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Tesla Is Adding Atari Games To the In-Car Display (theverge.com) 156

In the next software update for its vehicles, Tesla will include several playable Atari games as new Easter eggs. CEO Elon Musk said the update would be released in "about four weeks" and should include games like Pole Position, Tempest, and Missile Command. The Verge reports: Pole Position's controls will apparently be linked to the Tesla's actual steering wheel -- while the vehicle is stopped, Musk made clear. It goes without saying, but no one should be messing around with any of these when they're behind the wheel of a moving car. A much bigger deal for Tesla owners is that, according to Musk, software version 9.0 will begin to enable "full self-driving features" in eligible vehicles. The new update might be discussed further during Tesla's earnings call later today.
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Tesla Is Adding Atari Games To the In-Car Display

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  • Good (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Now you can play frogger in ur Tesla while playing frogger with ur Tesla

    • by Rei ( 128717 )

      They're actually planning to have the actual steering wheel be the controller for Pole Position.

    • If you die in your tesla can you go back to your last saved position?

      • by mentil ( 1748130 )

        Yes. However, you transfer to another timeline, so none of the grieving people in this timeline will ever know.

      • No - you're done. However, the person playing Pole Position that crashed your car gets to pick another one and control that instead.

  • by ErikTheRed ( 162431 ) on Wednesday August 01, 2018 @06:31PM (#57052954) Homepage

    ... it *really* crashes.

    • job for brakes.service failed because the control process exited with error code.

    • Teslas have the equivalent of Windows' "three finger salute": foot on the brake, press and hold the two scroll wheels until the display goes blank and then shows the "T" logo.

      • Teslas have the equivalent of Windows' "three finger salute": foot on the brake, press and hold the two scroll wheels until the display goes blank and then shows the "T" logo.

         

        It is not necessary to apply the brake pedal. I've reset the main console while driving, with foot on the accelerator.

        • It is not necessary to apply the brake pedal

          There are suggestions on the forums that pressing the brake pedal results in a deeper reset. I don't know if this is true.

  • by Joe_Dragon ( 2206452 ) on Wednesday August 01, 2018 @06:33PM (#57052962)

    what would the faa say if flight controls where linked to some game?

    Self driving software should NOT NOT NOT be linked to a game in any way.

    • Absolutely. Do you really want to teach your young children that the car is a video game console?

      • that is not even my point.

        My point is that self driving software needs to held to some like the faa software standards for autopilot software.

        Not even that but when the car is stopped the control can change in to joystick mode??? What if some software falt makes that happen at speed when in non self mode?

    • by mentil ( 1748130 )

      would... you... like... to... play... a... game...?
      >Let's play Carmageddon

    • Ahhhj! You've figured it out!
      The fully autonomous driving will be on Pole Position!

      Way to sleuth the clues:)

    • But since they are about to release a new version of their software, with "full self-driving features", could you hook them up to make it play Pole Position by itself?

      Now that I think of it, maybe that is how they train the self-driving.

    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Tesla already has a web browser, with Javascript enabled. The security wheels came off that one long ago.

  • It cheapens an expensive car

  • Musk would have to be stupid to think people would heed his 'warning' that they should not play games while driving.... so he disabled the games when the car is out of park, like every navigation console I have ever used in every other vehicle, right? It would be laughably simple for him to do. Any less and he is just daring people to play while driving.
    • by Rei ( 128717 )

      Yes, of course it goes without saying that this is only allowed when the car is stationary. But in case it doesn't go without saying: to quote Musk from Twitter: "while stationary tbc haha"

      • While the car is stationary or while the car is in park? Those are two different things. Where I live, you can't use a phone when stopped at a stop light, you shouldn't be able to use built in Atari games either.
  • by PPH ( 736903 )

    No Grand Theft Auto?

  • So I am hitting 2 months with the Model 3 and must admit that the "newness" factor is really long lived with this car. For example, I had noticed that the steering wheel seemed to shake every once and a while. It did not seem like a serious "malfunction" but the other day I did Google the issue and realized I was really just experiencing haptic feedback for drifting out of my lane! Its these small, gradual and pleasant surprises that really make the car a lot of fun to own.

    I must have been 3 when my fami
    • by Rei ( 128717 )

      Yep. Virtual rumble strips. Someone on M3OC just the other day was discovering that for the first time as well :)

    • It does make sense, especially with this update for games. After all, you can buy a Logitech gaming steering wheel with haptic feedback! [amazon.com]
  • by Z80a ( 971949 )

    If i remember well, all those games use paddle controllers, so will map quite well to the steering wheel.

  • Tesla's steering system is fairly conventional. Steering wheel turns a shaft that moves a rack and pinion. There's also an electric motor attached to the shaft for power steering and autopilot. Will the wheels scrub back and forth on the road when the game is being played? Tesla's system isn't "fly-by-wire".
  • Seriously, they should stop chasing distractions like this and fix the damn media player in the car. Its quirky and buggy to the extent that its a constant frustration, and the v8 "major overhaul" just introduced regressions alongside a coat of UI polish.

    Of course that won't make for flashy press releases, or news attractive to people who casually browse headlines. You have to actually own the car, and drive it regularly, for any of this to benefit you.

  • by mccalli ( 323026 ) on Thursday August 02, 2018 @01:36AM (#57054658) Homepage
    If you're going to add software...
    • by Rei ( 128717 )

      Do people actually like Car Play / Android Auto?

      • by mccalli ( 323026 )
        Yes. It's all about the integration with the rest of your life. Playlists everywhere, familiar and more-oftently-updated apps, integration with you chosen voice assistant, podcasts syncing read status...

        It's an integration thing - one less thing to worry about being different and if it syncs or not.
  • How am I supposed to focus on a game while the windshield is still transparent??
  • Great, if mobile phones aren't bad enough, now there will be even more distractions causing people to just sit when the light turns green, further adding to traffic problems.

  • Does this mean we will have a 30 car pile up on I-95 one day because someone was trying to get the high score on Pole Position?
  • So when you're not driving, you can pretend to drive, and when you *are* driving, you can set the car to drive itself.

    What a time to be alive.

    This is the perfect vehicle to drive the to the gym so you can walk on a treadmill.

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