Paul Lane uses his mouth, cheek and chin to push buttons and guide his virtual car around the B次元官网网址淕ran TurismoB次元官网网址� racetrack on the PlayStation 5. ItB次元官网网址檚 how heB次元官网网址檚 been playing for the past 23 years, after a car accident left him unable to use his fingers.

Playing video games has long been a challenge for people with disabilities, chiefly because the standard controllers for the PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo can be difficult, or even impossible, to maneuver for people with limited mobility. And losing the ability to play the games doesnB次元官网网址檛 just mean the loss of a favorite pastime, it can also exacerbate social isolation in a community already experiencing it at than the general population.

As part of the gaming industryB次元官网网址檚 efforts to address the problem, Sony has developed the Access controller for the PlayStation, working with input from Lane and other accessibility consultants. Its the latest addition to the accessible-controller market, whose contributors range from Microsoft to startups and even hobbyists with 3D printers.

B次元官网网址淚 was big into sports before my injury,B次元官网网址� said Cesar Flores, 30, who uses a wheelchair since a car accident eight years ago and also consulted Sony on the controller. B次元官网网址淚 wrestled in high school, played football. I lifted a lot of weights, all these little things. And even though I can still train in certain ways, there are physical things that I canB次元官网网址檛 do anymore. And when I play video games, it reminds me that IB次元官网网址檓 still human. It reminds me that IB次元官网网址檓 still one of the guys.B次元官网网址�

Putting the traditional controller aside, Lane, 52, switches to the Access. ItB次元官网网址檚 a round, customizable gadget that can rest on a table or wheelchair tray and can be configured in myriad ways, depending on what the user needs. That includes switching buttons and thumbsticks, programming special controls and pairing two controllers to be used as one. LaneB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淕ran TurismoB次元官网网址� car zooms around a digital track as he guides it with the back of his hand on the controller.

B次元官网网址淚 game kind of weird, so itB次元官网网址檚 comfortable for me to be able to use both of my hands when I game,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淪o I need to position the controllers away enough so that I can be able to to use them without clunking into each other. Being able to maneuver the controllers has been awesome, but also the fact that this controller can come out of the box and ready to work.B次元官网网址�

Lane and other gamers have been working with Sony since 2018 to help design the Access controller. The idea was to create something that could be configured to work for people with a broad range of needs, rather than focusing on any particular disability.

B次元官网网址淪how me a person with multiple sclerosis and IB次元官网网址檒l show you a person who can be hard of hearing, I can show someone who has a visual impairment or a motor impairment,B次元官网网址� said Mark Barlet, founder and executive director of the nonprofit AbleGamers. B次元官网网址淪o thinking on the label of a disability is not the approach to take. ItB次元官网网址檚 about the experience that players need to bridge that gap between a game and a controller thatB次元官网网址檚 not designed for their unique presentation in the world.B次元官网网址�

Barlet said his organization, which helped both Sony and Microsoft with their accessible controllers, has been advocating for gamers with disabilities for nearly two decades. With the advent of social media, gamers themselves have been able to amplify the message and address creators directly in forums that did not exist before.

B次元官网网址淭he last five years I have seen the game accessibility movement go from indie studios working on some features to triple-A games being able to be played by people who identify as blind,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚n five years, itB次元官网网址檚 been breathtaking.B次元官网网址�

Microsoft, in a statement, said it was encouraged by the positive reaction to its Xbox Adaptive controller when it was released in 2018 and that it is B次元官网网址渉eartening to see others in the industry apply a similar approach to include more players in their work through a focus on accessibility.B次元官网网址�

The Access controller will go on sale worldwide on Dec. 6 and cost $90 in the U.S.

Alvin Daniel, a senior technical program manager at PlayStation, said the device was designed with three principles in mind to make it B次元官网网址渂roadly applicableB次元官网网址� to as many players as possible. First, the player does not have to hold the controller to use it. It can lay flat on a table, wheelchair tray or be mounted on a tripod, for instance. It was important for it to fit on a wheelchair tray, since once something falls off the tray, it might be impossible for the player to pick it up without help. It also had to be durable for this same reason B次元官网网址� so it would survive being run over by a wheelchair, for example.

Second, itB次元官网网址檚 much easier to press the buttons than on a standard controller. ItB次元官网网址檚 a kit, so it comes with button caps in different sizes, shapes and textures so people can experiment with reconfiguring it the way it works best for them. The third is the thumbsticks, which can also be configured depending on what works for the person using it.

Because it can be used with far less agility and strength than the standard PlayStation controller, the Access could also be a gamechanger for an emerging population: aging gamers suffering from arthritis and other limiting ailments.

B次元官网网址淭he last time I checked, the average age of a gamers was in their forties,B次元官网网址� Daniel said. B次元官网网址淎nd I have every expectation, speaking for myself, that theyB次元官网网址檒l want to continue to game, as IB次元官网网址檒l want to continue to game, because itB次元官网网址檚 entertainment for us.B次元官网网址�

After his accident, Lane stopped gaming for seven years. For someone who began playing video games as a young child on the Magnavox Odyssey B次元官网网址� released in 1972 B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址渋t was a voidB次元官网网址� in his life, he said.

Starting again, even with the limitations of a standard game controller, felt like being reunited with a B次元官网网址渓ong lost friend.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淛ust the the social impact of gaming really changed my life. It gave me a a brighter disposition,B次元官网网址� Lane said. He noted the social isolation that often results when people who were once able-bodied become disabled.

B次元官网网址淓verything changes,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淎nd the more you take away from us, the more isolated we become. Having gaming and having an opportunity to game at a very high level, to be able to do it again, it is like a reunion, (like losing) a close companion and being able to reunite with that person again.B次元官网网址�

Barbara Ortutay, The Associated Press