Smelly Video games: Sony at CES 2025 unveiled an immersive demo set within the post-apocalyptic world of The Final of Us. Naughty Canine’s acclaimed action-adventure sequence options hostile people reworked into cannibalistic creatures by a mutated fungus. Now, Sony goals to raise one in every of PlayStation’s most profitable franchises right into a extra bodily – and undoubtedly terrifying – expertise.
Have you ever ever questioned what the hideous hosts of the Cordyceps fungus in The Final of Us may scent like? Sony is betting that loads of folks have – and constructed its Future Immersive Leisure Idea (FIEC) round this eerie concept. The one-time demonstration debuted at CES 2025, showcasing Sony’s imaginative and prescient for translating gaming narratives into completely new mediums.
The Japanese tech big designed a big, interactive room the place “gamers” had been surrounded by cutting-edge Crystal LED panels. Upon coming into the enclosed house, guests might immerse themselves in interactive content material pulled immediately from The Final of Us sequence. The expertise was enhanced by dynamic audio, haptic suggestions, atmospheric scents, and different sensory results to deliver the sport’s haunting world to life.
Sony described FIEC as a possible glimpse into the way forward for large-scale, immersive experiences. Gamers might work together with the surroundings utilizing real-world instruments, akin to illuminating a selected space with a flashlight or firing at fungal creatures rising from the shadows.
A scent-enabled, fungus-equipped FIEC setup is undoubtedly a pricey expertise to create, making it unlikely to turn out to be a mass-produced product anytime quickly. Sony has additionally confronted criticism for investing in esoteric applied sciences that many shoppers did not ask for – this whereas nonetheless advertising and marketing the dear PSVR2 headset to PlayStation and PC customers.
In the intervening time, Sony would not appear taken with increasing console-based VR experiences past the PSVR2. As an alternative, the PlayStation firm seems to be exploring different progressive leisure codecs.
Naughty Canine first launched The Final of Us in 2013, adopted by extra downloadable content material and a remake. The sequence’ correct sequel, The Final of Us Half II, debuted in 2020 and is now being ported to PC in a “remastered” version.
In recent times, the franchise has reached a broader viewers because of HBO’s award-winning live-action sequence starring Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal. A second season is ready to premiere in April 2025, with a 3rd season already in improvement.
