Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
CES 2025 is home to many experiences around the world, but while the show is still in its early days, I think I’ve already tried my favorite: a The last of us interactive exhibition. It lets you into the game’s world and shows in a new, more immersive way – because the creators didn’t just give a month of release for season 2 of the show.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture any footage of the experience or take any photos, so you’ll have to make do with my written description based on what I remember.
I entered with three other players, and we were divided into pairs. One of us (me in my demo) was armed with a virtual gun—which took the form of a 3D-printed plastic tube with motion capture points on the tip—while the other carried a flashlight. similar prototype qualities that could illuminate dark spaces that the infected would emerge from.
Before entering, an actor playing a member of the Fireflies (I think) greeted us to explain that we were exploring the old subway tunnels so he could connect with some of his friends elsewhere in Seattle. Another Firefly had been sent out to scout them out ahead of us and never came back… bodes well for us doesn’t it.
The space itself was a 270-degree panorama that featured real barricades of props in front of display walls, showing us a virtual recreation of the Seattle subway tunnels. After a brief encounter with a virtual Clicker – who came a little closer for comfort – and a massive disturbance caused by Ellie and, I think, Dina (it was a fairly quick sequence, so I didn’t see it properly. , nor the his name was said) involving a suspended train collapsing heavily to the floor, a constant stream of infected seemed to investigate the commotion.
We did our best to defend ourselves by working in pairs to spot and shoot the monsters, but after a couple of minutes, an endless army rushed us, and the demo was over.
Although it was short and very much in the development stage – with a few bugs regarding tracking weapons – it was a super awesome experience. I loved the mix of real and virtual elements to create an immersive interactive story that felt like you were thrust into the game world.
By far, the best was the fantastic haptics in the floor that made the ground noise at the appropriate times – like the aforementioned train collapse – and added to the immersion beyond the more standard elements such as displays, props and surround sound.
It’s available for other CES attendees to demo if you happen to be at the event in Las Vegas. Alternatively, you’ll have to wait and see if this experience launches as a more widely available interactive exhibit in the future.
While the Sony The team was careful not to say too much, there was a strong sense that this demo was meant to be the first step towards creating a more fully realized experience at some point in the future – whenever and wherever – with the staff there he asked feedback later. Therefore, they want to know what worked and what needs to be improved. So keep your eyes peeled for a The last of us interactive experience at some point along the line.
