It was last year when Tesla started integrating a deluge of video games in its electric vehicles. Now, the car manufacturer is looking to expand with new video games and engines.
CEO Elon Musk announced that Tesla will soon introduce a new set of video games, including game engines like Unity and Unreal. Sometime last year, the automaker introduced the so-called “Teslatari,” which is basically an emulator of Atari games from the 70s and 80s. Interestingly, the emulator is currently running on all of the company’s vehicle computers.
Musk said on Monday that they are in the process of porting the Unity and Unreal video game engines for use in their electric vehicles. Although the executive did not necessarily reveal which video game titles could be made available for play, the battle royale sensation with more than 200 million players, Fortnite, is known for running on the Unreal Engine. The Unity Engine, on the other hand, is famous for hosting Pokémon Go, Overcooked 2 and other popular video game titles.
Musk revealed on Twitter that Tesla car owners will be able to interact with games via touchscreen, console controllers (Xbox and PlayStation), and steering wheel buttons. He also conveyed his interest towards the idea of adding “a racing game,” one that could use the actual steering wheel and pedals.
The Tesla CEO further revealed that as soon as they are done porting the Unity Engine, more games will be coming.
The car manufacturer has been vocal about its intention to add several different video game titles to vehicles. The list includes, but is not limited to, Minecraft, Portal, Roblox, and Quake. As for racing games, one of these could be Mario Kart. The only catch, however, is that Nintendo is not totally sold on the idea.
Moreover, Musk announced before that the company is working on a “car karaoke” mode with the version 10 software update. As of press time, the update has yet to have a clear release date, especially since the electric car manufacturer has just rolled out version 9.
It is safe to say that these games are meant to be played while the car is parked. Tesla is definitely looking for ways to keep its drivers and passengers entertained, even while off the road.
