The question of the accessibility of video games as a hobby for all has clearly been one of the major concerns of manufacturers for several years. Microsoft had already taken a big step forward with its famous adaptive controller for PC and Xbox One launched in 2018. While waiting for the response from the shepherd to the shepherdess with the marketing of the polymorphic controller Project Leonardo from Sony, the Japanese firm has started a small revolution by deploying “accessibility tags” on the PS Store.
Total Access
Players with disabilities will be able to access the title’s accessibility features list by pressing the Triangle button on a game’s PS Store page. Whether it’s gameplay features, visual or auditory adaptation, or a question of mapping of keys, this information will be clearly displayed, which will avoid many disappointments to the players.
Among the first wave of games affected by the deployment of accessibility tags, we will find: Days Gone, Death Stranding Director’s Cut, Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut, God of War, God of War Ragnarök, Gran Turismo 7, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart And Returnal. These tags should quickly extend to other titles in the catalog.
On the official PlayStation Blog, Sony promises a list of over 50 tags, including:
- Visual accessibility features, such as plain text, expanded text, alternate colors, audio cues, and directional audio cues.
- Audio features, such as volume controls, mono audio, screen reader, and alternate visual cues.
- Subtitle options, such as subtitle size, plain subtitles, and enlarged subtitles.
- Control options, such as key reassignment, joystick sensitivity, and the ability to play without holding down keys or rapidly pressing keys, and without motion detection.
- Gameplay options, such as difficulty settings, ability to skip puzzles, simplified Quick Time Events, and game speed adjustment.
- Online communication options, such as text or voice chat transcription and ping communication.
Also according to the PlayStation Blog, this deployment would be the final step to make games more accessible, adding to inclusive PlayStation Studios games and future products such as Project Leonardo.