Sony has today announced its PS5 Access Controller will release on 6th December 2023 at a price of $89.99 / £79.99 / €89.99. Pre-orders will be taken from Friday, 21st July 2023 on the official PlayStation Direct website and participating retailers. Check out the new trailer above to see what the PS5 Access Controller has to offer for disabled gamers.
In a PlayStation Blog post, Sony explains how it's been planning for such a controller over the past five years, and has been working with organizations like Able Gamers, Stack Up, and Special Effect to make it a reality. "We truly believe gaming should be accessible to everyone, and the Access controller is our latest step toward living up to that promise."
Sony has provided a full breakdown of what you'll get if you buy the PS5 Access Controller:
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Access Controller for PS5 | Dimensions (w/h/d): Approx. 141 x 39 x 191 mmWeight: Approx. 322 grams (0.7 lbs.) |
| (4) expansion ports | 3.5mm industry-standard AUX ports for players to connect additional buttons, specialty trigger switches and other compatible accessories |
| (19) button caps | wide flat button cap(covers two button sockets)(2) overhang button caps(benefits players with smaller hands as they are positioned closer to the center)(4) curve button caps(can be pushed if placed along the top or pulled if placed along the bottom of the controller)(8) pillow button caps(4) flat button caps |
| (3) stick caps | ball stick capstandard stick capdome stick cap |
| (23) button cap tags | Swappable button cap tags for players to easily mark which inputs they map to each button |
| USB cable | 1.5m USB Type-C to Type-C cable (Hi-Speed USB) |
| Quick start guide and safety guide | Instructions for setting up the controller, UI settings and button configurations on PS5 |
Here's a visual representation of all those components:
From 10am local time on Friday, 21st July 2023, pre-orders will open across the USA, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Portugal. "Thank you to the wonderful organizations, accessibility experts and PlayStation Studios teams who’ve been on this journey with us," vice president of hardware and peripherals, Isabelle Tomatis, said.
The PS5 Access Controller's price lines up similarly with other accessibility controllers on the market, such as the Xbox Adaptive Controller at £74.99 / $99.99.
Is this a controller you or someone you know will benefit from having? Let us know in the comments below.
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[source blog.playstation.com]
Comments 41
Not a bad price. Of course I wish It was cheaper. But still. Affordable considering how much they've could have charged...
It's amazing how modular this is. Obviously will need to wait for real-world reviews from the people it's designed for, but it certainly looks impressive.
I mean, am I the only one who thinks, just make it cheap. If someone needs it, then they have already got a DualSense packaged in with their console that they had no option but to buy anyway.
Maybe that's just me. There was probably a fair amount of development costs, but just eat those and move on.
Rise Up!
@Ravix To be fair to them, I'd imagine they probably are eating costs at $90.
That's actually a reasonable price, unlike the edge.
This looks great. Having just spent £200 on the Nacom fighting stick, I'm wandering if I might have made this work for my shoot em up needs instead
I really support this project and I do hope it make games a lot more accessible for those that have struggled in the past.
I might get one, just because.... (insert excuse once I think of one to feed to the wife)!
I'm glad it hasn't got a ridiculous price.
For all those on here who suffer from disabilities that restrict your motions, I really hope this controller is everything you wished for.
I once tried to play Uncharted with one hand because I was taking a call and it was so tough to do, it made me realize just how tough it must be for others when control schemes aren't tailored for them.
@Titntin I was just having the same conversation!
"It would be great for Dragon's Crown or Streets of Rage though..."
@AdamNovice Yeah fair point. Really hoping this opens up more games for more gamers.
@get2sammyb yeah, could be. I have no experience with these things. But I do have an awareness of things in the UK, and £80 seemed a lot at first look, especially in the current climate when the government looks for as many ways as possible to mess with people's disability benefits, for instance.
The word accessible and then the price being less accessible than the DualSense is maybe what did it.
It's better that they seem to have spent time on getting it right. So hopefully from that standpoint it is a revolutionary product that actually helps people play more games
Cheaper than expected tbh might get one when they come out my Mrs enjoys gaming but she can't hold the dualsense for long due to problems with her hands.
@Shepherd_Tallon I hope we see people in the comments after release giving their views.
Does it work like a regular controller or not?
I think this should be cheaper as it's made for people who are challenged (I'm not sure this is right word, no offense).
This looks awesome, and at a reasonable price (to my untrained eyes) too
That price is wack. Being charged more for being handicapped. Nice lol
Not much more than a standard controller surprisingly.
@Volsung_Fjorgynnson
Insert the GIF of Justin Timberlake staring at you here.
