New BMW 5 Series Has Built-In Video Games That Use Your Smartphone as Controller
Passengers can play a Mario Kart ripoff while waiting for the car to charge.
Have you ever been waiting for someone in your car long enough that you exhaust the amount of social media apps to look at on your phone? What to do then, sit in silence with your own original thoughts? Well BMW wants to make sure that you never need to hear yourself think ever again, as the new 5 Series can actually turn into a video game console while it's stopped.
BMW partnered with AirConsole to bring 15 different games right to the 5 Series's new iDrive screen, all of which are controlled via smartphone. The idea is pretty simple, you download the AirConsole app on your phone, load it up in the car's screen, sync your phone with the car via QR code, and voilà, you're gaming.
Among the 15 games available to play, there's the soccer game Golazo, the cooking game Overcooked, and the blatant Mario Kart ripoff Go Kart Go. More games will be added at some point but for now you're stuck with just 15.
While this gaming mode is going to be available on all 5 Series models, it was mostly meant for the electric BMW i5. The main idea behind the gaming mode was to give passengers something to do while waiting for the car to charge. With a 205 kW max charge speed, BMW claims a 10-80% charge can happen in as little as 30 minutes, which is enough for a quick bathroom break and a cup of coffee. However, if you're at a slower charger and need to wait longer, you can game while you wait.
All 15 games can are multiplayer, with certain games limited only by the number of humans you can fit in the car.
BMW is starting off with just the 5 Series but gaming mode will eventually make its way to other models, such as the 7 Series and i7. Those will be best, due to the massive 31 inch theater screen option for the back seat.
Naturally, this gaming mode only works when stationary and will immediately save your game and shut it down if the car starts to move. However, if screens in the back seat allow for gaming, they could continue to run while the car is in motion.
So if you're sick and tired of those pesky things called thoughts entering your mind and you never want to sit in silence in your car again, BMW has you covered.
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