As Engadget's chief The Final of Us correspondent, I used to be fairly pumped to seek out out throughout Sony's CES 2025 press convention that season two of the HBO present would come out in April. However Naughty Canine head Neil Druckmann additionally teased an "location-based expertise exhibit" that will transport contributors into the tunnels of Seattle crammed with Contaminated. That's an space straight out of The Final of Us Half II, and at this time I received an opportunity to attempt the proof-of-concept expertise. It was quick, minimal, and a bit tough, nevertheless it was additionally one other good instance of how Sony is making an attempt to take its tentpole franchises from PlayStation and put them in completely completely different experiences.
Sadly, Sony had a strict "no cameras or movies" coverage for this expertise, so that you'll need to depend on my phrases and a bit video the corporate confirmed concerning the tech behind it.
I entered the expertise with three different contributors after a fast run-down of the gear we'd use: two of us received shotguns, and two received flashlights (sadly I used to be caught with a flashlight). Each have a bunch of small sensors connected to the entrance in order that they might work together with the surroundings we entered; the flashlight felt like an actual flashlight with some sensors on the top, however the weapons have been crude tubes with a deal with and set off; the set off felt fairly good from my fast take a look at of it earlier than we received began. There are additionally sensors on the barrel of the gun that detect a "pump" movement to reload it.
As soon as we have been outfitted, an actor enjoying a member of an unnamed militia briefed us on the mission: a few of our fellow mercenaries disappeared within the Seattle subways — maybe kidnapped by the WLF, maybe taken down by Contaminated. Our job was to seek out him… what may go unsuitable?
Our information directed me and the opposite flashlight-holder to begin lighting up the subway station — which was created by three big screens surrounding us. The partitions of the room have been manufactured from LED panels, and the sensors on the flashlights interacted with them to trace my second. I wanted to be fairly near the screens for it to acknowledge my flashlight, nevertheless it was fairly cool to be lighting up a digital surroundings in actual time.
Then, after all, a clicker scream places the group on excessive alert — and provided that it got here from a selected location all of us swing our flashlights in that route to establish the risk. Simply as within the sport, although, the disgusting contaminated creature shambled nearer to us, set free one other scream and got here charging ahead, at which level the shotgunners blasted away with abandon. That noise introduced extra Contaminated charging into the area; I’d gentle them up with the flashlight and my companion shot them down.
Issues calmed down, momentarily — then an enormous subway automotive began sliding out of its precarious place, which trigged one of many demo's coolest results. The ground was rigged for haptic suggestions, and whereas we had felt it rumble at numerous disturbances, this was by far the largest influence. The combo of the visuals, audio and haptics all made it really feel, properly, immersive. I definitely didn't overlook I used to be in a demo, nevertheless it was cool nonetheless. Past the ground haptics, Sony says that there are even scents pumped into the room to additional the environment, however I wasn't in a position to detect something myself.
Then we received the compulsory cameo from The Final of Us Half II co-protagonist Ellie and her companion Dina, as they scrambled away from Contaminated who begin chasing them down. One knocked Ellie down and began ripping at her throat till Dina caught up and pulled it off her, at which level they sprinted away. Sadly, the disturbance introduced an enormous swarm of monsters coming at us, which introduced on the massive battle of the expertise. I began illuminating the hordes and my companion blasted them down, however then dozens began overwhelming the screens and the screams received an increasing number of intense till every part reduce to black as our crew was overrun. That's that!
I'm not judging the expertise too harshly, as a result of Sony was clear each in its press convention and earlier than we tried it that it is a very early proof of idea. The primary factor that pulled me out of it was that the area we have been in is static — there's no option to run away or transfer past the boundaries of what we have been offered with. After which, as I discussed, you wanted to be comparatively near the "partitions" for them to acknowledge the flashlight or gun, which meant that if you happen to backed up to soak up the scope of the area you gear may not work.
The opposite factor is that I believe the barrier to it being really scary or extra immersive is that I couldn't ignore the truth that the risk was on a display screen quite than within the room with me. There's little question that having full management in an surroundings like this could be a wild option to play a sport like this, nevertheless it was all just a bit too on the rails and faraway from the area I used to be in.
I'm making an attempt to trace down anybody from Sony who can inform me extra concerning the genesis for this concept in addition to the place they see it going sooner or later. However Sony and Naughty Canine have already introduced The Final of Us to quite a lot of different media, and this looks like a extra high-tech imaginative and prescient of what Sony did at the side of Common Studios when it introduced the franchise to the Halloween Horror Nights that occurs on the theme parks. Whether or not it is a one-off curiosity or one thing we see down the road in a extra full style, although, stays to be seen.
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