Sony, honda’s playstation-streaming cars cancelled: a gaming gamble that failed
Sony and Honda have scrapped their ambitious project to create vehicles capable of streaming PlayStation 5 games to backseat passengers, marking a swift end to a highly unusual collaboration. The venture, announced in December, aimed to integrate PlayStation 5 gaming into Honda’s Afeela electric vehicles, a concept that now appears to have stalled before even reaching the road.
The afeela gaming concept fails to launch
The partnership between Sony and Honda, formalized through their joint venture Sony Honda Mobility (SHM), promised a unique in-car entertainment experience. The Afeela vehicles, slated for a late 2026 launch at a price of $102,900, would have utilized Remote Play technology, allowing users to stream PS5 games from a console at home to screens in the vehicle. However, the project has been terminated due to a shift in Honda’s electrification strategy.
SHM cited Honda's reassessment of its automobile electrification strategy as the primary reason for the cancellation. This change prevents SHM from utilizing certain technologies originally planned for the vehicles. The announcement follows a series of studio closures at PlayStation, including the shuttering of Dark Outlaw Games and Bluepoint Games, indicating a potential realignment of Sony’s gaming development priorities.
The initial announcement of the PlayStation-enabled Afeela sparked immediate questions about market demand. It remained unclear how many reservations were actually secured, given the somewhat niche appeal of streaming games in a moving vehicle. The technology also relied on a stable 15Mbps internet connection for a smooth experience, a condition not guaranteed on all roads.
A prototype integration with Gran Turismo 7 offered a glimpse of the concept, but it was limited to in-game play, not the backseat streaming experience that generated excitement. The cancellation leaves the future of the Afeela vehicles uncertain, with the company still listing models for launch in 2027.
The demise of this project underscores the risks involved in blending established entertainment ecosystems with Automotive innovation. Sony’s gamble on integrating gaming into the driving experience ultimately proved unsuccessful, leaving a lingering question about the future of in-car entertainment.