Volkswagen is the latest automaker to announce a partnership with mobile gaming platform AirConsole, allowing drivers and passengers to stream a variety of game titles while stationary.
The platform, which will initially be rolled out to the VW ID.7 Pro S and VW ID.7 Touring Pro S models, with other all-electric ID products running the ID. 4.0 software planned to receive the update in the coming months, uses the smartphone as a controller, allowing up to four players to enjoy a selection of arcade-style games.
The BMW Group partnered with AirConsole in 2022 and has since begun introducing app support to various BMW and Mini models, including the new electric Mini we recently tested.
While AirConsole is already available on web browsers, Android TV, Google TV, and Amazon Fire TV, it has only recently been introduced to vehicles, with battery-powered electric vehicles being the obvious first targets.
The extended downtime EV owners face as they wait for their batteries to fill up presents the perfect opportunity for a bit of gaming, with AirConsole offering crazy co-op modes like this one. Overcookedtrivia quiz Who wants to be a millionaire? and a handful of racing titles and puzzle games to pass the minutes.
Volkswagen says it plans to expand its AirConsole app to combustion-engine cars as well, with the new Passat, new Tiguan, new Golf and new Golf Estate all running the latest infotainment software, offering in-car gaming by 2025.
Mercedes brings out the big guns
It looks like the car infotainment screen could be the next battleground looking to capture gamers’ attention, as Mercedes-Benz announced at Gamescom this year that it has partnered with app developers Boosteroid to offer AAA games to stream in its vehicles.
The latest MBUX Hyperscreen multimedia system includes three huge digital displays on some models, offering the ability for the driver and front-seat passenger to compete in Steam and Epic Games titles on separate screens.
Using a Bluetooth controller or smartphone, players will be able to stream and even compete in over 1,000 titles via the Boosteroid app in Europe and North America early next year.
By contrast, Tesla is moving away from offering AAA games in its vehicles, dropping support for Steam games on the Model S and Model X this year, though it has neither denied nor confirmed whether it will continue to do so with the Model Y or Model 3.
There were some suggestions that Tesla perhaps pulled support because of its various ongoing cases involving distracted drivers and its full self-driving technology, despite the system only being activated when a vehicle is stopped, or that it was simply a cost-saving measure ordered by boss Elon Musk.
During an earnings call earlier this year, Musk even floated the idea of using parked vehicles' computers to perform inferences, data processing and other tasks, making money for both the vehicle owner and the manufacturer.
