At CES 2020, Sony announced a new sub-division titled Sony Mobility Inc., whose primary focus was to produce electric vehicles. The initial prototype shown was the Sony Vision-S, a four-door sedan with a top speed of around 150 MPH. Details were scarce until earlier this year when Sony revealed a second prototype –an SUV called the Vision-S 02. It retroactively renamed the first model to the Vision-S 01. Recently, Sony and Honda disclosed a partnership to produce electric vehicles, some of which may be autonomous, and release them to the public in 2026. The joint venture was dubbed “Sony Honda Mobility.” It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement since Honda is already well-established within the automobile market, and Sony is no stranger to the entertainment world. Vehicle entertainment is a somewhat recent trend, especially with electric vehicles. Sony and Honda’s number-one competitor, Tesla, has pushed the envelope regarding passing the time in the car. Tesla owners can play classic games, watch Netflix or Hulu, or even do have a “Car-aoke” session. Therefore, Sony and Honda will have to think boldly to compete with the ever-growing functions of Tesla’s entertainment apps.
It’s hard to think of anything bolder than installing a PlayStation 5 into a mass-produced car. Playing AAA games such as God of War Ragnarök or Horizon Forbidden West on your car’s dash is fantastic in theory. Of course, Sony and Honda don’t want you to play while driving, so we should only expect to see the feature on fully autonomous vehicles, which could take a while. The PS5 is not the only plan that both companies have when it comes to entertainment. In a recent interview with Finanacial Times, Sony Honda Mobility’s CEO Yasuhide Mizuno noted that the upcoming vehicles will “cater to the entertainment and network we would like to offer.” Unfortunately, Mizuno leaves the information somewhat vague, so it’s uncertain what the companies may be planning alongside an integrated PS5. Sony and Honda hope these eventual changes result in buyers wanting to spend more time in their cars than they already do. Whether including an entire game console inside the vehicle gives the intended results will be unknown for a while. The novelty sounds exciting in concept, but how practical will it truly be?
