2016-09-22 10:38:28 (edited by SLJ 2021-01-10 20:09:31)

Hi.
Long time ago, I was working on a menu guide for blind and visually impaired people, which would make people able to look up the menu structure of the Playstation 4 user interface, and be able to navigate almost all the menus by following the guide.
Then, as most people here on the forum know, last year, Sony introduced the Text to speech function which reads out most of the menus. Because of that, I dropped the idea of continue making the guide, hoping that all people world wide would be able to use the screenreader. Making such guide will take very long time, since I have very limited access to sighted people, and if the TTS function came anyway, the guide would be close to useless.
Version 4.0 of the firmware for the ps4 has reasonly been released, and Sony still won't let us outside the US use the Text to speech function. I have been in contact with Sony so many times regarding this since the release of the TTS function in the US, and the support center can not do anything about it. The support center in the US will not do anything about it, because they don't do support for people outside the US. My conclusion is that Sony is not interested in letting us outside the US use the Text to speech function.
Because of that, I'm considering to start working on the guide again, that is, if people are interested. Some blind gamers are saying that they don't really need a screenreader on their console, which is of course okay.
So, what do you say. Are you interested in such guide? If yes, then I could use at leased one person from the US who are using the TTS function who can help with menus etc.
Here is the very first version so you can see what I'm working on:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8b0j8pq1hnmg0 … .html?dl=0

Best regards SLJ.
Feel free to contact me privately if you have something in mind. If you do so, then please send me a mail instead of using the private message on the forum, since I don't check those very often.
Facebook: https://facebook.com/sorenjensen1988
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soerenjensen

2016-09-29 09:04:47

Wow. Nobody seems to be interested, so I'll just drop the project. smile Well that's okay.

Best regards SLJ.
Feel free to contact me privately if you have something in mind. If you do so, then please send me a mail instead of using the private message on the forum, since I don't check those very often.
Facebook: https://facebook.com/sorenjensen1988
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soerenjensen

2016-09-29 16:49:36

hi SLJ, I'm really interested about this thing.
if you make a guide for the console, especially for this new version of the PS4, it would be cool if you make the guide for it.

going in to the wilds, collecting pokedex, and capturing them are my kind of thing,
training them, making them evolve, and generally making them stronger is my ultimate goal,
fighting other manamon tamers, winning the tournament, and fighting octoros are what these manamons like to do,
and ultimately, I become the master of mana!

2016-09-30 05:34:14

hi! i am interesting this project very much.  could you continue this project and make guide for settings menu?  i agree make a small donation if it's need

2016-09-30 07:51:16

Hi.
Thanks for your interest. I'll continue the project. It'll be difficult and take a lot of time without the help from someone who have access to the screenreader. I hope I get time to put something up this weekend

Best regards SLJ.
Feel free to contact me privately if you have something in mind. If you do so, then please send me a mail instead of using the private message on the forum, since I don't check those very often.
Facebook: https://facebook.com/sorenjensen1988
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soerenjensen

2016-09-30 09:00:31

unfortunately,i have not tts function

2016-09-30 14:00:31

The good thing about the ps4 interface is it stays relatively the same with a few minor changes here and there so it won't be as hard as say the xbox one.

:D happy to help out with games and the like... maybe :D

2016-09-30 19:59:45

Hi
@SLJ, I can help with the screen reader, because I bought my console in USA

I am a gamer from the begining of my life, and that will not change :p

2016-10-01 00:32:10

Hello
I am interested in the project.
I think it is a great idea.
greetings and thanks.

sorry my english, is not my native language.

2016-10-03 08:14:15

@FabiG94 : Thanks for your interest.
@Bradp: I totally agree. It might sound strange, but I even find it difficult to navigate my XBox when using the screenreader because of the interface. I really find it difficult to get used to...
@ulisesmonge40: Thanks a lot for offering your help. I could use it already.
Can you give me the icons from left to right at the screen where you press the up arrow from the games tab? I mean the screen with settings and shut down menus. That would be really helpful. Do you know if this menu changes? It doesn't seem to change but I'm not sure.

