So the launch date of the remastered PS4 version of The Last of Us – August 1st – is almost upon us, and to drum up some excitement for the game Sony has brought out a 30-second TV advert showcasing the game’s upgraded visuals. Behold:

Alongside the clip they’ve also released a handful of screenshots, but perhaps most intriguing is a GIF demonstrating the same brief sequence taken on the PS3 and PS4 seen side-by-side for easy comparison. Click to open it in a new window.

I must admit, the differences between the two aren’t immediately noticeable; I found I had to stare at the textures quite closely to see how, exactly, they change between the two versions. That says a lot about the skill that went into making the PS3 version look as good as it did, but it’s a little worrying that the Remastered PS4 version possibly won’t look as radically improved as I had hoped. Still, I will reserve judgement for the final product, which Sony says will run at 1080p and 60 frames per second.

For the still images – taken from the YouTube video running at 1080p – I like to think I see upgraded textures, improved lighting and more detailed character models even though Sony didn’t provide screens from the PS3 version for direct comparison. See if you can see the improvements yourself (click to open them in a new window).

The Last of Us Remastered comes with the upgraded core game, all of the DLC released for the PS3 game: the Left Behind expansion that tells more of Ellie’s story and the Abandoned Territories and Reclaimed Territories multiplayer map packs. If you skipped this one for the PS3 for some reason but you now own a PS4, you should definitely grab the Remastered version when it comes out, because even if the graphics aren’t drastically improved, the game’s characters, story and setting are worth your time and money anyway.

[Images – Sony]