Fortnite, Destiny 2 and Rocket League coming to electric vehicles
Popular games including the ‘addictive’ Fortnite could soon be played on a car’s dashboard using new technology unveiled at the world’s largest electronics show.
Popular video games like Fortnite, Destiny 2 and Rocket League are coming soon to electric vehicles across Australia, with US tech giant Nvidia bringing its cloud-based video game platform to cars from Hyundai, Polestar and BYD.
The new functionality, announced this week at the world’s largest consumer electronics show CES in Las Vegas, will mean video games can be played by front-seat drivers via the car’s dashboard while the car is parked or charging, while passengers in the back seat can play games during the entire ride.
The feature uses Nvidia’s GeForce Now, a subscription service like Netflix that offers over 1000 different games streamed via the internet, and already works with nearly any device including laptops, mobile devices, smart TVs, and now cars. Nvidia says 25 million people globally have tried GeForce now to date.
Meanwhile Fortnite, which is free to play, remains incredibly popular with Australian children and teenagers and has more than 4 million estimated players every day globally. The game’s parent company Epic Games is currently defending a class-action lawsuit in Canada from parents who have argued that addiction to Fortnite “is similar to cocaine addiction.”
“Accelerated computing, AI and connectivity are delivering new levels of automation, safety, convenience and enjoyment to the car,” said Ali Kani, Nvidia’s vice president of automotive said in Las Vegas.
“The ability to stream popular titles from gamers’ libraries along with dozens of free-to-play games will bring the in-vehicle infotainment experience to new heights.”
Nvidia did not detail a release date for the new features.
Mr Kani said that as autonomous-driving technology becomes more prevalent, the car‘s interior will play a much larger role in consumers’ buying decisions, with digital assistants, graphic displays and streaming content set to matter more than ever before.
He said that he sees car interiors soon becoming “mobile living spaces.”
#RocketLeague in the car? Yes Please!
— BYD (@BYDCompany) January 3, 2023
We teamed up with @NVIDIADRIVE to #BuildYourDreams of gaming on the go.
Learn More: https://t.co/N0aqVBntSw@RocketLeague#GeForceNOW#NVIDIA#BYD#cloudgaming#CES2023#CES#Technology#innovation#NVIDIApic.twitter.com/WbUarIXbgk
Electric vehicle giant Tesla sparked concerns from safety experts when it announced in 2021 that games including solitaire could be played in its cars while driving, given numerous drivers have died while using Tesla’s ‘autopilot’ feature since it launched in 2016, and the number of distracted driving deaths in Australia and globally continues to climb. Nvidia will likely face similar concerns with its announcement.
Nvidia also used CES to announce new features for its GeForce RTX 40 and 30 Series graphics cards, including a ‘RTX Video Super Resolution’ feature that uses artificial intelligence to improve the quality of any video watched in a browser, including Netflix videos or old blurry YouTube videos.
Nvidia says the technology improves video sharpness and clarity, and will be available in February for both Chrome and Edge browsers.
The company also announced a tie-up with iPhone manufacturer Foxconn to develop autonomous vehicle platforms. Nvidia has long supplied hardware to run infotainment systems in cars, and vehicles from Mercedes, Polestar, Hyundai and Chinese manufacturer BYD all rely on its technology.
In the electric vehicle space, motoring giant Volkswagen debuted the ID. 7 sedan, its latest electric car, at CES this week. The ID. 7, which features a massive 15-inch touchscreen and advanced climate system, will go head-to-head in the market with Tesla’s Model 3.
As The Australian recently reported, Volkswagen’s ID series of electric vehicles is incredibly popular globally and will finally be sold in Australia later this year.
David Swan travelled to Las Vegas as a guest of Hisense.
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