A beta update for PlayStation 5 rolls out to invited testers today. This system update adds an accessibility feature similar to Copilot and haptic feedback for system UI to the PlayStation 5. The features are expected to be released to all PS5 systems later this year.
Second Controller for Assistance
The Second Controller for Assistance is PlayStation’s version of Copilot on Xbox. Players can enable this feature, when available, in the controller section of the accessibility menu. It allows players to select a second controller to act as an assist controller. According to the news post, it is available when your main controller is a DualSense, DualSense Edge wireless, or a PS5-supported third-party controller. We expect this to include the Access controller as well when it releases later this year.
Like Copilot this allows players to use two controllers as one, for collaborative or assisted play. With an adaptive controller setup, a player could use the parts of a controller they can use combined with an adaptive controller such as the Access controller.
System UI haptic feedback
The second accessibility feature added in the system update is haptic feedback for the system UI (user interface). This feature can also be found in the controller section of the accessibility menu. When enabled, it adds haptic feedback to sound effects on certain events. Think of events like moving focus, scrolling to the bottom of a section, checking a box, or receiving notifications.
The haptic feedback is especially helpful to players unable to clearly see or hear the UI. Additionally the extra channel of feedback can be helpful to players with cognitive disabilities as well. The controllers supported by this feature are the DualSense controller, DualSense Edge controller, and PS VR2 Sense controller.
This beta update for PlayStation 5 also includes some ease of use updates, such as searching for games within your library. Social features and game help cards see improvements as well, as well as support for 3D-audio and larger M.2 SSDs. As noted, Sony expects to publicly release these features later this year. We assume this will be in time for the release of the Access controller, Sony’s adaptive controller for PS5.
