Tesla Arcade Lets Users Use The Steering Wheel As A Game Controller

Tesla has been teasing about its video game feature for quite some time, and last month, it finally introduced Tesla Arcade, a game hub appearing on its electric cars.

Some people have had the chance to try out this new feature on a Model 3 with Vector Unit’s Beach Buggy Racing 2. This is a racing title you can play on any handheld device. However, when it is paired with a Tesla car, you are in for a whole new level of coolness. Users will control the game by the vehicle’s steering wheel.

Tesla has always taken pride in the way its cars resemble a computer. This ability has enabled the company to send updates straight to the vehicles that can improve everything, from a surprise James Bond mode to enhanced self-driving capacity. Now, it literally turns the car into a huge game console.

This time’s update also gives users some other Atari titles, not just Beach Buggy Racing 2. In the next few months, we may even see Cuphead coming to Tesla cars. When Elon Musk first talked about this integration on Twitter back in August, he said that he hoped to add Pole Position, Tempest, and Missile Command to the Arcade.

To support games, we need a gamepad, which has already been on the vehicles. Moreover, users will find that these gaming functions are easier to find with this update.

Previously, users needed to access the information center and press the Tesla logo to get to a special menu. Now, all users need to do is to tap on the arrow button found in the home screen and then choose Arcade.

Tesla and Vector Unit teamed up to take full advantage of the cars braking and steering system. When you are in the Arcade mode, the pedal will be disabled until you exit it. In the single-player mode, users can use either the touch control or steering wheel, or even both if you like. In two-player mode, the person next to you can use the touch control while you take the wheel, and both of you can share the screen.

The wheel is responsive as Tesla has freed it from the rigidness when the car is parked. The level of sensitivity of the wheel is also adjustable.

Most reviewers reported that the steering wheel brings a more realistic feel than using the touchpad. When they pushed the pedal, they felt like the real car was slowing down. Plus, what you are controlling is not a cartoon-like car anymore, but a model of the vehicle you own.

Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, teased this enhancement in a conversation with Todd Howard of Bethesda back in this year’s E3. And now it has finally been out.

According to Tesla’s spokesperson, the fundamental idea behind this integration is to provide users with something fun to do while waiting for someone or at a charging station. And they have delivered just that. The display on the Model 3 is as vivid and gorgeous as that of iPad Pro. With all of these desirable features, Tesla Arcade is something users can proudly show off to their peers, just like the previous Model S’s Ludicrous Mode.

So, let’s hope that no one will ever try accessing Arcade at stoplights.