'Last of Us Part 1' PC Port Dubbed as Just a Beta, per Digital Foundry

Urian B., Tech Times 03 April 2023, 10:04 pm

The Last Of Us Part 1 is one of the most beloved franchises in the world of gaming, and the much-anticipated port of the game to PC last week was greeted with much anticipation by fans.

An Unfortunate Port: Critique of The Last Of Us Part 1 on PC

According to the story by Game Spot, unfortunately, it's soon become clear that the port is a huge disappointment, with Digital Foundry conducting extensive analysis and harshly critiquing its extensive technical issues.

As of the last week of summer, PC gamers finally have the chance to experience one of the most acclaimed video games of all time: The Last Of Us Part 1. Unfortunately, what was meant to be a milestone for porting games to the PC has become one of the least impressive port jobs in recent memory.

High-End PCs Struggle with 'The Last Of Us Part 1' PC Port

A thorough analysis by tech outlet Digital Foundry has laid bare the extent of The Last Of Us Part 1's PC porting problems, as explained further in an article by Eurogamer. The hour-long video shows off the game running on three different machines, with the second segment demonstrating the technical issues that PC gamers will likely face.

The port requires at least 10GB of graphics RAM to play the game, effectively locking out those with lesser hardware in terms of playable performance. Even high-end PCs with an RTX 4090 had difficulty running the game without suffering framerate hitches and dropped frames.

The Reality of the PC Port: A Less Than Stellar Experience

The port also has several bugs that players have reported, such as missing lighting, unbalanced visuals, and even a crash. In short, the current consensus is clear: Unless gamers have a supercomputer, playing The Last Of Us Part 1 on PC is not recommendable.

The video notes that fixing many port issues will likely take time. For now, fans can only wait and hope that the porting issue gets resolved soon. It's a shame that the PC port of The Last Of Us Part 1 isn't quite living up to the stellar review scores garnered by its console versions.

After all, the port was supposed to deliver the same graphical experience on PC as its Sony console counterparts, with all the extra bells and whistles of higher textures, increased resolution, and support for ultra-wide displays.

Naughty Dog's Rescue Attempt: Hotfixes for 'The Last Of Us Part 1'

But as Digital Foundry's analysis shows, it hasn't met those expectations. Hopefully, developer Naughty Dog will come to the rescue with more hotfixes soon and make The Last Of Us Part 1 befitting of its acclaimed reputation on PC.

The takeaway is that if you're a PC gamer, you might want to avoid The Last Of Us Part 1, as the port is far from the polished experience the game deserves. Patching the game might bring the port to par with its PlayStation counterpart. Still, realistically, it will be a long and drawn-out affair and present a huge missed opportunity for PC gamers worldwide.