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PlayStation's 'play while you download' feature available with The Last of Us

The much-touted PS4 feature will actually be available on the PS3 with downloads of the Last of Us.

Nic Healey Senior Editor / Australia
Nic Healey is a Senior Editor with CNET, based in the Australia office. His passions include bourbon, video games and boring strangers with photos of his cat.
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Nic Healey

When Sony launched the PlayStation 4, much was made of its digital distribution system, with Sony seemingly quite keen to foreshadow a world where physical game purchases would be a rarity.

(Credit: Naughty Sog)

To sweeten the occasionally bitter pot of digital downloads, it was announced that the PS4 will have a rather special feature: you'll be able to start playing games while they are downloading.

(This feature is linked to, but presumably separate from, the PS4 pre-downloading games for you based on your gaming history.)

This play-while-downloading feature is anticipated for the PS4, but Game Informer is reporting that it will also make an appearance on the PS3 with the digital version of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us.

According to the developer, the highly anticipated post-apocalyptic adventure/survival horror title will be playable when 50 per cent of the download is complete — although PS4 games are expected to be playable when just a few per cent of the download has occurred.

The Last of Us will be released on 14 June both in stores and via the PlayStation Store. In Australia, the game has been rated R18+ for its high-impact violence.