Have you ever tried to play a game but given up because, say, the text is too small or you can’t remap the buttons? You’re definitely not alone in that. The term “accessibility” can refer to any number of things, so it’s great that PlayStation has announced that it will be rolling out Accessibility Tags to the PlayStation Store – but only on PlayStation 5.
Accessibility tags let developers provide details on accessibility features supported in games. While browsing various game hubs on PlayStation Store, hit the triangle button for a list of accessibility features to pop up. These tags are available for both PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 games. If both versions of a game are available, players can compare accessibility tags through a drop-down menu.
Here’s an example of accessibility tags in the Ghost of Tsushima‘s Director’s Cut game hub on PlayStation 5:
Developed can choose from over 50 accessibility tags across six categories. Visual accessibility options include clear text, large text, colour alternatives, audio cues, and directional audio indicators. Audio options include volume controls, mono audio, screen reader, and visual cue alternatives. Subtitle and caption options include subtitle size, clear captions, and large captions. Control options include button remapping, thumbstick sensitivity, and the ability to play without button holds, rapid button presses, or motion control. Gameplay options include difficulty settings (love), shippable puzzles (also love), simplified quicktime events (more love), and game speed. Finally, online communication options includes text or voice chat transcription and ping communication.
Not all games will have these tags right off the bat. At launch, games that support accessibility tags are 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.
Accessibility tags will be rolling out globally this week, exclusively via PlayStation Store for PlayStation 5.
