Elon Musk and Tesla (TSLA) – Get the Tesla Inc. report. seem ready for a new challenge.
The serial entrepreneur is one step closer to his ambition to turn Tesla cars into four-wheeled lounges where passengers can be entertained by streaming movies and TV shows, even playing their favorite video games or just doing anything other than driving once they have activated the autonomous driving system.
We are still a long way from seeing Tesla vehicles drive themselves, even though the manufacturer of premium and luxury electric vehicles has already made great progress with Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta, the very advanced version of its driving system. Autopilot driving assistance. The system is also the subject of numerous investigations by regulators and in particular the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
But that’s not stopping Tesla from moving forward. Musk’s group continues to build its edifice. Little by little the company is adding parts to ensure that when the last part, autonomy, will be available, it will just be enough to put it on for everything to light up.
Teslas will soon become video game platforms
A part as important as driving autonomy now seems ready. This piece touches on the very lucrative video game industry. Musk has just indicated that the integration of Steam into the infotainment system fitted to Tesla cars is finalized. The firm will demonstrate this in August.
Steam will allow Tesla to include more than 50,000 additional video games in its system, greatly expanding the choices available to Tesla vehicle owners.
“Did you know your @tesla is a game console?” asked a Twitter user on the platform on July 15. “My kids love the amazing games on our Tesla. Tesla makes a phone on wheels that gets better over time. @elonmusk”.
Musk used the post to make an announcement that the video industry, competitors and Tesla customers have been waiting for since he indicated in February that his teams were working hard to integrate Steam.
“We are progressing with Steam integration. Demo probably next month,” the billionaire said, without providing further details.
“Good. It would be fun to play classic beat ’em ups like Streets of Rage and Teenage mutant ninja turtles,” enthused one Twitter user.
“That would be awesome 👏,” another reacted.
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“How long until I can play Fall Guys?” says another, referring to a popular video game.
A new feature?
This enthusiasm from Tesla fans reflects the potential of Steam, which could become an additional source of income for the electric vehicle manufacturer. Making the Steam library accessible from Tesla Arcade, the video game space of the Tesla infotainment system, will allow Tesla to offer a new service that the group could charge to its customers.
Steam is both an online content sales platform, a personalized toy library accessible via the internet and a community platform.
Thus, it is possible to buy a very large number of products, in particular video games, on this platform. This will not be a purchase of the physical product (box and CD), but of the computer version, so you can download the game directly to your computer once the transaction has been completed.
Steam is very well known because it is the platform that offers one of the largest selections of video games in the world. Coming from all backgrounds and all publishers, whether small independent games, or large games from international development teams.
Whether you are looking for the immersion of role-playing games, the realism of simulation games, strategy games or the unexpected of adventure games, all video game entertainment is offered on the platform for all audiences.
Since the introduction of video games in Arcade in 2019, the system currently offers around twenty games. As a result, Steam is a game-changer for Tesla.
We are, however, curious to see the demo next month to see how Tesla has managed to technically integrate the most advanced games present on Steam even though Tesla vehicles already have high-end graphics cards in the multimedia control units and in the electronic control units. .
Arcade is also at the center of an NHTSA investigation after reports emerged that drivers can play video games on the car’s touchscreen while in motion. The investigation followed a New York Times investigation into Tesla’s video game features highlighting the so-called “passenger game” option.
The report says an update to Tesla’s firmware added at least three games that drivers could access while the car was running – and that in a warning that appears before the game starts, Tesla points out that it is aware of this and that “playing while the car is in motion is for passengers only.” The take reports that a button asks if the player is a passenger, but a driver can also play by simply touching it.
Tesla had decided to disable the Passenger Play feature.