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Sony Group Exhibits at the World’s Largest International Conference on Accessibility

March 19, 2024

Sony Group (“Sony”) announced that it will have an exhibit at the world’s largest international conference on accessibility, the “CSUN Assistive Technology Conference 2024” March 18 to 22 in Anaheim, California.

Based on its Purpose, to “fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology,” Sony aims to help build an inclusive future where everyone can share the moment, promoting accessibility with the theme of “Delivering innovation for an accessible future.” Towards this goal, Sony intends to implement inclusive design that incorporates this perspective into their product commercialization processes by fiscal 2025.

The exhibit will showcase Sony’s accessible products and various inclusive design initiatives, including Access™ controller for the PlayStation® 5 (PS5®) console, which can be customized to suit each player’s needs, and Float Run off-ear headphones, which is designed with speakers floating in front of the ear to allow users to enjoy music and other audio entertainment while hearing ambient sounds around them naturally.

Main Exhibits

PlayStation 5 Console

The PS5 console features display and customization options like zoom, color correction and text size adjustments, a screen reader feature, closed captions, and chat transcription. In addition, PlayStation Studios creates a variety of industry-defining software titles with an array of vision, hearing, and motor accessibility settings. On the PlayStation Store on the PS5 console, players can explore Accessibility Tags to get detailed insight on supported accessibility features in PS5 and PS4 games.

Access Controller for the PlayStation 5 Console

Developed in collaboration with the accessibility community, the Access controller features an expansive array of hardware and software customization options. It allows players with disabilities to create personalized control configurations using interchangeable button and stick caps, enabling longer and more comfortable gaming sessions. This customization caters to each player’s unique strength, range of motion, and physical needs.

Float Run Off-Ear Wireless Headphones

Float Run has a novel headphone style that positions the speaker near, but without touching, the ear canal, while leaving the ear safely uncovered while still delivering a rich sound experience. The off-ear design of Float Run provides a comfortable fit and high sound quality without needing to insert anything in the ear and keeps you in touch with your surroundings. For extended comfort, a pressure-free design sits on the ears of the wearer, so runners can enjoy comfort for longer, and without disruption.

Link Buds™ Truly Wireless Earbuds

LinkBuds have been created with a unique open-ring design that lets users tune into the outside world whenever they want, without compromising the listening experience. The ring driver unit features an open central diaphragm for audio transparency, so chatting with friends and connecting to surroundings is easy. Because the earbuds are small, light and do not block ears, users can keep them in all the time, confident they will not miss ambient sounds from the environment even while listening to music or participating in online meetings. With Wide Area Tap^*1, users can double or triple tap in front of either of their ears to adjust playback.

BRAVIA™ 4K OLED TV

BRAVIA offers a variety of accessibility features based on feedback from people with disabilities who want to use the TV more independently, including the TalkBack screen reader for initial settings, a menu timeout function that allows users to keep menus on the screen longer, and color inversion and grayscale modes for people with low vision or visual sensitivities.

Digital Cameras

A selection of Sony’s digital cameras carry a Screen Reader Function^*² and an Enlarge Screen Function^*3. Users can confirm menus and operation screens audibly instead of visually and can easily change the magnification of the screen display with the simple press of a button operation.

Retina Projection Camera kit

Sony created the retina projection camera kit “DSC-HX99 RNV kit” with a laser retinal projection technology that is less affected by eye’s focusing ability. By combining Cyber-shot® “DSC-HX99” and QD Laser Co., Ltd.’s viewfinder “RETISSA NEOVIEWER”^*4, a digital image from the camera is directly projected to the retina, allowing people with difficulty using a conventional viewfinder a new, sharper way to view and photograph the world.

Xperia 1 V

Since 2021, Sony’s software team has been playing a central role in improving a selection of original applications with input from employees with disabilities at Sony/Taiyo Corporation. For example, when the user engages the photo shooting feature, Photography Pro, it can inform them of the horizontal orientation information of the screen through sound cues.

Self-fitting Over-the-Counter (OTC) Hearing Aids (only in the U.S. market)

Sony launched two self-fitting OTC hearing aids*⁵ in the U.S. market in October 2022 with a different appearance from conventional hearing aids, which were developed while considering user feedback before and during development in collaboration with WS Audiology. The CRE-C10, with a sleek and discreet design that is virtually invisible, and the CRE-E10, which has a rechargeable battery and is Bluetooth® compatible*⁶ letting users easily connect to streaming audio or music (iOS only). *⁷ A dedicated smartphone application allows users to easily setup their OTC hearing aids and customize to their hearing needs.

Accessible Retail Display

Sony will showcase a storefront display with Braille and audio product description capabilities, created in cooperation with the Braille Institute, a non-profit organization that supports the lives of people with visual impairment. The retail display with audio description capability has been installed in 10 stores in the U.S., and the Braille printing feature will be added in the near future.

In addition to the above exhibits, Sony will hold Conference Sessions to showcase a selection of accessibility initiatives.

Delivering Innovation for an Accessible Future

Shiro Kambe, Senior Executive Vice President, Sony Group Corporation, and Neal Manowitz, President and COO of Sony Electronics North America, will share video messages regarding accessibility at Sony. Sony’s ongoing accessibility initiatives will be introduced, such as collaboration with organizations for people with disabilities and the latest accessible products.

Designing Tactile Dots for Sony’s BRAVIA Products

From the Home Entertainment area, Sony will introduce inclusive design initiatives that the position of terminals on TVs and soundbars that can be identified by touch when connecting cables, based on the concept of “Possible to do by myself”, “Possible to do everything” and “Possible to enjoy together.” In addition, Sony will share how its inclusive design approach not only solves issues for users with disabilities but also provides ease of use for a diverse range of users.

Sony’s Solutions to Accessible Imaging

From the Imaging area, Sony will introduce initiatives that enable diverse users to express their creativity. In addition, Sony host a panel discussion about the importance of accessible content creation available for all creators with Sean Dougherty, a Director of Accessible User Experience Services at a non-profit organization Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc., and James Rath, a YouTuber with low vision.

Accessibility Innovations from Sony Interactive Entertainment

Sony Interactive Entertainment, the company behind the PlayStation brand of products, will introduce their latest efforts in accessibility, including the Access controller for the PlayStation 5 console.

For further details on Sony’s exhibit, please refer to the website.

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