as you would expect given that they are action games that advertise themselves as featuring incredible difficulty, but their hurdles are that they still have enough to set up. It came from not being used to it (make some adjustments). Nevertheless, even after a few days, I was able to start riding surprisingly quickly and have fun with all the buttons immediately available and without having to move a finger at all. The standard joypad configuration that I had long taken for granted has come to mean more for its familiarity benefits than its actual ease of use.
After dozens of hours and all the titles I played, I ended up with the picture above. There are “left” and “right” controller profiles, allowing you to split the regular interface between your hands and comfortably place it on top of your entire setup. In one word, it’s luxury. A setup where you constantly rest your hand and press the button either by pressing with your palm or lightly with your finger. After using essentially the same joypad for thousands of games, it’s not easy to get used to this, and the muscle memory isn’t quite there yet. Still, to be honest, I may have never felt so comfortable playing a game. No more crab claw grips, hurriedly fiddling with keys and buttons, or accidentally pressing shoulder buttons. As a piece of hardware, this may definitely be one of the most impressive pieces of hardware I’ve ever played a game with. Designers have built a device that accommodates not only the user’s disability, but also their imagination and ingenuity.
Your mileage will vary, but like I said at the beginning, my disability is relatively mild. I’m not sure how others will fare with this, but given that it specifically addressed my problem and the degree of customization, I’m sure many others will be able to create a layout that meets their needs. I’m looking forward to it. Honestly, I feel like Access Controller is unique right now. However, it touches on some of my issues and concerns.
If you look at the photo above showing my ideal setup, you might be surprised by the same thing as me. Two Access Controllers are required. The biggest hurdle you’ll face when using the Access Controller is the fact that the vast majority of games require dual analog stick controls. Access comes with just one joystick. To use a second Access Controller, you must either use it in conjunction with a DualSense you already own, purchase an expansion peripheral that can be connected to the device, or pair it as you would a second Access Controller. there is. In any case, to play the game with dual analog controls (which I should point out) many) You’ll probably need something extra, but you’ll need peripherals that already cost considerably more than the regular DualSense ($89.99/£79.99 at the time of writing). This is new hardware with a wide range of kit, so it’s no surprise that the price is high, but you’d expect the default setup to cover the essential features for most video games on the console. I don’t think it’s unreasonable. My ideal setup would cost quite a bit of money.
How this device performs in the long term requires some scrutiny. How committed is Sony to supporting this device? The platform holder famously restricted the use of PS4 controllers on the PS5, but the same will apply when the PS6 launches in four or five years. , will this accessory become useless? And if this is patented technology kept exclusive to one console, what good does it do for the health of the industry? For this device to become the gold standard, its price point needs to be reconsidered. , you need to demonstrate a real commitment to continued support.
conclusion
Price aside, two pairs of Access Controllers customized to my personal needs are the most comfortable way I’ve ever played games in my life. What a joy it is to have options so easily available for how to accommodate your disability and play the game on your own terms. I had never been given this kind of freedom before. That makes it all the more painful that such accessibility is maintained at such a high price point. This ends up being very expensive to achieve the best controller setup available, and there are many doubts if you don’t know if that investment will be supported in the long term and on the next generation of consoles. Become. If this becomes another abandoned peripheral alongside the likes of the EyeToy and is limited to a single system, will the Access Controller really be a solution to the problems of disabled gamers, or will the industry Another failure?
I hope Sony can address these concerns. Because I really think this is a special and much-needed alternative to the norm I’ve endured for almost my entire life.