Dear Guerrilla Games,

Playstation controllers have included gyroscopes since at least 2013, though their potential has been largely neglected by in-house and third-party development teams alike. This is a shame for the Playstation gaming community and a missed opportunity for both Sony and its game developers. There is a sizeable and enthusiastic community of gamers who long for the inclusion of sensible motion controls for their favorite games. What we're talking about here isn't the novel but ultimately useless functions of the bygone Wii era, but the inclusion of reasonable gyroscopic controls where it serves to enhance immersion and accessibility; specifically gyro aiming. Many of us long to aim Aloy's bow with the slight and effortless movement afforded by the gyroscopes already bought and paid for in our DualSense and DualShock 4 controllers. Others in our community want only to enjoy games that were heretofore personally inaccessible to us due to physiological constraints. We recognize gyro aim as a leap forward in gaming ergonomics, not as a cheap gimmick that was tried and discarded. Currently PC gamers can purchase one of Sony's own DualSense/DualShock controllers and, paired with software like Steam, produce a far superior gaming experience in games like Horizon: Zero Dawn thanks to the ability to customize the gyroscope in Sony's own controllers.

Our community believes the time has come for Sony and its major first-party development houses to demonstrate foresight and leadership and implement gyroscopic functions in its games. In particular, we believe that gyroscopic aim has tremendous potential in first- and third-person games where aiming and shooting are a component. Needless to say, Horizon: Forbidden West is the PERFECT candidate for inclusion of this technology. The hardware is right there in our hands, and we're looking for a champion to unlock its potential. We are asking you, Guerrilla, to be our champion. We believe that if gyroscopic aim is included in a major Playstation exclusive at launch (and especially if it is enabled by default) then demand for gyro aim will take on a life of its own. That said, we are not asking that players be forced to play games this way. While we have great enthusiasm for the technology, we believe that everyone should be able to enjoy games in the way that they see fit. We just want the option.

The development team that brings gyro aim into the mainstream will not only be a hero to our community, but a boon to Sony as well. Consider Playstation's main rival, the Xbox, for a moment. Microsoft has failed to include the necessary motion control hardware in their current and last-gen systems. Playstation is poised to become the dominant platform of millions of gamers by exploiting this fact alone. For economic reasons and ease of implementation, third party developers have a tendency to treat the Playstation and Xbox platforms as so similar technically as to always develop for the least-common denominator, not bothering much with individual optimizations for either platform. This fact, combined with ignorance of what their customers actually want, is the primary reason third-party developers ignore the motion control potential of the Playstation's controllers. Were Guerrilla and Sony to show leadership and demonstrate the enormous potential here, the Playstation would become home to the BEST versions of a huge library of last and current generation games. With the extended lifespan promised by backward-compatibility, even patching older PS4 games with gyro aim would breathe new life into games that would otherwise be relegated to the clearance bin.

The signers of this petition are committed to waiting for proper gyroscopic aim to be implemented before purchasing games that beg for it, and in particular where we have explicitly asked. This includes Horizon: Forbidden West. This is not intended as a threat, but simply as a necessary tool in having our voices heard. We are a community that has been ignored for years and are fighting an uphill battle. Game developers have little incentive to heed our wishes if we are willing to shell out cash for titles that would otherwise benefit from gyro aim. The flip side of this coin is that we will enthusiastically reward development teams who listen to us by paying full price for games that include gyro aim, and by purchasing buying titles that we might not otherwise have purchased had gyro aim not been included.

If you haven't been paying attention, Steam has evolved PC gaming by leaps and bounds in the last few years, not the least of which in the realm of gyro aiming. If you're looking for inspiration, I suggest looking there. The software Valve pioneered for use with its own Steam's controller has taken on new life when paired with Sony's DualSense/DualShock controller. What Valve has achieved here with third-party software running outside of games is nothing short of amazing. Imagine what can be done using proper API's.

Lastly, I'll say this: The Playstation gaming community is diverse, and gyro aim has its detractors. While some players may never adopt gyro aim, it is bewildering that anyone would be threatened by the inclusion of more options. We are not asking for the removal of traditional controls, but simply ability to supplement them with newer and more ergonomic options. Please help us, Guerrilla. We're holding out for a gyro.