Tesla is finally making good on its promise by launching Steam in several cars
The traditional holiday update presented by Tesla was released earlier in the week for the first lucky ones, and the big news for us is perhaps the arrival of Apple Music in the cars of the American manufacturer. But that’s not the only one, and version 2022.44.25 of the homeware adds many other small new features. Among them is the activation of Steam, which strengthens the game console side of Tesla’s four wheels.
The ability to play in electric-only cars isn’t new, but it’s greatly enhanced by Steam and its catalog of thousands of games that can be played on the car’s onboard display (wireless controller or even PC). the classic keyboard/mouse duo should be used). This capability fulfills an old promise by Elon Musk, launched last February and confirmed over the summer. In addition, Steam means that titles are as demanding as they promise to play Cyberpunk 2077 Where The Witcher III is finally a reality. It responds to the launch of the new Model S and Model X in January 2021, and in addition, the arrival of Steam is also limited to these two cars.
And again, only the latest ones, because only cars released in the last few months are compatible with Steam. A limitation explained by a recent hardware change, Tesla cautiously increased the amount of RAM (16 GB) for the top of its range. The new generation Model S and Model X released before this modification cannot benefit from the innovation, but Elon Musk promises “reconstruction”., that is, the installation of a new on-board computer is, of course, an operation that pays off. This functionality remains secondary in the car, but it’s a reminder that Tesla is constantly improving its vehicles, just like any other computing device.
Six months in a Tesla: a computer on wheels, for better or for worse
Steam is also strictly reserved for the Model S and Model X, while the more affordable Model 3 and Model Y should not benefit from it. Sure, their center screen is slightly smaller (17 vs. 15 inches), but the real explanation has to be found on the side of the computer driving that screen. The entire range is now based on the AMD Ryzen processor, but only the most expensive cars include a dedicated graphics chip provided by AMD. It is entry level I agree with CPU and the impasse on the GPU deprives them of this innovation.
Among other innovations of the year, Tesla allows watch video streaming remotely transmitted by the camera in the passenger compartment when dog mode is active. This mode maintains the temperature in the passenger compartment and allows you to safely leave the animal (and only the animal) in the car. Accessing the camera from the manufacturer’s smartphone app will allow you to monitor your four-legged friend in his absence.
Collectively, let’s note the possibility of programming and therefore the possibility of synchronization of the sound and light show, which was launched during the previous Christmas update, the activation of the track mode for Model Y (in particular, it allows you to disable part of the assistance). Performance or even activation of video conferences with Zoom announced by the latter in November. In detail, Tesla drivers will appreciate the return of maps at the bottom left of the screen to focus on fuel consumption or tire pressure.
Unlike last year, this Christmas update doesn’t significantly change Tesla’s firmware interface. This is completely logical, the manufacturer does not allow to break the habits of its customers every year.
