Social media videos posted by drivers and car reviewers show how video games on Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) vehicles can be accessed while in motion. The revelation comes after the company’s controversial “Full Self Driving” feature drew lawmakers’ attention to its reliability.
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Controversial Feature
According to The New York Times, Tesla occupants —both driver and copilot— can use the videogame function with the car in motion. Although video games on Tesla vehicles are nothing new, the Tesla videogame feature and its capacity to be operated while driving has escaped the regulators’ radar.
The additional function was distributed last summer as part of an over-the-air update that included games such as Solitaire, Sky Force Reloaded, and The Battle of Polytopia: Moonrise.
The media outlet goes on to report that a warning message saying the game should only be played by the copilot appears on the screen. However, nothing prevents the person in the driving seat from playing it.
Tesla’s in-car entertainment has been bolstered with more similar features like Netflix and Hulu, while the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has urged carmakers to prevent drivers to make use of them, which means performing “inherently distracting secondary tasks while driving.”
Entertainment Focus?
CEO Elon Musk has previously revealed the company’s intention to grow its in-car entertainment offer, relying on the reliability of its autonomous driving beta system: “Think about the future where the car is often in Autopilot or Full Self Driving Mode, then entertainment is going to become increasingly important.”
“You’re gonna wanna watch movies, play games, use the internet, all the things you want to do if you’re not driving,” he added back in the day.
However, the system has gone under heating scrutiny as it has been suspected of being a determining cause in the several Tesla drivers who have relied perhaps a bit “too much” on its capabilities.
Musk has been accused of marketing the feature as “fully autonomous” while at present the system is capable of autonomous Level 2 on a scale of six. Tesla is part of the Entrepreneur Index, which tracks 60 of the largest publicly traded companies managed by their founders or their founders’ families.
