CES 2023 ~ Metaverse, Mobility, and to Space
■ Embarking on the year 2023
As we enter the new year, I am bringing you my first blog of 2023 from the venue of CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, US.
CES 2023 commenced on January 5 local time, and once again this year is being held as a hybrid in-person and online event. The number of companies attending has increased, and there is an even greater vibrancy around the event than there was last year. Actually being here at the CES venue, I feel a renewed sense of the significance of being able to physically showcase our latest initiatives as a "creative entertainment company," in addition to sharing them online.(Sony Corporate Blog)
As our landscape continues to evolve in recent years, I am truly grateful to everyone for maximizing the respective benefits of the physical and online environments to drive our business forward. In the year ahead I look forward to continuing to work together with you all to create new value.
■CES 2023
In my presentation at Sony's press conference, held the day before the official opening of CES, I focused primarily on three areas: Sony's commitment to creativity, our initiatives related to the metaverse, and mobility.
| Sony's press conference held on January 4th.（Highlight : 5 mins approx.) |
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Commitment to Creativity
Sony's Purpose is to "fill the world with emotion through the power of creativity and technology." We want to be a company that is committed to creativity, and closely aligned with the creators who create Kando. At this year's CES, we demonstrated this through technologies that support creation such as Virtual Production, our "VENICE 2" digital cinema camera, and professional drone "Airpeak," as well as examples of our IP such as "The Woman King" and "Gran Turismo."
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Nicole Brown, President of TriStar Pictures |
Gran Turismo" series producer Kazunori Yamauchi |
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(From right) Neill Blomkamp, Director of the movie "Gran Turismo" |
At Sony, we will continue striving to create Kando through creativity, while at the same time, taking on the challenge of expanding the spaces for Kando. These "Kando spaces" are the metaverse, mobility, and space.
The Metaverse - Importance of Live Experiences
I believe that the essence of entertainment is the "live" experience, where time and space are shared. The metaverse is a new space, made possible through advancements in computing and network technology, which is capable of spreading the Kando of live events around the world. Furthermore, it is an area where we can draw on the strength of our game technology. The metaverse, which is created by real-time game technology, is somewhere where people's various desires, not only to "play" but also to "watch," "interact," or "express," can all coexist. It is a growth area where we will focus on live entertainment experiences such as sports, games and music as we seek to get closer to people's interests and motivations, and deepen our engagement with these communities.
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In the metaverse, technology that connects people in the virtual space and the real world is also vital. |
Mobility
Mobility is an area of exploration for Sony, which has the potential to become a new live space in the same way as the metaverse. Yasuhide Mizuno, Chairman and CEO of Sony Honda Mobility (SHM), also took to the stage at our press conference to announce the brand name "AFEELA" and unveil SHM's first electric vehicle (EV) prototype. The company plans to evolve this prototype and start receiving pre-orders in the first half of 2025, with deliveries in the US scheduled to begin in the spring of 2026.
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Welcoming Yasuhide Mizuno, Chairman and CEO, SHM on stage |
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| Prototype "AFEELA" currently under development at SHM |
At the press conference, we also announced important partners in our efforts to advance the intelligence of mobility and create a new entertainment space, with Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon and Kim Libreri, CTO of Epic Games, joining us for the announcement.
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Kim Libieri, CTO, Epic Games |
Together with Cristiano Amon, CEO of Qualcomm |
Earlier, I said that the metaverse is a new space, made possible through advancements in computing and networks. In terms of mobility, this is a space that "changes" as it evolves. Qualcomm is a company that excels in the areas of computing and networks. Epic Games' game engine, Unreal Engine, is used for virtual production and real-time rendering in the metaverse, and has become a key technology in the creation process. I am very excited to be partnering with both companies, with their technologies capable of ushering further change in the mobility space.
It was also the first time for me to see the prototype, and I was struck by its very simple design. I think it is only natural that "AFEELA," which is envisioned to be a "Software Defined Vehicle," is based around a very simple design. With smartphones, many of the functions are defined by software, and the design of the hardware itself is simple. Similarly, I expect the form factor for EVs, that are constantly able evolving through software updates, to become increasingly simple.
I look forward to the new possibilities for mobility that will be created by combining the strengths of Honda, which has mastered vehicle development and manufacturing technology, and Sony, with our expertise in computing, including telecommunications and games.
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Extending the Kando spaces into Space
At Sony, we are also working to create new Kando spaces beyond the metaverse and mobility, and these efforts now extend into space. On January 3, Sony, the University of Tokyo, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) successfully launched a nano-satellite "EYE", as part of the STAR SPHERE project. At the CES booth, we are exhibiting a full-scale mock-up of this satellite.
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Introducing successful launch of the "EYE", |
Full-scale mock-up of the nano-satellite "EYE" |
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Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed to the preparations for our press conference and the Sony booth, while taking all possible measures to safeguard health and safety.
As always, I look forward to receiving your feedback.