Sony's New "Immersive Entertainment Concept" Might Let You Smell Zombies

Sony is stepping into a whole new dimension of gaming with a revolutionary system that could have PlayStation players experiencing their games with more than just sight and sound—now, they might even be able to smell the world of The Last of Us.

At CES 2025, the company unveiled its groundbreaking Future Immersive Entertainment Concept, showcasing a massive, room-sized setup designed to push the boundaries of what gaming can feel like. The new technology takes immersion to the next level by integrating not only visuals and sound but also scent and haptics for a truly multi-sensory adventure.

The concept itself is essentially a giant, enclosed space with screens covering every wall, creating an environment where players can experience a game in ways they've never imagined. In the trailer, players navigate through Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, now enhanced with additional features like spatial audio and scent effects that pull you even deeper into the game’s world. This new form of storytelling is more than just playing a game—it’s living it.

A key part of Sony's vision is "narrative everywhere," where its stories are told across various mediums to engage players in new and exciting ways. The Future Immersive Entertainment Concept is designed to explore these possibilities, blending the latest in location-based tech, Sony’s innovative Crystal LED panels, dynamic audio, haptics, and atmospheric scents to create a truly immersive experience.

The trailer shows not only the addition of smell to The Last of Us, but also introduces a torch-like device that highlights key areas in the game, adding another layer of interaction. While Sony has yet to announce how it will use this technology moving forward, similar 4D experiences have already found a home in theme parks and cinemas. This concept also ties back to a 2023 patent Sony filed for "smell-o-vision," which, alongside the DualSense controller’s tactile and audio features, aims to bring gameplay to life in ways we’ve never seen before.