Tesla Gaming

In July, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed in a Twitter reply that the company intends to add Steam integration to its vehicle in the near future.

Similarly, back in February, Musk said, “We’re working through the general case of making Steam games work on a Tesla.”

We’re making progress with Steam integration. Demo probably next month.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 15, 2022

Musk said that a demo of the integration should come in August, but it never did. However, according to Musk’s comments yesterday, September 13th, the integration hasn’t been scrapped and is in testing. “I’m testing it today in Palo Alto,” replied Musk to a Twitter comment asking for updates regarding the Steam integration.

Musk, however, did not share a new tentative date for the demo. Tesla’s AI day on September 30th might be a good day to show off the integration.

I’m testing it today in Palo Alto

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 13, 2022

Steam integration would drastically improve Tesla’s entertainment system appeal among potential and current buyers, and considering Steam’s vast library of titles, it would make Tesla developers’ task easier, as they wouldn’t have to port titles individually to be playable in the vehicle.

Currently, Tesla’s infotainment system hosts roughly 20 games in the Tesla Arcade app. These apps range from mobile titles like the Beach Buggy Racing 2 and Fallout Shelter to arcade games like Asteroids.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: @elonmusk

Earlier this month, a New York Times report indicated concern about how Tesla car owners can play games while the car is in motion. While Teslas offer more than 20 games available to play when parked, it provides only three when the car is in motion. Namely, Solitare, a jet fighting title called Sky Force Reloaded and a strategy game, Battle of Polytopia: Moonrise.

It is pretty evident that these games are for the passenger’s leisure and not for the vehicle’s driver. However, who is to stop dumb drivers?

Now, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an agency of the U.S. federal government, is investigating Tesla over the “Passenger Play” feature.

According to the NHTSA, vehicles in question include 580,000 (estimated) 2017-2022 Model 3, S, X, Y vehicles equipped with “Passenger Play.” It’s worth noting that when a Tesla passenger starts a game, it displays the following warning: “Solitaire is a game for everyone, but playing while the car is in motion is only for passengers.” The game also plays on the right side of the screen instead of being full screen, so it’s closer to the passenger. The NHTSA’s investigation doesn’t necessarily focus on the risk of drivers playing the games but more on the fact that “Passenger Play may distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash.”

NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation says that it will “evaluate aspects of the feature, including the frequency and use scenarios of Tesla Passenger Play” to judge whether the feature has the potential to distract drivers while on the road or not.

Also worth noting is that in some parts of Canada, distracted driving fatalities have surpassed those caused by impaired driving, and adding such playable games while the car is in motion is sure to add to that statistic.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration