Sony announces PlayStation 5, electric concept car Vision-S

If the last decade’s mega-trend was mobile, the next decade’s will be mobility. Taking stock of the huge potential for technology in this space, Sony, traditionally known for its home electronics, announced a big leap at the Consumer Electronics Show 2020: The company has been working on a concept car—called Vision S—that combines safety, comfort and entertainment.

“The future of mobility will not be dominated just by safety and autonomous driving, but also by entertainment,” Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said at the event, held in Las Vegas.

The Vision-S prototype incorporates Sony's imaging and sensing technologies, as well as on-board software regulated using Sony's artificial intelligence (AI), telecommunication and cloud technologies, in order to continuously evolve. A total of 33 sensors are embedded within the vehicle, to detect and recognise people and objects both inside and outside the car.

The concept car takes its entertainment system seriously. It hosts Sony’s 360 Reality Audio technology for immersive sound; a panaromic screen for kitted-out in-car entertainment; and a ‘safety cocoon’ concept that aids safety while you watch.

“With the spread of 5G and advancement of self-driving technology, people will eventually be relieved from car operations. The car cabin will evolve into a comfortable environment, like the space inside a living room,” says a press release on Sony’s website. “When that time comes, what should the experience of being transported in a car offer?”

If the car detects that a passenger is asleep in the back, it will automatically adjust the temperature, and will keep learning the user’s preferences. It will use cloud artificial intelligence to repeatedly update and adapt.

Sony also announced that the PlayStation 5 will hit stores at the end of the year, in time for the holidays. Price and other details have not yet been declared.