Remember back in the 90s when car stereo companies made motorized LCD-display single-DIN car stereos where the screen retracted into the unit, or popped out and stuck out of the dash, like Brian Spilner’s green Eclipse?
Well, now the car stereo companies have dispensed with any of that attempt to elegantly integrate flipping screens into single-DIN stereos, and have instead created single-DIN stereos with big screens that just stick straight the fuck out the front of the things.
Alpine was first to market with their Halo9 (a.k.a. ILX-F309) headunit, which in all the press photos is always shown from flattering angles, but this is the side of it. That exposed metal part is what goes into your dashboard’s DIN slot.
But Sony, not content to leave the aftermarket tacked-on tablet single-DIN headunit market to Alpine, has now jumped into the fray with the nickname-less XAV-AX8000.
Now I’m going to sit back, relax, and wait for your collective heads to explode.