From Vision to Reality: The Access Controller’s Impact on Gamers One Year Later

You can watch this new mini-documentary on accessibility in video games, “Game Changers”, here.

December 6, 2024 marked the first anniversary of the release of the Access controller, a highly customizable accessibility controller kit for PS5. This was a significant milestone towards our goal to ensure products and services are accessible for our players. Now that we are one year on, we’ve produced a short documentary on the impact of the Access controller,  touching on the design process, its benefits for gamers, and lessons learned from continued work to create a future of more accessible play.

We got the chance to sit down for a chat with the two stars of the documentary: Jared Grier, a rehabilitation engineer who works closely with AbleGamers, an American organization dedicated to improving accessibility in gaming, and Alejandro Courtney, a competitive gamer who plays with the Quad Gods Gaming Team, a group dedicated to elevating disabled gamers in the esports scene.

Jared Grier was one of the advisors integral to the development of the Access controller via AbleGamers, providing valuable modification feedback. “I collaborate with different therapists to come up with customized solutions for our patients, based on their abilities and what they’re looking to do,” Grier explains. “If a patient is encountering barriers due to their abilities after having a catastrophic injury, I assist in fabricating equipment to bridge the gap.”

Grier has witnessed firsthand the benefits and impact of the Access Controller in the lives of disabled gamers. “We get patients of all ages and demographics who play PlayStation… that hardware [enables the] option to keep playing,” he says. Additionally, a consistent goal in his advocacy is the need for more awareness and destigmatization, which is strengthened by increasing accessibility in entertainment media. “The more we can publicly shine a light on the importance, the need, and the benefit of equipment like this, [the better.]”

As a C5 C6 quadriplegic, Alejandro Courtney is an avid gamer and voice for change. For many, Courtney and his team represent a pathway to meaningful recovery. “We go out to different hospitals and speak with recently injured people,” he says of the Quad Gods’ community outreach. “We talk to them and let them know that things are going to be okay and tell them about what we do. Just seeing that spark in their eyes [when they recognize] that they can still game? I love that.”

For Courtney, the Access controller was transformative for his work as a competitive gamer; it “brought him back” to console gaming. “I wasn’t, for obvious reasons, gaming on the console,” he says. “At that time, there wasn’t anything built for us. But when I saw the controller, it turned on that light bulb.” 

It was also a means to connect, allowing him to spend quality time playing with his niece and nephew,  sharing their interest in gaming together.

Enabling  connections between gamers of all abilities is what inspired us to design and develop of the Access controller. By combining the power of creativity and technology, we can bring players closer together, and drive impact beyond gaming. We’d like to extend our thanks and appreciation to Alejandro and Jared for sharing their experiences, and their extremely important work. Although the Access controller is a significant step forward in our ongoing journey, we plan to go further. We look forward to sharing our future progress.
You can watch the “Game Changers” mini-documentary here.