Accessible Gaming with the Play Station 5
The largely anticipated PlayStation 5 (PS5) was realised mid-November of this year and with it came some improvements on its built-in accessibility features along with highlights of how the world of gaming is beginning to change to be more inclusive.
In a late October blog post on the PS5 by Sony, they discuss that based on the World Health Organization’s findings, approximately one billion people (15% of the world’s population) have a visible or invisible disability and that they are passionate about working to improve accessibility of not only their products and services but also within the company itself.
Sony have built upon the accessibility features of the PlayStation 4 (PS4) to make the built-in features of the PS5 even more inclusive. Features such as:
- Voice dictation & screen reader (both supported in multiple languages),
- Colour correction,
- Option to reduce or disable haptic feedback and adaptive triggering on the DualSense controller,
- Improvised audio enhancements.
Hand in hand with features to the console, accessibility is being considered in game. The game developers, Naughty Dog, have added over 60 accessible settings to the game ‘The Last of Us Part II’. These settings address hand dexterity, vision impairments and more in the hopes of making a game that can be enjoyed by all.
Additionally, Sony launched ABLE@PlayStation earlier this year which is an accessibility and all abled inclusion-focused employee network. The group has two principles: providing a community where people can be themselves and accessibility & disability inclusion for employees and their community.
The inclusion of accessibility within gaming consoles, game development and corporate culture is not only a moral imperative, but also just makes business sense. As more companies like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo show that accessibility can be incorporated, the more the number of gamers, developers, employees who are available will increase.
For further information on the accessible features of the PS5, click here:
Alternatively, if you need further information on how to make facilities or services more accessible and inclusive, please do not hesitate to contact one of our team on (01) 415 12 85 or e-mail [email protected].
