From the first weeks of January we often wonder what strong theme will dominate the year in the different sectors of the economy, and in the automotive industry it seems that we already have a candidate for this theme in 2024: video games.
After Mercedes-Benz, which for three weeks has talked a lot about the introduction of video games in all its forms on board its future vehicles, now it was the turn of Ford and Lincoln to promise a new range of video game entertainment on board their own new products.
Ford appears to be abandoning the Sync name in favor of a new system called Digital Experience that is intended to enliven the multimedia systems of Ford and Lincoln vehicles. First up is the 2024 Nautilus, a redesign of Lincoln's midsize SUV that's expected to be very high-tech.
The digital experience system on board the Nautilus comes in the form of a huge 48-inch display, which is gigantic, but smaller versions can also be found on board Ford Group's cheaper vehicles.
In all cases, it is the Google Automotive platform that forms the basis of the interface. This allows Ford and Lincoln to display navigation data directly from Google Maps, provided of course that the system is connected to a wireless network. By default, Ford allows its interface to be controlled by voice by communicating with Google Assistant, but users can also activate Alexa, Amazon's voice control, which is also part of the Digital Experience system.
In addition, unlike other manufacturers, Ford continues to offer wireless CarPlay and Android Auto interfaces just in case.
Finally, coming back to video games, Ford's system will be entitled to the Google Play Store, which allows you to download entertainment applications of all kinds, including video games, Ford was happy to point out. The first game offered is a racing game called Asphalt Nitro, which can be played by pairing a controller (a gamepad) via the Bluetooth protocol.
Of course, to play it, the vehicle must be parked.
But the trend is still going on…
The text 2024 is the year of video games in automobiles comes from L'annuel de l'automobile – Automotive News