Sony takes a step closer to accessibility. The Japanese firm announces the imminent deployment of a new feature on the PS Store of the PS5.
For a few years now, accessibility has been at the heart of the concerns of manufacturers and developers. Microsoft has taken a first giant step by marketing its famous adaptive controller, while Sony is currently working on its own model intended mainly for the PS5: Project Leonardo. PlayStation studios also make it a point of honor to always go further in the accessibility options of their game. The Japanese firm announces a new feature for the PS Store so that players can more easily discover productions offering such options. .
Accessibility tags on the PS Store of the PS5
The PlayStation Store of the PS5 will make it very easy to see the games accessible. This week, Sony will be rolling out accessibility beacons to the online store so that developers can provide a detailed overview of accessibility features in their games. On the player side, it will then be possible to display the accessibility options on the PS Store just by pressing the Triangle key, at least if the title in question supports these famous tags. In the event that the PS5 and PS4 versions of the same production are available, it will be possible to compare the accessibility features of each version via a scrolling menu.
The accessibility tags will therefore be gradually released this week. When this feature is launched, several PS5 and PS4 exclusives will support it, including Gran Turismo 7, Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut, God of War Ragnarok, Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart and Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered. “ We are only beginning the rollout of this feature and are working with many developers to implement this feature into their PS5 game portals over the coming weeks and months. “Explains Sony in a press release.
Types of accessibility tags
A total of some 50 accessibility tags will be made available to PS5 and PS4 game developers, all of which are classified into six categories:
- Visual accessibility : This includes plain or enlarged text, alternate colors, audio cues, and directional audio cues.
- Audio : like screen reader, alternate visual cues, volume controls, or mono sound.
- Subtitles : includes, for example, size options, clear subtitles and enlarged subtitles.
- Order Options : including the ability to play without having to hold down keys or press keys quickly and without motion detection. This category also includes key reassignment, joystick sensitivity.
- Gameplay : includes options such as simplified QTEs, adjustment of game speed, the ability to skip puzzles and of course difficulty settings.
- online communication : notably includes voice chat text transcription and ping communication
