Otherwise, it all feels like a feature for a feature’s sake, good for a flex while showing off a new car, but not much else. I expect that the best use case for this category of game will prove to be in the least flashy games-chess and backgammon-where a driver and passenger might use the screen as board to play against each other. Admittedly, a phone’s screen is much smaller than the Tesla’s display, but the phone has the advantage that it has a vastly larger selection of titles and can be played in the hands, rather than requiring the driver to extend their arms to play. ![]() These are intended to allow a driver to kill some time while parked, at an EV charging station perhaps (a longer and more passive experience than popping into a gas station to fill a tank).īut anyone who is driving a Tesla is going to have a much better piece of hardware to play games already on hand, in the form of their smartphone. The first category falls into the domain of “harmless if somewhat pointless.” Looking at the games already on offer in Tesla cars, many of them are ports of classic Atari arcade titles such as Missile Command and Centipede, although some more recent games such as Cuphead, Fallout Shelter and Beach Buggy Racing 2have also been adapted. These car-based games fall into three broad categories: Those that use a car’s center touchscreen for casual gaming recreation while the car is parked those that co-opt the cars’ controls in some way, so that, for example, a virtual racing car can be controlled by a real steering wheel, also while parked and finally, the as-yet-not-implemented idea that augmented reality and other games could be integrated into the active driving experience. So why not lean into the computery nature of the modern car and use it for more than just driving around? Don’t take yourself so seriously: Use this machine, when safely parked, for having some fun. That appears to be the logic behind the notion of using the car dashboard screen-and often the steering wheel-as a platform and interface for video games. Externally, wireless smartphone connections allow a driver to monitor their car’s performance and send remote instructions to warm up the vehicle or unlock the doors. Internally, a host of embedded processors handle tasks that range in complexity from rolling windows up and down to something close to autopilot. ![]() But while a wider selection of games is a nice perk, it's not exactly at the top of the wishlist for most Tesla drivers, who are waiting for improved Autopilot and additional driving features.Modern cars have become just another computer peripheral. It's no surprise that Musk, a passionate gamer whose company includes several employees with gaming backgrounds, wants to bring more video games to Tesla vehicles. Sitting on the brake if you're stationary isn't a problem sitting on the gas might be," said Musk at E3.Īlso coming to Tesla's infotainment system this summer is Bethesda's Fallout Shelter. The scroll wheel is wired to the gas pedal. "The way we have it, the brake is wired in. And of course, the vehicle used in the game is none other than a Tesla.ĭespite using the steering wheel, Beach Buggy Racing 2 (like the other Tesla Arcade games) only works when the car is in park. The game is described by the automaker as a kart racing game where players can "careen, blast and launch" their way through 22 tracks and recruit new drivers. ![]() And unlike the current selection of games in the Tesla Arcade, Beach Buggy Racing 2 has a twist: it has direct wiring to the car's brakes and steering wheel.Ī video game that ties in the car's steering wheel is a part of a wave of new infotainment options (including Netflix, YouTube and other videostreaming services) that CEO Elon Musk told an E3 panel last week to expect in the future. A new, Tesla-compatible version of the mobile game by Vector Unit will be available on every vehicle with an over-the-air software update. The company announced that it has started rolling out Beach Buggy Racing 2 to vehicles today. A new wave of behind the wheel gameplay is coming to Tesla.
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