PlayStation’s bid to bring smell-o-vision to life backfires as gamers say Sony ‘will lose money’

GAMING companies are often adding new features to their consoles in the hope of bringing more immersive experiences to gamers.

A number of hardware pieces have been released over the years in the name of immersion, and most notably, many companies believe that VR is the future of gaming.

However, VR doesn’t have a large install base like home and handheld consoles do, but there is still a large push for the medium.

PlayStation has revealed its next step in immersive gaming at tech event CES, but gamers seem divided on whether that’s something they actually want.

Sony’s Future Immersive Entertainment Concept was showcased during the event, with a piece of tech that covered a whole room.

The room featured Sony screens covering every wall, with a person playing The Last of Us at the centre.

Alongside Sony’s current technology, such as haptic feedback and dynamic audio, the kit also pumped smells into the room.

The trailer for the new technology explains: “This Future Immersive Entertainment Concept aims to explore these possibilities [for narrative immersion].

“This proof-of-concept project combines the latest location-based technologies, Sony Crystal LED panels, engaging audio, haptics, scent and atmospherics to fully immerse you into the world of the story.”

However, gamers are split in whether they are interested in the technology, particularly given the choice of game Sony showcased.

The Last of Us is set in a dystopian world where humans are struggling to survive against people infected with a deadly fungus.

One Twitter user writes: “My room smelling like sweat and gunpowder while I play Call of Duty.”

Another said, “I can't think of a single game that will enhance my experience by smelling it.”

A gamer on Reddit was more straight to the point, saying: “Nobody wants this.

“Can we get actually good VR first before this weird niche that'll lose Sony money.”

If you want to read more about PlayStation, check out the latest PS5 Midnight Black collection.