Sony has announced all of the various accessibility features that will be available on the PlayStation 5. Video game companies such as Sony have invested a lot over the last years to focus more on accessibility features for fans with disabilities. According to Sony, the PlayStation 5 will have more accessibility features compared to its current-gen console.
Sony announced back then that it wanted to make playing games much more accessible to all players which have been guaranteed through the new Activities feature which was displayed during the PlayStation 5’s user interface reveal.
With the next-gen console’s revamped approach to user experience, gamers who need help with a particular challenge or level while playing will now be able to open an official walkthrough or hint from the game’s developers to assist them.
Games that opt to utilize this feature will be much more available to all of its players and make things simpler for everyone involved, though time will only tell if any third-party game developers will choose to utilize this new player-friendly feature.
Now, Sony has announced on the official PlayStation website that its next-gen console will have a wide array of new and returning accessibility options aside from the walkthroughs and hints. Sony wants its fans with disabilities to have the choice to personalize their gaming experience to better suit their situation.
This means that the PlayStation 5 will feature a screen reader, voice dictation for messaging, text-to-speech capability, custom button assignment, and more unique options. Most of those with different disabilities will likely be able to find some way to cater to their needs on the PlayStation 5.
Sony goes on to mention that its studio Naughty Dog has invested an outstanding amount of effort in making its most recent games available to as many fans as possible. For example, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End allowed its players to enjoy the game even without using the right thumbstick or allow players to hold buttons down for particular actions instead of tapping them over and over again.
In the meantime, The Last Of Us Part 2 took its accessibility options to a whole new level, releasing this year as one of the most accessible games in PlayStation 4 history. While the development team has made its software strides toward making gaming accessible to anyone despite their disabilities Sony is sadly still far behind the progress of Xbox’s Adaptive Controller in terms of hardware.
One of the most critical factors that gaming companies need to improve is making their consoles accessible to everyone. Everyone should have the chance to play and enjoy video games if they so desire no matter what disabilities they may have. Sony is certainly taking the step further in the correct direction with the PlayStation 5, and hopefully, other companies will follow soon.
