Sony’s not just putting PlayStation in your living room, it’s mounting it to the backseat of your car. When the Sony Honda Afeela 1 EV ships in 2026, it’ll include an integrated PlayStation Portal for passengers, bringing console-quality streaming into the electric vehicle’s infotainment system. But there’s one major catch: you’ll still need a PS5 running at home.
PS5 games in your car, sort of
This partnership between Sony and Honda focuses on PS Remote Play, not native gaming. That means the pre-installed Portal unit in the Afeela 1 won’t run games on its own. Instead, it will stream them directly from your PS5 (or PS4) via internet connection. It’s the same setup used by current PlayStation Portal devices.
Sony recommends at least a 15 Mbps connection to keep the experience smooth. Thankfully, the Afeela 1 is expected to ship with 5G support, making in-car streaming more viable, especially on long trips.
Built-in Portal may be larger and louder
The in-car Portal appears to use a custom display that looks larger than the standalone unit’s 8-inch screen. The system takes advantage of the Afeela 1’s advanced speaker array, meaning no headphones required though Bluetooth audio remains an option.
Passengers can also pair a DualSense controller, which may feel more natural while seated than gripping the built-in controls of the original handheld.
But don’t expect cloud gaming, yet
While the new standalone PlayStation Portal recently gained support for cloud-streamed PS5 games through PlayStation Plus Premium, Sony Honda hasn’t confirmed whether the in-car unit will follow suit. That means no standalone streaming for now and no console-free experience like what Xbox is building with Game Pass integrations.
Other attempts to bring gaming to EVs haven’t exactly stuck the landing. Tesla’s Steam integration, for example, fizzled due to limited performance and clunky UI. Sony and Honda clearly hope a tighter, purpose-built system will avoid that fate.
What we know about the Sony Honda Afeela 1 EV so far
- Integrated PlayStation Portal for backseat gaming
- PS Remote Play required console needed at home
- Large seat-mounted display with car audio integration
- Supports DualSense controller pairing
- 5G and Wi-Fi options for streaming
- Launching in California mid-2026, priced at $102,900
- More affordable trims expected in 2027
Sony Honda Afeela 1 EV, a luxury ride with a console in tow
It’s an ambitious crossover one that blends Sony’s gaming DNA with Honda’s EV tech. But without native game support or cloud integration out of the gate, the Afeela 1’s built-in Portal feels more like a cool bonus than a game-changer. Still, for PlayStation diehards with a solid internet connection and a PS5 at home, it might just be the most entertaining way to sit in traffic.
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