However, text legibility is a challenge. Subtitles—which are essential for quiet scenes—can be tiny. You must go into the Accessibility menu and increase the subtitle text size to "Large" immediately. Also, turn on "High Contrast Display" for listening mode to see enemies on the small screen. Here is where the portable PC version destroys the console version: mods .

On a 7-inch screen, Ellie’s subtle eye movements during the "Giraffe" scene are actually more intimate. Because the screen fills your peripheral vision, you lose the distractions of the living room. You are in the quarantine zone.

You only want to play on the couch/bed and have fiber optic internet at home.

You are a first-time player. Seriously. As good as the Steam Deck version is, your first playthrough of The Last of Us deserves a 4K TV and a soundbar. The opening sequence hits differently when the screen is 65 inches, not 7. Use the portable version for New Game+ or collectible hunting.

The short answer is yes. The long answer involves Steam Decks, Wi-Fi signals, and a few compromises. Here is everything you need to know about taking this cinematic epic on the road. Sony has a complicated history with portable The Last of Us . In 2019, the company shut down the development of The Last of Us Part 2 for the PS Vita, citing hardware limitations. For years, the only way to play the game on a handheld was through the clunky "Remote Play" feature on a smartphone, which was laggy and dependent on a perfect home internet connection.