Sony and Naughty Dog have released a lengthy video breaking down the technical changes made between the original Last of Us and the upcoming Last of Us Part I remake launching on PlayStation 5 on September 2 (and PC eventually). The 10-minute video goes over the graphical update, DualSense haptic feedback, as well as new features like permadeath and a model viewer, but the real standout of the video comes around the 5:40 mark where the team starts talking about accessibility features and confirms it will include built-in audio description for visually impaired players.
In the years since the original Last of Us came out in 2013, Naughty Dog has put notable work into its accessibility features. The Last of Us Part II was described by video game accessibility site Can I Play That as “a testament to what can be achieved when accessibility is considered from the ground up.” But even so, it lacked in-game audio descriptions to help the visually impaired follow along with story cutscenes and the like. The Last of Us Part I is bringing in those accessibility features, as well as audio descriptions built into the game. Gaming accessibility advocate Steve Saylor wrote on Twitter that the original Last of Us was “barely playable” for some people who need those kinds of accessibility options when it launched, so hopefully those folks can get something out of the remake.
Check out the full trailer below:
More on The Last of Us:
- Happy -17th Death Day to That One Last of Us Part II Character
- I Bought the $2000 Last of Us Guitar and I Have No Regrets
- The Last of Us Part II Illustrates How Queer Spaces Are Not a Monolith
The Last of Us Part I and its technical update is what Naughty Dog calls the “definitive” version of the 2013 original game, and while that might be true, it still feels like the inevitable end result of Sony’s commodification of the series in recent years.
