As technology advances, the video game industry evolves with the potential of games being played on different devices including cars. Tesla offers the ability to play video games in the car. They were able to play while driving but access was removed while drivers are on the road. Tesla is also working to integrate Steam in vehicles. Sony and Honda announced a partnership to create electric vehicles with entertainment. Speaking to the Financial Times, Sony Honda Mobility President Izumi Kawanishi talked about utilizing Sony’s entertainment offerings including the possibility of adding PlayStation 5 to the cars.
“Sony has content, services and entertainment technologies that move people. We are adapting these assets to mobility, and this is our strength against Tesla,” president Izumi Kawanishi told Financial Times. Kawanishi says that adding the console to vehicles is “technologically possible.”
Chair of the joint venture, Yasuhide Mizuno, who headed up Honda Cars previously, said that they are building its production processes around putting content first. “We will develop a car as hardware that will cater to the entertainment and network we would like to offer”.
In order to reach Sony-Honda’s vision, Kawanishi believes autonomous driving is the key. “To enjoy the space in your car, you have to make it a space where you don’t need to drive. The solution for this is autonomous driving.” However, he adds that it will take time to evolve.
Tesla and Sony-Honda aren’t the only car companies trying to integrate video games into their vehicles. BMW has partnered with Air Console to offer casual games in its vehicles in 2023. The games will be run directly on the vehicle entertainment system on the curved display and will be controlled using a smartphone.
Mizuno says that they are aiming to release its first car model in North America by 2025.