A custom Dual Shock 4 controller was built by a Sony employee for a gamer with cerebral palsy who had problems using the standard PS4 accessory. The PlayStation fan had written a letter to the Japanese conglomerate that his gaming sessions were often accidentally paused or interrupted when his left hand kept hitting the touchpad.
Peter Byrne told New Jersey local news that the touchpad was very sensitive so he often paused video games by accident. Sony as a company could not solve the problem, but it helped Byrne contact Alex Nawabi at Sony's retail marketing operations, according to Wired.
Nawabi personally built a customized Dual Shock 4 to meet Byrne's special needs. Byrne wrote on Facebook that he explained his problems and provided an image of his left hand holding the PS4 controller. After exchanging some emails Nawabi informed Byrne that he was ordering the parts to build the custom controller.
Nawabi first told the gamer that he would send a "goodie box" as an apology because he could not solve the problem. However, the box's contents turned out to be a unique Dual Shock 4. Nawabi had combined three controllers, disabled the touchpad, and moved the click feature to a rear button.
The Sony employee reports that this is the first time he had modified a PS controller for a gamer and the task took him over 10 hours, according to Geek. He also built a second controller in case the first one malfunctions.
Nawabi plans to build a second-gen customized controller for Byrne after he gets feedback on the first one. He also shared that he was heartbroken that the gamer could not enjoy PlayStation games due to the new controller design.
In related news Sony is reportedly developing a PlayStation "4.5" gaming console with an upgraded GPU. Multiple sources have verfiied that Sony's R&D wing has already built a prototype that it is calling PlayStation 4K.
The new system has more graphics processing power but would not provide a great 4K gaming experience. Sony executive Masayasu Ito had reported the company might build a high-powered PS4.
Meanwhile, Xbox head Phil Spencer shared on March 1, Friday that Microsoft also plans to build an upgradable Xbox system.