Billionaire entrepreneur and engineer Elon Musk dips his hands in so many different pockets that it has come to a point where it's not really about what's he's working on, but rather what he isn't working on.
He's making electric cars, he's making rockets that can come back down to Earth and be reused, he's making solar-powered roofs, and he's trying to terraform Mars. His latest experiment? Video games.
Atari Games Are Coming To Tesla Cars
Musk isn't planning to create a video game company, to be clear, but he is planning to hide several Atari games within in-car displays inside Tesla vehicles. Tesla's forthcoming 9.0 software update will include several playable Atari titles as new Easter eggs, according to the CEO. He said the update should be rolling out in a few weeks' time.
"Some of best classic @Atari games coming as Easter eggs in Tesla V9.0 release in about 4 weeks. Thanks @Atari!" Musk tweeted. In a follow-up statement, he said that Pole Position, Tempest, and Missile Command might also be included "in this release" — operative word being "this," which means more titles could be added via future software updates.
Pole Position, an arcade game released by Namco in 1982, requires players to operate a Formula One car under various time challenges. Tesla owners will apparently be able to control the game with their car's actual steering wheel — while the vehicle is stopped, Musk made clear.
The CEO also plans to develop first-party games for Tesla's in-car displays, having recently put out a call for video game developers to make "super fun" games that integrate the center touchscreen, a phone, and the car itself. It's quite an exciting prospect, but it's uncertain just how capable Tesla vehicles would be at running video games. As The Verge notes, there's still a certain sluggishness in parts of the user experience as is.
Tesla Won't Be Gaming Machines, Don't Worry
In any case, Musk probably doesn't intend to make Tesla vehicles full-on gaming machines. Owners probably won't jump into their cars for the sole purpose of playing titles, although it could still bring moments of fun while waiting for friends. On a different note, it's unclear whether Musk is planning to start a full-on video game company anytime soon, but he's a man of many surprises, so don't cross that out just yet.
What do you think about video games on Tesla cars? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
