This includes a new feature that will enable players to play dialogue through the console’s DualSense controller as haptic feedback. This new feature, which started off as a prototype, means that “a deaf player can feel the way a line is delivered, can feel the emphasis, along with the subtitles to give some sense of how that line is delivered,” explained game director Matthew Gallant. In addition to this, there will also be a whole host of new inclusions to accommodate players. These cover options for combat, navigation and traversal, visual aids, all round gameplay difficulty (which are listed as Very Light, Light, Moderate, Hard, Survivor and Custom), and motion sickness. In combat, an invisibility toggle can be flicked to allow those who do not find stealth their forte to take on some of the game’s more sneaky portions without the worry of breaking cover. Meanwhile, Slow Motion can be enabled to allow more time for players to get their aim where they want it. As for navigation and traversal, upcoming features will be available to guide players “along the golden path of story progression”. There is also an Enhanced Listen Mode, which can be seen in the trailer above. As Naughty Dog has revealed already, The Last of Us Part 1 will be the first game to include audio descriptions for cinematics. You can see this new feature in action in the trailer below. Other accessibility features include the ability to skip puzzles, customise and fully remap the DualSense’s controller options, options to fine-tune the HUD size, colour and contrast for the most comfortable viewing experience and a screen reader to turn text into speech. As for the text, players will be able to adjust the size and colour of the subtitles on screen, as well as add a dark background to make said text clearer to read. Players will also have the option to enable speaker names, and add a directional arrow for offscreen speakers. For those that do not wish to customise The Last of Us Part 1’s accessibility options, there are three presets available to choose from. These configure all of Naughty Dog’s recommended settings for vision, hearing, and motor accessibility. The Last of Us Part 1 releases on 2nd September for the PlayStation 5. It has also been announced for PC, although there is no release date for that as yet. For more on how the PlayStation 5’s DualSense haptics can be useful for accessibility, check out our feature all about it here.
