PlayStation Enhances Gaming With New Smell-o-vision Technology

At CES 2025, Sony debuted the PlayStation “future immersive entertainment” concept, which fans can smell as they play games.

In the trailer, players are inside a giant cube built from LED screens, where they can be fully immersed in the game. They enter the world of The Last of Us with new enhanced audio and smell-o-vision.

The video explains, “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.”

At CES 2025, Sony introduced its "Future Immersive Entertainment Concept," set to transform the gaming experience for PlayStation players through smell. This system employs a multitude of high-resolution screens to envelop players in vivid environments. pic.twitter.com/QffcTP03QX

— 알렌 (@OperaDaisy) January 10, 2025

In addition to smell-o-vision, the trailer displays users holding torches to highlight certain areas of the game. Players had access to imitation weapons and could shoot at the screens as clickers appeared. When the players shoot, they smell rotten fungus, as The Last of Us takes place in a post-apocalyptic society.

There are no plans to release Sony’s Future Immersive Entertainment Concept yet. This is because the technology is expensive, thus making it hard for the general public to access. The technology to create smell-o-vision still has a long way to go.

The Last Of Us Future Immersive Entertainment Concept At CES 2025:#TheLastOfUs #SonyCES #Sony #PlayStation #CrystalLED #CES2025 #CES pic.twitter.com/r3Q2S39ZOr

— @Zuby_Tech (@Zuby_Tech) January 8, 2025

Even though fans might not see Sony’s Future Immersive Entertainment Concept anytime soon, the use of smell in games has been around since the 1960s. Back in 2021, FIEC built upon a PlayStation patent for scent-based gaming. In 2023, Sony filed for a patent containing smell-o-vision for the launch of their DualSense controller.

Within that same year, Microsoft created pizza-scented Xbox controllers, celebrating the release of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film. The device used audio and vibrations for more immersive gameplay. Ten years before that, Microsoft created a scent-filled controller for the Xbox One.

Fans can check out the trailer for Sony’s Future Immersive Entertainment Concept for The Last of Us below.