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New Teslas might lose Steam
(www.theverge.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Why is a car capable of playing games in the first place. I understand it’s not going to allow people to play while they drive but still. That just seems like an odd/bad idea.
It's just a computer... Why not? As long as it cannot be running while the car is driving I don't particularly see an issue.
Would be great if I could fire up a game while waiting in cell parking at the airport for my family that comes into town for example. Gotta remember that this isn't new. We had minivans with built in n64s and shit before.
And don’t forget, depending on the charger, you could need to burn 15 to 45 min filling you battery up on a trip. The games and videos are primarily there to make the charging experience suck less.
Honestly I actually had not thought about people sitting around waiting to charge. In my area there are tons of chargers at task oriented locations. Almost all Grocery stores, Costco, the mall, movie theaters. My experience had been that people would charge while doing other things. Thanks for the insight into a good use for it.
Why not bring a Steam Deck or Switch along? Or just play on the phone in your pocket? Are people really spending so much time in their cars that it really needs conveniences like that?
I'm primarily a PC gamer... The only game on my phone is Bloons TD6. Which I open maybe once a month.
But why not use the computer that's literally in front of me rather than settling for the lesser experience?
Note: I should clarify, I don't have a Tesla and don't care for them at all. I just view this feature as probably one of the better ones.
How is bloons td6? I loved 4 and 5. Would be fine tossing some dollars at ninja kiwi if 6 is up to par. I've also seen it in Netflix and confused about how I feel about that.
Oh it's a decent time killer. I don't really do mobile games. I only did this one strictly because of the nostalgia (Original on library computers in high school sort of thing) and because it was on a sale. I haven't regretted the purchase and they don't make the in app purchases super necessary. Overall I'd give it a thumbs up. I don't do any of the multiplayer stuff either.
And I don't know anything about Netflix in regards to td6.. I did see that Mr.Beast did a sponsorship with them...
Right, and that computer is your phone. Get a controller adapter for your phone and you can play anywhere, in your car, at home, etc. Install a couple emulators and the world is your oyster.
The car is obviously only viable if you're in it, and you still need a controller anyway. Why install games to your car that you can only play in your car when you can use your phone or a handheld console that you can bring with you?
I get that it's "cool," I just don't see anyone actually using it more than as a gimmick to show off from time to time.
For some a tiny phone screen is not a possibility. Also phone games are not equal to steam games. And some would not want to own a Steam Deck or Switch and pack it around with them in case they need to charge. It certainly isnt a priority, but if your car has a computer capable, why not?
I honestly don't think cars should have a computer that capable. I don't like self-driving features, constant tracking of everything I do, etc. But that's kind of beside the point.
If it works for you, great. I just honestly couldn't see myself using it because the number of times where I'm in the car with enough time to play a game is almost zero. The only time it might work is when charging, but honestly, I just wouldn't buy an EV if waiting 30+ min to charge would be a regular occurrence. Cars should charge overnight, charging stations should very much be rarely used. That's the big sell of an EV for me.
I'm not opposed to it existing (provided they can't be played while driving), I just don't see the point.
I have a steam deck, and while its somewhat portable, I wouldn't want to carry one just to use at a charging station, considering the alternative is a controller stashed away in the glovebox. Probably also would want to carry the deck whenever leaving the vehicle too, considering how common it is in certain regions for some tesla models to be broken into and boot emptied out (apparently preventable with a 3d printed shim).
With the crazy powerful GPUs in these cars IMO it's practically free to enable this functionality for the user when the car is stationary, on a screen that is much, much larger and with a nicer sound system compared to any handheld or phone
This is Tesla... So only as long as the state enforces it...
That’s a fair point. I honestly had not thought about the “waiting for” aspect.