Tesla’s newest software update includes a fun new feature—although it’s not exactly new, per se. Tesla vehicle owners are now able to play classic Atari games via their infotainment screen thanks to a feature charmingly dubbed “Teslatari.”
According to InsideEVs, Teslatari includes space-shooter games like Centipede, Asteroids, and Missile Command. The games make use of the steering wheel-mounted buttons for control, and luckily can only be played while stationary, so no funny business while sitting in traffic or waiting in line at the drive-up ATM.
This recent addition opens up a ton of possibilities, and CEO Elon Musk himself as even tweeted that he hopes to make Pole Position playable by actually turning the car’s steering wheel. Now, that’s pretty cool.
Musk went on to urge folks interested in video game development to apply at Tesla, as the company wishes to integrate more fun features that make use of the automaker’s enormous infotainment screen. And needless to say, a navigation display reminiscent of the Sega arcade classic Outrun would be a neat feature, for sure.
With ’80s nostalgia at a fever pitch, Teskataru is a fun feature that will surely find many fans among the brand’s faithful and retro gamers alike. Tesla posted a retro-flavored Instagram video showing off the feature, complete with neon backlighting and fuzzy VHS video effects.
With any luck, the games library will be updated to include a more diverse library of titles, like the previously mentioned Pole Position or the Activision classic side-scroller: Pitfall. The only thing more fun would be a two-player feature; someone tweet that to Musk, please.