Gaming while driving-
“Are you an idiot?? What the hell are you saying! Do you want us to get killed!! Do you want us to go to jail!! “
If you are thinking the same while reading the headline, then you are not alone. Any sane and rational person will think the same but to grow and innovate, sometimes we need to think some crazy stuff. In this case, Tesla already tried something new which is quite safe for now. Yes, I am talking about Tesla’s autonomous driving cars which have huge 17 inch 1920x1200 LCD inside it. The tablet controls every function of the car while providing a chance to play games inside the car.
Isn’t it awesome that the in-build car entertainment system is advancing so rapidly that now you can play games when the car is either stopped due to traffic or when it's driving autonomously. The in-build entertainment system of future cars will make sure that driver will not be bored when the car is going on automatically without his inputs. This will ensure that driver is kept well entertained while completing the journey. For now, Tesla offers nearly 9 games in its tablet for its customers. The games can’t be played while the driver is driving the car manually as it will be extremely dangerous for the driver and other car drivers as well.
How Tesla in-build gaming system works-
We all are aware of Tesla’s giant 17-inch tablet. The tablet act as a controller of car. It shows your car information, navigational maps, temperature etc. It also enables the user to play games on it. The tablet is loaded with nearly 9 games and their names are
1. Tempest
2. Asteroids
3. Fallout shelter
4. Beach buggy racing 2
5. Lunar Lander
6. Missile command
7. Centipede
8. Cup head
9. Super breakout
Beach buggy racing is a car race game and it is being controlled by the literal steering wheel of the car. Don’t you think how awesome is this? Your car is driving autonomously and here you are, just playing car racing game by using your steering wheel like a freaking simulator. Isn’t it ironic that in future, you are driving a virtual car inside your real car by using your car steering while your car is being controlled by virtual AI driver! I don’t know what people will call the future, but this is the starting of that future where such cool things will happen.
Is it Legal?
It’s very obvious though which should have come to our mind while reading this article as talking and messaging while driving a car is a traffic offence and it will attract very high penalty in nearly every country because while driving the car, calling and messaging is distracts your mind from driving and this can result in serious accidents.
So is gaming during driving is allowed?
The answer is no but Tesla can drive autonomously unlike other cars in the market. The user needs to keep its hands on steering while the car is driving itself as the car hasn’t become complete autonomous as it still needs to clear some regulations to become one. For now, you can play games while you are stuck at traffic jams or struck at a red light.
In future, we will see a major update to this. When the car will become truly autonomous then the driver can play games while driving the car and not only that, Tesla will also introduce multiplayer gaming concepts to its car where user can play with other games car around and it will make it more fun and pleasurable for the user.
Until then, you can easily play games while your car is not in driver mode.
Can gaming be the future of in-car entertainment system-
Gaming is the biggest and most profitable form of entertainment in the world. The best example is GTA 5 and GTA Online. This game alone generate billions of dollars each year on its own. So we can think about the monstrosity of the gaming sector.
We shouldn’t be surprised if other companies unveil their gaming hardware inside their car. For now, Tesla mainly provides 2d games to its users. There are old Atari games too inside the Tesla entertainment system.
It should be noted that soon more 3d games will enter the Tesla ecosystem for sure. With the advancement in Tesla hardware tech, the tablets will become more powerful too which will make sure that they can run heavy games on it.
But there is one more way which can enable the model of the current tablet to run the render heavy game easily and that technology is called cloud gaming. In cloud gaming, the processing work is done by server computers and the data then transmitted to the tablet via the internet. With the arrival of 5G connectivity, cloud computing will become possible for the Tesla users.
Scope for game developers-
The in-car entertainment system has very huge potential, thanks to the fact that nearly every car company is shifting to the EV segment rapidly. Within a few years, EV will rule the automobile market for sure. Not only EV but cars are becoming smart too. Companies are investing in smart entertainment system and sooner or later they will turn towards game hardware for cars too. Not only that, we have got different car companies which are working on fully smart vehicles too which don’t need a driver at all. Those cars will act as a taxi service and as fully autonomous too. You just need to book your car via an app and the car will pick you up. Now we have an immense potential there also. Developers can create games which are especially suited for those cars. Here, the game can be multiplayer too which will enable the user to play with another user in another car.
Opportunities are immense in this segment. For now, the in-car entertainment system is a niche sector where one can sell their service and create a great company. Sooner or later, new players will emerge in this field which will change the ways of how we travel through the roads.