Best regards SLJ.
Feel free to contact me privately if you have something in mind. If you do so, then please send me a mail instead of using the private message on the forum, since I don't check those very often.
Facebook: https://facebook.com/sorenjensen1988
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soerenjensen

2016-10-03 09:19:43

hi!
@slj, i've sent you an e-mail with the menus you've asked, i can't sleep so.... i decided to do it.
the menus are in order from left to right, and from top to bottom for the settings menu.
the function screen is the menu that appears when you press up. it doesn't change. same for the settings menu.

bokura no daibouken 2 by yukionozawa. installer:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/897 … _setup.exe
bokura no daiboukenn 3 by yukionozawa. download page:
http://www.nyanchangames.com/softs/nn3.html

2016-10-03 15:39:38

Hi all.
Thanks to mr.brunete who is really really awesome, I've now seriously started to make the guide.
I have got the tools I need to write and design the guide, I have got lots of information to get started and I have thought about how to host the guide. So I'm excited. This time, such guide will not just be words and thoughts, and I'll not loose the motivation this time. Why? Because this guide will make things accessible which the screenreader doesn't support. It'll just take time until I reach this point, but it will come. My goal is to have everything in the guide which can be done on the Playstation 4 as a blind person. I mean, blind people shall not be limited to a screenreader which don't supports everything. People needs to have the choice to use the various features if they wants to. So therefore I'll do my very best to get as many features in the guide as possible, so people have the choice to use it if they have a Playstation 4. But first, I'll concentrate on the menus...
The only bad news is: The way I'm designing the guide, I can't host it here on the forum, but I've found a workaround for this, so it won't make a huge difference...

Best regards SLJ.
Feel free to contact me privately if you have something in mind. If you do so, then please send me a mail instead of using the private message on the forum, since I don't check those very often.
Facebook: https://facebook.com/sorenjensen1988
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soerenjensen

2016-10-03 16:07:05

wow SLJ, that's awesome. I will of course support you about making this guide, hopefully the guide will cover everything, like changing settings and other stuff.

going in to the wilds, collecting pokedex, and capturing them are my kind of thing,
training them, making them evolve, and generally making them stronger is my ultimate goal,
fighting other manamon tamers, winning the tournament, and fighting octoros are what these manamons like to do,
and ultimately, I become the master of mana!

2016-10-03 16:50:05

Thanks much man.
A quick update:
While writing the guide, I realized that the guide should not only contain the menus, but also some generel tips on how to use the Playstation. It will also contain the very basics for those who are new to the Playstation. That means the guide will be for everyone and not just those who already knows the basics. I'm already half done writing the basics including the controler layout, how to turn on the Playstation and how to log in. The next part will be the various basic screens in the interface such as the main screen, the menu which pops up when holding the PS button and the menu which pops up when pressing the triangle button on a game and then finally the settings screen, or most of it. I'll then write the two ways I know how to update the Playstation, and add a section regarding voice commands as well. More things will come after this. So yeah, this is going to be exciting for sure. big_smile

Best regards SLJ.
Feel free to contact me privately if you have something in mind. If you do so, then please send me a mail instead of using the private message on the forum, since I don't check those very often.
Facebook: https://facebook.com/sorenjensen1988
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soerenjensen

2016-10-04 06:16:08

also, pressing triangle on a game does not bring up any menus. Try the options button instead. Pressing triangle on a game might work in other countries though, but I thought it was the options button.

:D happy to help out with games and the like... maybe :D

2016-10-04 19:59:07

wow good work, SLJ.
could you also write down how to turn on or off some of the settings and such?

going in to the wilds, collecting pokedex, and capturing them are my kind of thing,
training them, making them evolve, and generally making them stronger is my ultimate goal,
fighting other manamon tamers, winning the tournament, and fighting octoros are what these manamons like to do,
and ultimately, I become the master of mana!

2016-10-04 20:35:56

Yes, sure. But it might be difficult to know if the current setting is turned on or off. But I'll look into that.

Best regards SLJ.
Feel free to contact me privately if you have something in mind. If you do so, then please send me a mail instead of using the private message on the forum, since I don't check those very often.
Facebook: https://facebook.com/sorenjensen1988
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soerenjensen

2016-10-04 23:08:40

Hi all.
I've worked really hard on the guide for like 6 hours, and I'm finally ready to show you what I've made so far. Please note that a lot of things needs to be changed like the layout, misspelled words etc. But you can at leased get an idea of the layout and how I want the guide to be.
Every kind of input, comments, suggestions, thoughts etc. are very much welcome. Also any way of improve what I have made so far..
I'll find a permanent host for the guide later on, and put the permanent link in the articles room for easier finding in the future. You'll find a link in the first post.
I'll be busy the rest of the week, so I might not get time to work on the guide before next week. But I'll at leased read the forum. smile

Best regards SLJ.
Feel free to contact me privately if you have something in mind. If you do so, then please send me a mail instead of using the private message on the forum, since I don't check those very often.
Facebook: https://facebook.com/sorenjensen1988
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soerenjensen

2016-10-05 00:12:13

I like the guide so far. Also, the main game screen does not list all the recent games. I think it lists the 4 or 5 most recent games and then different categories such as video, music, etc. At the far end of that menu, is library which has all of your downloaded and installed games. I am not exactly sure of the layout of the library however, I found it confusing when I tried to figure it out. But I believe that the library is done in categories, such as digital games, but not sure on this. Might be worth looking into as it can provide another way to launch games.

