As we’ve covered, Sony had a lot of automotive tech to show off at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this year, but one gimmick it opened its automotive presentation with has been catching a lot of attention. Izumi Kawanishi, the president of Sony Honda Mobility, actually drove the Afeela concept car onstage using a PlayStation 5 controller.
To call it a gimmick isn’t as dismissive as it may sound. In a video, even the executive seemed to admit that using the controller was more of a demonstration of Sony’s tech and the synergies that have emerged from this joint venture, than a feature it was promising to consumers. And that’s okay, I’m not sure I’d want to carry a DualSense controller with me everywhere I go on the off chance that I can impress a friend.
However, in a sense, you will be able to control the Afeela with a PS5 controller quite soon. That’s because the company is partnering with Polyphony Digital studio, and the prototype will be added to Gran Turismo 7 later this year.
Read: Afeela Sedan Inches Closer To Production As Updated Prototype Debuts At CES
The exchange between the digital realm and the real world will go both ways, though. For instance, Sony Honda Mobility is using the Unreal video game engine to power the massive infotainment screen inside the Afeela.
The technology is also being used to make ultra realistic environments, on which it can train the car’s advanced driver assistance technologies. It says that the engine is improving the systems’ accuracy as it trains the visual model and neural network processing that power the functions.
Sitting on a 91 kWh battery pack, the Afeela will be powered by a pair of motors that combine to give drivers access to 483 hp (360 kW / 489 PS). It will be capable of 150 kW fast charging speeds, which should get it back on the road in a hurry if it has to be charged in public.
Set to go into production next year, Sony Honda Mobility still has plenty of time to introduce more tech into the Afeela before it goes on sale.
