According to a WION report, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk revealed on social media that Tesla owners will soon be able to enjoy video games while in the vehicle’s autopilot mode. This innovative feature is expected to roll out within the next 3 to 6 months. However, its implementation requires approval from regulatory bodies in various regions and will only be available when the full self-driving system is activated and meets all safety standards.
Elon Musk clearly stated in response to a user question: It may take 3 to 6 months, depending on the progress of regulatory approvals in the respective city and state. He emphasized that Tesla will carefully advance this feature, ensuring that the integration of games complies with all safety guidelines within the autonomous driving legal framework.
This new feature will first be rolled out in regions where Tesla’s fully authorized autonomous driving technology is available. While users still need to supervise the vehicle when using the fully autonomous driving feature, Elon Musk’s latest comments indicate that Tesla is actively working towards achieving full self-driving capabilities, with the final decision-making authority being handed over to the relevant regulatory agencies.
Musk reiterated that the in-car gaming feature will only be activated when the fully autonomous driving system is engaged and meets all safety standards. This system uses built-in cameras to monitor the driver’s attention and supports various popular games through Tesla’s high-resolution dashboard display.
While Tesla incorporated gaming features in its vehicles early on, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) discovered in 2023 that some games could be played while driving. As a result, a blanket ban on gaming during driving was implemented in subsequent updates. Furthermore, there are plans to cease support for Steam in certain models by mid-2024, as these models lack the necessary hardware to support high-performance gaming. Even the current models that support Steam allow gaming only when the vehicle is stationary.
