Watch Sony Drive Its Afeela EV Car Concept Using A PS5 DualSense Controller At CES
As we covered previously, the Afeela EV concept is a collaboration between Honda and Sony. In its fifth CES outing, the car made its on-stage appearance with Izumi Kawanishi, Sony Honda Mobility president and COO, at the helm. Except that instead of driving the car from within, Kawanishi casually controlled the car with a DualSense controller from the other end of the stage.
Before anyone begins fantasizing of controlling their future Afeela purchase with a gaming controller or phone (a la quadcopter), the Sony executive clearly states that this exercise was "for the purpose of the tech showcase only." Nonetheless, he added that "we believe that software can define new function and value. We want to redefine the relationship between people and mobility."
In case you didn't already know, the Afeela is Honda's/Sony's take on an electric vehicle to compete with the likes of Tesla and its gaming aspirations. While the electro-mechanical aspect of the Afeela is impressive—536 hp dual-motor AWD, 0-62 mph in 4.8 seconds, 149 mph max speed—Sony's hand in the electronics is what has drawn the crowds in recent years. For one, Honda has relied on Sony's expertise to build the car's sensing and infotainment systems. For one, in-car PS5-like gaming performance has been touted for awhile now, and at CES this year, Sony's controller tech demo wasn't the only thing on the menu.
Inside the vehicle, Sony showcased some theming options from games like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Fortnite, encompassing all the displays in the car, as well as the ambient lighting. Combining artificial reality and AI, Sony wants to create new user experiences by merging real-life data (e.g. maps, weather, terrain, pedestrians) overlaid over popular game worlds.