:D happy to help out with games and the like... maybe :D

2016-10-05 07:57:34

Thanks a lot Bradp for the great information. I'll do my best to look into that. It's nice to hear that you like the guide so far. big_smile

Best regards SLJ.
Feel free to contact me privately if you have something in mind. If you do so, then please send me a mail instead of using the private message on the forum, since I don't check those very often.
Facebook: https://facebook.com/sorenjensen1988
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soerenjensen

2016-10-05 08:20:06

Impressive guide, SLJ. Can't wait to read the full guide

going in to the wilds, collecting pokedex, and capturing them are my kind of thing,
training them, making them evolve, and generally making them stronger is my ultimate goal,
fighting other manamon tamers, winning the tournament, and fighting octoros are what these manamons like to do,
and ultimately, I become the master of mana!

2016-10-05 20:45:05

Bradp, about your earlier comment, pressing triangle in the home screen doesn't do anything. the options button does the function that thetriangle button served on the ps3 with all the options related tothat game. The library doesn't separate downloaded games from physical ones, it simply lists your games under one screen. and it actually lists more than five... I don't remember how many games are in the home screen at once, but I have at least 7.

Discord: clemchowder633

2016-10-05 22:36:32

Thanks Hanif and Assault_freak for your great comments.

Best regards SLJ.
Feel free to contact me privately if you have something in mind. If you do so, then please send me a mail instead of using the private message on the forum, since I don't check those very often.
Facebook: https://facebook.com/sorenjensen1988
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soerenjensen

2016-10-29 00:04:11

Hi all.
I finally got some time to work on the guide again. 5 hours of hard work have given some pretty awesome and, hopefully, useful results. I'm really excited to show you this, and hear your thoughts and comments...
So, what's new?
1: Things has been put into lists for easier reading.
2: Almost everything from the settings on the ps4 is now included in the guide. Yes, this is right. That means, you can browse nearly all the settings, get an idea on how you want your own ps4 set up, and then, hopefully, find the setting you wanna change. You do need sighted help to check if the setting is on or off though. There is, as far as I know, no way to check if a setting is on or off without sighted help. I have thought about one way to do it, but that would be extreme, and brake things badly if it fails.
So, I'm really excited about this, to give this overview of the settings in an accessible way, and I hope you enjoy it and find it useful.
It would be really great if you wanna check the guide for grama errors, because english is not my standard language. It would be fantastic if someone can help me to check if all the settings are written correctly, and help me to add the missing settings. You know, I wanna make this guide as great as possible...
The first post has been updated with the link to the new version of the guide. Now, I've deserved a lot of sleep... big_smile

Best regards SLJ.
Feel free to contact me privately if you have something in mind. If you do so, then please send me a mail instead of using the private message on the forum, since I don't check those very often.
Facebook: https://facebook.com/sorenjensen1988
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soerenjensen

2016-10-29 12:42:49

wow, that was an awesome update for the guide.
hopefully you can also add the options when you press the share button, the option button, instructions on how to delete a game, adding friends, closing apps or game, or shutting down the power.
I've recently tried the new firmware version, however when pressing the quick menu it didn't direct me to the option that I want to choose.
usually, for example, when I am in a game, and I want to close it, holding down the PS button puts me in to the close option, but now, it puts me at the first option. another example of the quick menu is, I want to shut down my PS4.
holding down the PS button usually appears a menu to switch user, login or logout from your account, and a menu for power management where you can activate rest mode, restart the PS4, or shutting it down.
however, when I hold the PS button in the home screen, it appears the menu, but when pressing it to the bottom, then press the circle button to confirm it(for PlayStation from asian regions), it appears a different option instead of power.
I don't know why, I still didn't familiarise myself with the new style after upgrading my firmware to 4.0

going in to the wilds, collecting pokedex, and capturing them are my kind of thing,
training them, making them evolve, and generally making them stronger is my ultimate goal,
fighting other manamon tamers, winning the tournament, and fighting octoros are what these manamons like to do,
and ultimately, I become the master of mana!