Cars Become the Gaming Hotspots of the Future

Volkswagen will rely on AirConsole for in-car gaming in the future, as the OEM recently clarified with the announcement of a corresponding partnership. In parallel with the product lines ID.7, ID.5, ID.4, and ID.3 (from ID. Software 4.0), the various games will also be available for the new Passat, the new Tiguan, the new Golf, and the new Golf Variant. The new games from the AirConsole gaming platform are available on the infotainment display, which turns into a gaming console. It is controlled via a smartphone, which is quickly transformed into a wireless controller by the gaming platform. Volkswagen is expected to introduce AirConsole in the first European countries from mid-September. By the turn of the year 2024/2025, the plan is to expand the offering with some more games for even more European countries.

However, the cooperation with Volkswagen is not AirConsole's first entry into vehicles. As early as May 2023, BMW announced the revolution of in-car gaming with the help of the platform from the Zurich startup N-Dream. Recently, the OEM expanded its game offering with a globally known classic: At Gamescom 2024 in Cologne, Mattel, AirConsole, and BMW presented the card game Uno for in-car gaming for the first time.

Visitors were able to test the game in the BMW X3 before it became available from August 21 via AirConsole in over 500,000 BMW and Mini vehicles through an over-the-air update (OTA). The partnership between BMW and AirConsole began in 2022, initiated by the automaker's Startup Garage under the leadership of Bernhard Horst. This cooperation has allowed AirConsole to become familiar with the development processes of a large automotive group, while BMW benefited from the startup's innovative strength.

Mercedes introduces Fortnite for MBUX

Mercedes also used the world's largest trade fair for computer and video games to announce a new partnership with the gaming provider Boosteroid. Starting next year, the Boosteroid app will be available as part of the MBUX Entertainment Package Plus in vehicles with the third generation of the MBUX infotainment system. Visitors to Gamescom were able to try out the new gaming experience live in the vehicle with selected AAA video games such as Fortnite, Starfield, Rocket League, and others. "Together with Boosteroid, we offer an even more attractive gaming experience in our Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The cloud-based approach is the ideal solution to enable our customers and video game fans to enjoy Triple-A gaming. This impressively shows how we continue to develop MBUX in line with the wishes and expectations of our customers," commented Magnus Östberg, Chief Software Officer, on the partnership.

Through a subscription model, Boosteroid users can access their purchased games on almost any device, including most PCs, laptops, smartphones, or smart TVs. And soon, this will also include the MBUX infotainment system, which is expected to have the corresponding application in North and South America from 2025. Customers can download it via their vehicle's app store. To enjoy the best gaming experience in the vehicle, they can also use their Bluetooth gaming controller or mobile phone for their video games - but only when parked.

"High-end video games running directly in the vehicle are a revolution in in-car entertainment, and we are excited to make history together with Mercedes-Benz. We are absolutely certain that customers will enjoy an impressive gaming experience in the car - with sound, lighting, and seat vibrations integrated into the gameplay," explains Vlad Kosmin, Corporate Vice President at Boosteroid. "Boosteroid and Mercedes-Benz are creating this market today, but we expect it to be huge in just 3-5 years. Strategically, the new generation of customers, for whom video games are the most important entertainment content, is coming. By the early 2030s, they will represent the absolute majority of customers in the automotive industry."

Porsche transforms favorite racetracks into virtual environments

Together with the Swiss startup Way Ahead, Porsche has introduced the Virtual Roads project, which aims to give sports car drivers the opportunity to transfer personal favorite routes from reality into a video game. The recording of the corresponding routes should be implemented simply via smartphone instead of the previous laser scan. Using the integrated camera behind the windshield and a corresponding app, routes are automatically transformed into virtual 3D environments. The core of the solution is an AI system that replicates roads and their immediate surroundings as accurately as possible. In the virtual space, the scanned route can be driven using the racing game Assetto Corsa. "After several years of development work, our software has now advanced to the point where it can digitize routes for Virtual Roads with lengths of up to eight kilometers, depending on complexity, in under an hour," says Roger Rueegg of Way Ahead Technologies. "At the same time, we are currently exploring further possibilities and functions." For example, it is conceivable to also capture and use vehicle sensor data such as lateral acceleration or chassis control in the future.

Audi brings VR solution to the rear

Corresponding data has already found its way into Audi's entertainment offerings. Since mid-2022, a corresponding system from VR expert Holoride has been integrated into Audi models from the A4 upwards. As part of the joint solution, which is available for Audi vehicles with the latest generation of the modular infotainment platform (MIB 3), VR content can be used in the rear of the vehicle, adapting in real-time to the movements of the vehicle. For example, steering, braking, or acceleration processes of the vehicle can be transferred to objects in the game world.

The harmony of real and virtual movement could, among other things, prevent passengers from feeling nauseous when using a VR headset. The necessary headset is connected to the vehicle via a Bluetooth Low Energy connection. Initially, the technology is planned to launch in Germany, England, and the USA, with more markets to follow. In March 2022, Porsche also presented results of the cooperation with Holoride that began in 2019. Together, the two companies are launching the pilot phase for a new virtual reality experience at the Porsche Experience Center (PEC) Los Angeles. In a Porsche Cayenne equipped with the immersive systems also used in Audi vehicles, passengers can play the video game Cosmic Chase, developed together with the developer Schell Games. On board a spaceship, players have the task of fighting against alien attackers as part of a global alliance.

Ford Mach-E becomes an Escape Room

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Ford is also choosing an innovative gamification approach in the Mustang Mach-E, which is to become an escape room with the help of new technologies. Participants receive instructions for the game, hosted with the help of an iOS app, through the car's sound system. Functions of the electric seats, the tailgate, air conditioning, or headlights are also to be integrated. However, the manufacturer restricts that only the use of heating and speakers is possible during the course of the game while driving. Currently, the game developed together with the company's own Emerging Technology & Innovation Group and the IOT Group based in Palo Alto, California, is still a working concept.

"It's a fun activity that also has a serious side, as it shows what is fundamentally possible with the technology we have in cars today," explains Carsten Starke, Technical Expert Interior Materials & Customer Experience, Ford Research & Advanced Engineering, Ford Europe. "The playfully tested interaction between vehicle and driver could open up new perspectives and possibilities for the future, such as an interactive operating manual or even driver coaching."

Tesla also focuses on gaming

For a change, the polarizing electric car manufacturer is also on board and, like the rest of the automotive industry, is increasingly focusing on gaming applications in its vehicles. As early as 2019, Tesla rolled out a karaoke function that customers in the Chinese market can use with a specially developed TeslaMic. Through a software update, the OEM expanded the system in February 2022 with an interface from the provider Leishi KTV and various sound options to optimize one's singing. At the end of 2022, the integration of the Steam gaming platform via Steam Deck OS followed in the Tesla X and Tesla S. According to media reports, the electric cars have a computing power of about ten TFlops, which is roughly equivalent to the computing power of a PlayStation 5. Games are played with a wirelessly connected controller.

This article was first published at automotiveit.eu