Sony unveils Project Leonardo: a modular  PS5 controller designed for players with disabilities

During its CES presentation Sony showed off the Mocopi system for full-body tracking for use in games and the metaverse. The company also revealed Project Leonardo, a new modular controller designed to help players with disabilities.

The controller has a big, round base that is designed to lie flat on a table, there are several mounting options as well. A player can use a single Project Leonardo controller or two, a DualSense controller can be added to the mix as well. This way, one, two or three controllers can be combined into a single virtual controller.

Each Project Leonardo device is configurable by swapping out the buttons and rearranging them to best suit the player’s needs. Multiple buttons can be mapped to the same function and two functions can be mapped to the same button (e.g. if a game needs you to press R2 and L2 together).

Joysticks can be plugged in, these come in several sizes again to match the player’s accessibility needs. The distance between the joystick and the controller can be adjusted as needed and “north” can be mapped to any direction. Button mappings and other configurations are stored in the player's profile and they can have up to three configurations.

The base Project Leonardo controller is highly customizable, but it has the potential for more – there are four auxiliary ports (based on 3.5mm jacks) that will allow third-party switches, buttons and analog sticks to be plugged in. They can be configured just like any other button on the controller.

Sony has worked with AbleGamers, SpecialEffect, StackUp and other accessibility experts to design this controller. Project Leonardo is still in development, so more features will be unveiled in the future as well as details about the launch.

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