Sony’s Project Leonardo controller is only compatible with PS5

By Giovanni Colantonio Published January 5, 2023

Sony’s new adaptive controller, codenamed Project Leonardo, will only be compatible with PS5 when it launches. In a statement to Digital Trends, the company confirmed that the accessibility-focused tech won’t work with PS4 or PC.

Project Leonardo was announced at Sony’s CES 2023 showcase. The unique controller aims to let more players experience PlayStation games thanks to its highly customizable design and functionality. Digital Trends reached out to Sony following the presentation to ask if the controller would work with PS4. In its response, Sony confirms that it’s built to work with PS5 exclusively.

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“Project Leonardo was designed from the ground up to seamlessly integrate with PS5 from a hardware and software standpoint,” Sony Interactive Entertainment writes in a statement to Digital Trends. “We wanted to create the best, most cohesive and customizable play experience possible, so we decided to focus our efforts and resources on PS5.”

Similarly, Project Leonardo won’t have PC compatibility. When asked if it might work with PlayStation games on PC, Sony reiterated that the controller is “designed for PS5.”

The decision to make Project Leonardo platform-specific stands in contrast to Microsoft’s own accessibility efforts. The company’s Xbox Adaptive Controller was originally designed for Xbox One but is compatible with PC, iOS, and Android. It currently functions with Xbox Series X/S as well, despite those consoles releasing two years after its launch.

Sony’s decision seems in part due to the specific software that’s used to customize the controller. Project Leonardo uses a PS5 app that lets players change button layout and save up to three profiles at once.

Project Leonardo is currently in development and does not have a release date or price.

Giovanni Colantonio

Former Senior Gaming Editor

As a veteran of the industry who first began writing about games professionally as a teenager, Giovanni brings a wealth of…

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