Sony Unveils DualSense-Controlled Concept Car at CES 2024

CES 2024 was filled with all sorts of tech, but Sony’s unveiling of its concept car, Afeela, probably has to be the showstopper. You’d think it’ll just be another Tesla wannabe, but no—you can control the automobile with the DualSense controller.

The PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller is often hailed as one of the best controllers to date. And as demonstrated at Sony’s CES event, you can now use it to control an actual car. They’ve partnered with Honda to create their first electric vehicle, which was “driven” onstage using the controller by Izumi Kawanishi, the president of the joint venture Sony Honda Mobility.

Neat, But Not Practical for Many Reasons

Kawanishi introduced the latest iteration of the tech the team has been working on by busting out the PS5 controller. He said he’d like to show the viewers an aspect of the software behind Afeela. Then, with some soothing piano music, he piloted the multi-ton vehicle onto the stage using the DualSense—Gran Turismo-style—in the room. As it was driven out, the car’s headlights lit up amidst the darkened stage. Cameras were also mounted inside to prove the vehicle had no driver at the steering wheel.

Kawanished reassured the crowd that this was just a tech demo; the DualSense-controlled Sony car isn’t coming to a showroom near you yet. The point of the Afeela was to show Honda and Sony’s belief that software can define new values and functions. He then highlighted the electric vehicle’s camera-equipped AI vision system, which aids automatic driving.

The idea of being able to drive a car using a controller is a novelty for sure. If someone allowed me to remotely control an empty car on a huge track to race my friends, you don’t have to ask me twice. But let’s be honest—nobody’s going to drive around in their car using the DualSense to steer.

A Flashy Entrance Indeed

At an event highlighting tech like CES, knocking people’s socks off can be tricky since everyone’s trying to impress the consumers and content creators. Still, I have to say Sony’s party trick with the Afeela and DualSense controller was particularly memorable. It seemed like a reversal of the PlayStation’s usual promise. Instead of using the hardware, like the PSVR2, to provide an immersive virtual world, at that moment, it was employed to affect the real world.

The DualSense controller is a gaming device that’s designed mainly to be used by children, but it does have some bells and whistles that make it viable for automotive applications. For example, its haptic feedback in the palm grips could make it so you’d feel the nuances and bumps in the road and sense weather conditions. Sadly, the ability to control a car with it is simply a one-time tech demo, but perhaps this is a sign that Sony plans to make new versions of the DualSense that can have non-gaming-related features.

Sony has penned the Afeela’s launch in the US for 2023. The company has yet to divulge any details regarding price or range.