Teslas are known for being eco-friendly, luxurious vehicles. And while there were 1.4 million pickup trucks sold in the first half of 2018 alone, more than 200,000 teslas have been sold, showing that they are a vehicle for those looking for something grand. But Tesla vehicles could soon be getting a new, surprising feature — Elon Musk says that the automaker is in the process of implementing Unreal and Unity video game engines in its electric cars.
Already, the dashboard in Tesla vehicles has the ability to play several video games, including Centipede, Missile Command, and Asteroids. Last August, Musk tweeted about the incorporation of Atari Easter eggs in the Tesla V9.0 release. The original in-vehicle gaming software was first introduced in 2018 and Super Breakout and 2048 were recently added to the game list this April.
Musk dropped the surprise on Twitter, telling followers that Tesla would be porting both Unity and Unreal Engine. Epic games, the owner of Fortnite and Rocket League, would benefit greatly from this partnership and the Unreal Engine would also feature E-Sports games. Unity is a multi-platform game engine that was initially created for mobile games, but has since expanded to PC and consoles. Fans of these games could enjoy playing both at home and in their vehicles.
As one of the bigger complaints about having an electric vehicle is having to wait for the vehicle to charge, having the option to play videos games while waiting for the vehicle to charge could be a big appeal to consumers. Furthermore, with Tesla wanting to see their electric vehicles fully autonomous in the near future, drivers could enjoy playing their favorite video games while commuting to work or going on a road trip. Both of these situations make it seem like video game implementation is a smart move for Tesla.
The video games could be played on the in-car touchscreen and controlled with a game controller. And for the games that involve driving, players could potentially even utilize the actual steering wheel and pedals in the car to play the game.
With the Pew Research Center showing that nine out of 10 adults in the U.S. use the Internet, it’s no surprise that automakers are incorporating more technology in their vehicles. From WiFi to hot spots, most modern vehicles come with basic Internet use settings. But Tesla is always one step ahead and is making a big appeal to both Tesla fans and video game lovers.
