plug and pong Photo: Ford
Remember when Tesla proudly presented a line of computer games that you could play in its cars? And remember when NHTSA issued a warning that this could be a distraction for drivers? Well, it sounds like Ford is following Tesla’s lead and bringing games to its new electric truck – but you can only play them when you’re parked.
Last August, electric car maker Tesla announced that it would introduce a new arcade feature for its cars. The company proudly announced that users can play games like Sonic The Hedgehog and Cuphead on the giant screens in front of their cars.
However, the rollout was marred by a New York Times report citing a Tesla Model 3 owner who found he could play the games while driving.
Of course, this is not a sure thing. As a result, NHTSA soon stepped in and ordered Elon Musk and Tesla to issue a software update to disable the ability to play games while driving.
Tesla Model 3: car or game console? Photo: Tesla
Obviously, that’s the thing, since a blinking screen playing Sudoku or some other arcade classic in your eyeline isn’t the sort of thing to pay attention to while driving.
Your Tesla now only transforms into the largest game console in the world when you park it.
But soon, Tesla won’t be the only automaker to offer computer games in its cars, as the feature seems to have piqued Ford’s interest.
The Blue Oval is preparing to launch its F-150 Lightning all-electric pickup. And ahead of its release, Darren Palmer, Ford’s vice president of global EV programs, took a look at things to come in the new truck’s infotainment system.
Ford F-150 Lightning: pickup truck or really big game console? Photo: Ford
In a LinkedIn post, Palmer shared a video of someone playing a simple driving game on their truck’s infotainment system. The game is controlled by the car’s volume wheel and sees players driving a car through traffic to collect coins.
In the post, Palmer says, “Some cute little games now on the F150 Lightning. Has proved to be a hit with my kids in recent tests…”
While Tesla initially didn’t put processes in place to ensure people didn’t play games while driving, a Ford spokesman confirmed to Jalopnik that the “games are only active when the vehicle is in park.”
There is no further information on which games will be available, but we don’t have to wait much longer as the electric F-150 is scheduled to launch on April 26th.
But what do you think of the new wave of electric cars with built-in games? Is it a nice gesture or are you in a hurry to leave your car right after parking to play computer games in no time?