Sony has revealed a new gaming system that could let PlayStation players smell their way through titles like The Last Of Us.
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The PlayStation creator unveiled its Future Immersive Entertainment Concept at tech showcase CES 2025 and has now shared a trailer for the huge, room-sized bit of kit.
The Future Immersive Entertainment Concept is basically a giant box, with video screens on every wall. The trailer sees gamers playing through Naughty Dog’s classic The Last Of Us with the addition of things like new audio and scents being used to make the “completely new experience” even more immersive than a traditional play through.
“One of the pillars of Sony’s creative entertainment vision is the idea of narrative everywhere, where stories from Sony are transformed across new and exciting mediums,” explains the video.
“This Future Immersive Entertainment Concept aims to explore these possibilities. This proof-of-concept project combines the latest location-based technologies, Sony Crystal LED panels, engaging audio, haptics, scent and atmospherics to fully immerse you into the world of the story.”
As well as being able to smell the world of The Last Of Us, the trailer sees players using a torch that highlights specific areas of the game.
Sony hasn’t revealed how it plans to use this tech in the future but similar 4D experiences have been utilised at theme parks and cinemas. The company filed a patent for smell-o-vision back in 2023 following the launch of the DualSense controller, which uses audio and vibrations to make gameplay feel more immersive.
Back in 2013, Microsoft created a scent-emitting controller for the Xbox One and a decade later, the company announced the “world’s first pizza-scented Xbox controllers” to celebrate the release of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film.
While there are no release plans for Sony’s Future Immersive Entertainment Concept, The Last Of Us fans only have a few months to wait until they can dive back into the HBO adaptation of the series. The Last Of Us season two is due for release in April and a new teaser trailer promises a lot of heartache.
In other news, one Elden Ring player has promised to take on one of Shadow Of The Erdtree’s toughest bosses every day until spin-off Nightreign is released. There’s no release date for the multiplayer title but it’s due at some point in 2025.
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