Sony's EV Partnership With Honda Turns Road Trips Into PS5 Gaming Sessions

Sony Honda Mobility is a joint venture between industry titans Sony and Honda, and its AFEELA line of cars will be offering in-vehicle PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 Remote Play functionality. Per Izumi Kawanishi, President and COO of Sony Honda Mobility, "The introduction of PS Remote Play embodies AFEELA's vision for mobility: transforming the traveling space into a captivating and emotional one. Through this integration, we are elevating the customer's entire travel experience to an unprecedented level of entertainment."

The announcement post notes that a "stable connection of 15Mbps" is recommended for a smooth Remote Play experience, and users of the PlayStation Portal will know that Remote Play will simply be refused in scenarios where the Internet connection doesn't suffice. To make use of this feature, AFEELA owners will likely need a strong 5G LTE Wi-Fi connection with a generous or unlimited data plan. Hopefully, the AFEELA experience also receives the same upgrades as the PlayStation Portal allowing full cloud gaming support, but currently it seems streaming is limited to direct-console Remote Play. Maybe it could even support PlayStation 6, when that happens?


Sony Honda Mobility's AFEELA is an electric vehicle starting at $89,000 which flaunts AI-powered features, with 40 sensors and a platform capable of 800 TOPS. It doesn't support full self driving yet, but does have "advanced driving support", and comes with a suite of media features, including several built-in screens (including two entertainment centers in the back), 360 degree spatial sound, and a voiced AFEELA AI copilot. One of the standout features creates a 3D render of all your surroundings in Unreal Engine, based on what the array of sensors and cameras detect. 

Despite Sony Honda Mobility being a Japanese venture, all the vehicles are assembled in the United States. There's also a focus on sustainable materials, with "Ultrasuede" using plant-based sources like sugarcane molasses to provide "interior surfaces with a soft and luxurious feel", durable areas made with artificial leather, and mesh textile plus pile carpet with deodorizing functions. The mesh textile and pile carpet are both made from recycled materials.

AFEELA looks to be a compelling electric vehicle made with a combination of Honda's auto expertise and Sony's media pedigree. AFEELA's PlayStation Remote Play is an interesting feature to add on top of everything else the vehicle offers, though we can't help but hope that it ends up being more fully-featured than the PlayStation Portal was at launch. Proper cloud gaming support would be great, especially if options extend beyond the PlayStation ecosystem.