Would've been nice for the people who need this controller to have it when playstation had something to play in its ps3/PS4 days. Oh well working on it for 5 years, people can stare at it I suppose
Let's hope this is just as accessible to buy and not scalped just like most of everything else. The hope is that those with disabilities get these first.
@Victor_Meldrew
No, I don't believe it
Looks like a version of Othello from the future.
This is brilliant. My only concern is if people buy it as a fight stick instead of it's intended purpose. Let the needy get it first.
@Volsung_Fjorgynnson The price is quite reasonable they way I look at it it's quite niche.
@KnightRider1982 It's a controller what so you think?
Considering they charge $70 for the standard controller that's pretty well priced. Sucks that the less ability one has the more they have to pay for everything....but....not bad.
@themightyant Do Zangief players count as sufficiently needy to qualify?
Wondering if this would work for my toddler who has started gaming but can't hold a controller??
@NEStalgia depends how bad that RSI is in the wrist 😂
@Ravix It's still a business. 90 bucks is a fair price for this. I would bet that they are going to lose money on every single one.
People have to complain about everything nowadays.
Fair price no idea what it is in my region even if available but I mean $100 for Dualsense controllers/games standard editions (unless a AA/Indie platformer or something for cheaper launch price).
I do wonder who it is alongside the Xbox Adaptive Controller. Both are great to see from both companies. The PS one looks a bit awkward but usable. I do find the 'headphone jack' like ports to be awkward though I do wonder with USB or whatever others you could use for certain joysticks or whatever else to plug in to play with it besides the big buttons to use.
@Jammsbro not really moaning though, is it 😅 I went on to elaborate on why this was my initial thought when I responded to Sammy too. People just have to moan about other people on the internet these days though... 😹😹😹 (The old irony censors blew a gasket here)
I can see the general consensus seems to be it's probably an okay price, and I've done this thing called... Learned. I accepted my first response was more based on the terminology of it being accessible, yet more money than a standard controller, so not as accessible on price from that stand point, especially with the issues in the UK right now.
As a longtime supporter of Special Effect in the UK I hope that part of the partnership mentioned sees them and other disabled gamer charities receive a job lot of these from Sony, free of charge. Price in general seems pretty fair.
One thing to bear in mind this isn't a direct competitor to the Xbox Adaptive Controller. They are similar in some ways but built around different needs, one may be better for some and the other for others. Both are excellent. What would be great is if the industry could come together so we could use either on most systems.
Ravix wrote:
The LAST thing you want is for it to be 'cheap'. It needs to be hard wearing and last the test of time because often these are just a part of a larger, more expensive, setup - which is what the ALPS mount and 3.5mm jacks are for, to allow other external devices and clamping onto a rig.
Moreover they are often setup by someone else for the disabled, impaired or handicapped player. If it breaks it isn't as simple as just ordering a new one. But once, buy well.
I think it's a great initiative at a fair price, that as others have said, Sony are likely losing money on.
About time, great to see, Sony!
It's pretty bad that they created the problem by not allowing older controllers like the DS4 and folk's own accessibility controllers, then sold the solution for 90 beans
It's great that this is finally coming out, but I really hope they provide deals on a matched pair, because on its own this isn't enough to play most games, and £160/$180 is a large amount to add on top of a £450 console for those who need it. (For reference £160 is about 1½ weeks worth of higher rate UK disability benefits, but given how said benefit is supposed to cover how much more expensive daily life is for disabled period, and many of us struggle to get by, it likely represents a significant period of saving)
Being disabled myself I'm lucky enough that my disability doesn't often physically stop me from using the Dualsense, but gaming is huge for quality of life when so much of the physical world is inaccessible, and it's something I'd hope more people can get access to through this.
What a cool idea. I'm extremely curious to watch someone use it. The fact it connects with other Dual Sense controllers is pretty cool.
Wow that's incredible, I bet my fellow disabled compadre gamers out there cannot wait to get one strapped to their chairs and have a good gaming session.
Considering the ridiculous prices for items that have been developed for people with differing abilities, such as walkers, wheelchairs, limbs, glasses, hearing aids etc, this is quite cheap. Especially with all the development that they did with communities that would be using it. Great job Sony. We should all buy one and donate it to our local children's hospitals to get these into as many lives that may need it as possible.
I'm thinking of grabbing both this and the Xbox accessibility controller just to have in case they get discontinued. I have a nephew who these may be perfect for.
Luckily I grabbed at least one Steam controller when they were on clearance for $5 and I regret only buying one.
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