At its recent CES 2024 press conference, Sony took the chance to show off the company's future tech possibilities by driving a car onto the stage. Admittedly, that in itself isn't all that remarkable, but what makes this little stunt more interesting is that the car was being controlled by a PlayStation DualSense controller.
During a segment hosted by Honda's president Toshihiro Mibe talking about the car manufacturer's work with Sony, the exec spoke about «the joy of expanding life's potential».
Its vision expands beyond just your regular cars and motorcycles, with talk of the sky, ocean and outer space being shared. Sony's technologies will help Honda expand its «field of mobility», the company president explained. Then, the president and COO of Sony Honda Mobility Inc Izumi Kawanishi then joined his colleague on the stage, and this is where we head into video game territory.
After the customary photos, the COO deftly produced a DualSense controller from his back pocket (itself quite impressive, as those things aren't small). «This is the PlayStation controller,» he said. «Using this controller, I'd like to show you an aspect of the Software-Designed Vehicle.» Headlights soon illuminated the stage, as the exec used the DualSense to pilot the vehicle to the centre.
However, while this was a nice little demonstration of what Sony and Honda are capable of, that really is all it is. A demo. Soon after parking up his car and handing the controller over to a nice person waiting to receive it, the COO said the stunt was a showcase for CES only. «However, we believe that software can define new function and value,» he said.
You can see the segment in full via the video below. It kicks off around the 25 minute mark.
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