Tesla has made a name for itself as the most innovative car manufacturer out there, and its emergence has truly shaken up a somnolent industry. Elon Musk’s vision knows no bounds, and he has set about revolutionizing the automobile industry, in much the same way as his other companies, SpaceX and The Boring Company, are doing in space exploration and personal travel. Tesla has fast become the brand of choice for people who are environmentally conscious and has proven that battery-powered cars can be fast, comfortable and every bit as stylish as the traditional fuel-based vehicles. However, Musk has never been content with the status quo – he is always looking to innovate and bring new features to his products, and it is with that sort of thought process that Tesla is rolling out a new feature for its cars in China.
Tesla’s goal has been to improve car owners’ ride satisfaction and happiness, according to Elon Musk, and so, Tesla had introduced the Tesla Arcade feature last year, which allowed customers to turn their cars into video game systems, with the screens on the dashboard allowing the passengers to play a variety of arcade games. Now, it is taking this one step further in the Chinese market, capitalizing on the country’s love for gambling by introducing online casino games to its Arcade capabilities.
Tesla has partnered with Tencent, China’s biggest game manufacturer and social media behemoth, to create and deliver these games. According to the press release, the initial version will include Mahjong, an immensely popular Chinese tile game, and some variation of poker, most likely to be Texas Hold’em or Pot-Limit Omaha. There remains the potential for other games, such as online slots, to be added to the list of available games in the future, but nevertheless, this is a huge step forward for Tesla in terms of providing entertainment solutions in its cars.
It is also extremely innovative, as it manages to circumvent China’s strict gambling laws. Indeed, it is well-known that the Chinese government does not allow gambling venues on the mainland, which is the reason for Macau to have become a global gambling and casino hotspot, similar to Las Vegas. However, since this offering will be targeted exclusively at adults, it is likely to pass muster and be allowed by the Chinese government, thus opening up a huge market for Tesla in a country which is already obsessed with the American car-maker. In terms of safety concerns, at present, the Tesla Arcade can only be accessed when the car is parked, thus putting to rest fears of distracted drivers at the wheel. Additionally, with Tesla vehicles capable of being driven autonomously, there is also the option of the Arcade system being made available at the time the car’s self-driving system is engaged, although this is not possible at the moment.
Overall, this is an extremely smart move by Tesla, and while these games are only available in China at the moment, it could well be the testing ground for the company before it launches these capabilities in other countries where the Tesla Arcade feature is already available. Elon Musk has also entertained the possibility of more games being added to Tesla Arcade, with him publicly musing if it would be possible to get a multiplayer version of Minecraft working on Tesla Arcade, or even a game such as Pokemon Go, which needs the player to be moving around and would thus potentially work well in a car.
All of these initiatives go on to show that Musk, and Tesla by extension, are determined to bring the best user experience for customers, and one can only wait and watch to see what other futuristic addition the car manufacturer is able to conjure for its vehicles.
