Steam, the PC gaming platform, is making its approach round city as a part of Tesla’s newest vacation replace. It fulfills a promise Tesla CEO Elon Musk made virtually two years in the past: that you simply’ll be capable to play The Witcher 3 utilizing the automotive’s built-in {hardware}. However sadly for me, I received’t get to play it, and it doesn’t seem like there shall be any straightforward path towards upgrading.
I’ve a 2018 Tesla Mannequin 3, and I believe I ought to point out it’s obtained loads of upgrades through the years, together with overhauled consumer interface, Autopilot visualizations, streaming apps, and arcade video games. However in my automotive, all of Tesla’s fancy new software program is operating on the Intel Atom — a processor designed for affordable netbooks from the earlier decade (Bear in mind the Eee PC?). So it’s no shock that my Mannequin 3 can’t play Steam video games, however I nonetheless want it may.
Help for PC video games from Steam, nonetheless, is reserved for the most recent Mannequin S and X autos, ones that price about twice, if no more, than what I paid for my 3 (even with the most recent reductions).
And we’re speaking about solely the most recent of the 2022 fashions, as redesigned S and X autos from 2021 and early 2022 embody the “PS5-level” graphics chips based mostly on AMD RDNA2 however don’t have the wanted 16GB of RAM.
Homeowners of these fashions might not be completely screwed, although, as Musk confirmed on Twitter that there shall be a retrofit supplied.
The 2022 vacation replace from Tesla, like we see yearly, does add loads of cool new options that my Mannequin 3 can make the most of. The automaker uploaded a brand new video this week highlighting Easter eggs like always-on rainbow street graphics for Autopilot, the power to remotely monitor your pet whereas in canine mode, and, lastly, play Apple Music straight within the automotive (thanks, Tim Cook dinner?).
In fact, the vacation replace comes with a brand-new vacation mild present that may time up with different Teslas. Additionally, I recognize that Tesla introduced again the swipe-able playing cards that conveniently present journey information and tire stress — that was eliminated in final yr’s introduction of software program model 11, amongst different head-scratchers like eradicating seat heater buttons from the underside bar.
The video additionally consists of some technical particulars on what it takes for video games like Cyberpunk 2077 to run at excessive graphics settings in a Tesla. It makes use of a Linux digital machine, Steam Deck verified video games, and naturally, GPU acceleration from {hardware} I may solely dream of getting in my automotive.
Thanks for bringing the playing cards again, Tesla! Model 11 of the OS is lastly good. Picture: Umar Shakir / The Verge
Apparently, Mannequin 3 and Y autos that began delivery this time final yr got here with some upgrades, too, together with new infotainment computer systems operating on AMD Ryzen chips. The brand new {hardware}, identified in Tesla neighborhood circles as MCU3, exhibits improved efficiency all through the OS — however sadly, they don’t include discrete graphics wanted to run many resource-heavy video games supplied on Steam.
There’s additionally no official phrase whether or not older vehicles with the Intel-based MCU2 (like mine) can get a retrofit, which might be superior since apps I can run, like Netflix and the online browser, are feeling more and more sluggish these days.
Supporting the extra highly effective AMD chipset may even require the brand new Lithium-based 12V battery that comes within the newer Mannequin 3 and Y, in accordance with the founding father of Tesla Homeowners On-line, a Tesla discussion board. And to make issues worse, the power to make in-car Zoom calls may not even come to the Intel Atom-based Teslas.
Behold! Apple Music is lastly in a Tesla! Picture: Umar Shakir / The Verge
So it’s time for me to only settle for it: I’ll solely be capable to play video games like Stardew Valley, Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), and Cuphead in my Mannequin 3 throughout street journeys (not whereas driving, simply to be clear), except I pack an precise Steam Deck or gaming laptop computer. One different choice may come through this unofficial Xbox cloud gaming workaround, however it isn’t excellent.
Whereas the replace didn’t deliver me Steam, it did at the very least get me Apple Music — so I not have to pay for Spotify to take heed to music straight on my sluggish Intel Atom-powered display screen.