Tesla will disable feature that allows in-dash games to be played while EVs are moving

midian182

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In brief: Tesla is to push out an update that will disable its vehicles’ Passenger Play feature, preventing video games from being played on the center console while an EV is in motion. The reveal comes amid a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation into the feature.

Earlier this week, the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) launched a preliminary evaluation of around 580,000 Tesla Model 3, S, X, and Y vehicles covering the 2017 and 2022 model years. It focuses on the Passenger Play feature, looking specifically at how it could potentially distract drivers. The ODI said gameplay previously worked on the center console only when a Tesla was in park.

One day after the investigation began, Tesla told the NHTSA that it would change the feature following discussions with agency officials, reports The Guardian. However, a representative said the investigation would continue despite the update.

“The Vehicle Safety Act prohibits manufacturers from selling vehicles with defects posing unreasonable risks to safety, including technologies that distract drivers from driving safely,” the NHTSA said in its statement.

At this year’s Computex event, Tesla revealed the Tesla Model S and Model X Ryzen APU with its Navi 23-based graphics that allows games such as Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 to be played on the infotainment system. Tesla said it offers the same “10 teraflops” performance as the PlayStation 5. The chip recently started appearing in the Tesla Model Y, initially in China, but they’re making their way to other locations.

Tesla has been the subject of several NHTSA investigations in recent years over claims its cars were suddenly accelerating (they weren’t), failing touchscreens, petitions, fatal autopilot crashes, and more.

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Not a fan of these huge panels in the from cars....the driver's only focus should be on the road.
There is no need for that since the car will soon drive itself. What are you going to do during the transition time? - play games and watch videos of course.
 
Not a fan of these huge panels in the from cars....the driver's only focus should be on the road.

Now with youngsters and their TikToks attention spans are getting lower and lower which makes this ever so more true.

That said, I see no problem with individuals who have at least some brain cells to understand that you are driving a car and attention on the road is a must. In that case, I wholeheartedly welcome these huge dashboards.
 
There is no need for that since the car will soon drive itself. What are you going to do during the transition time? - play games and watch videos of course.
Yes, since the "autopilot" has been doing such a good job so far of driving into parked emergency vehicles. :rolleyes:Who needs the distraction of a game when many of these "autopilot" vehicles will crash the car for you? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
 
Not a fan of these huge panels in the from cars....the driver's only focus should be on the road.
Agreed. All these screens are just a distraction. Even if you are not using it, a flashing graphic on a screen gets the attention of our lizard eyes.

And personally, I prefer the old style guages and buttons that work for 30 + years without issue, as opposed to giant LCDs that will fail in under 10.
There is no need for that since the car will soon drive itself. What are you going to do during the transition time? - play games and watch videos of course.
Uh huh. We've been hearing that for what, a decade now?

Here's an idea, why dont car companies figure out the whole self driving thing BEFORE focusing on the gadgets and gimmicks for what you will do when self driving is a thing? You need to eat your vegetables before you can have dessert.
 
There is no need for that since the car will soon drive itself. What are you going to do during the transition time? - play games and watch videos of course.

That has been Tesla's claim for years yet they keep crashing, killing occupants that trust the system and Tesla always blames the occupants for following their directions. While those big screens are attractive, other than the map utility, they simply have no mandatory reason for use while driving.

Tesla might be great in space exploration, their exploits in motor vehicles needs a good deal of work. No doubt someday they will get there but for the moment they still need a lot of work and the question keeps coming back, if Musk is such a great engineer, why can't he solve the problem or at least find and hire the right people that can???
 
Agreed. All these screens are just a distraction. Even if you are not using it, a flashing graphic on a screen gets the attention of our lizard eyes.

And personally, I prefer the old style guages and buttons that work for 30 + years without issue, as opposed to giant LCDs that will fail in under 10.

So... you prefer navigation to be on a tiny screen? Seems that would occupy far more of the driver's attention just trying to decipher the tiny map.
 
That has been Tesla's claim for years yet they keep crashing, killing occupants that trust the system and Tesla always blames the occupants for following their directions.

The directions tell the driver every single time to keep their hands on the wheel and be paying attention. None of those crashes (not many at all compared to crashes that don't involve Autopilot) would have occurred if directions had been followed.
 
The directions tell the driver every single time to keep their hands on the wheel and be paying attention. None of those crashes (not many at all compared to crashes that don't involve Autopilot) would have occurred if directions had been followed.
I think that's just for legal reasons so they don't lose in court. Realistically, no one is going to use full self driving function and keep both hands on the wheel like if you're actually driving, it's silly. I personally know 2 people that use the autopilot on the way to work and they literally take naps or watch videos. They definitely don't 'pretend' like they're driving while in autopilot lol. Tesla should not be advertising this feature until it's 100% fail-safe.
 
I think that's just for legal reasons so they don't lose in court. Realistically, no one is going to use full self driving function and keep both hands on the wheel like if you're actually driving, it's silly. I personally know 2 people that use the autopilot on the way to work and they literally take naps or watch videos. They definitely don't 'pretend' like they're driving while in autopilot lol. Tesla should not be advertising this feature until it's 100% fail-safe.

What would have saved these few people would have been paying attention, not keeping hands on the wheel.

You pay attention using cruise control, and you do the same with Autopilot.

The two people you know are fools. Even an Autopilot feature that could perfectly handle every situation without human intervention (otherwise known as Level 5 Autonomy) would not save these people from themselves.
 
This just reminds me that, as a passenger, you can't pair your bluetooth (or do other basic things) while you're moving (at least, in all the cars I've been in that have had touchscreens).

Glad to see people are still doubling down on handicapping functionality for passengers /s
 
What would have saved these few people would have been paying attention, not keeping hands on the wheel.

You pay attention using cruise control, and you do the same with Autopilot.

The two people you know are fools. Even an Autopilot feature that could perfectly handle every situation without human intervention (otherwise known as Level 5 Autonomy) would not save these people from themselves.
I don't disagree with you at all. I just think Teslas own marketing doesn't agree with the fine print here. 'Autopilot' or 'Full Self Driving' doesn't exactly imply you should be prepared to take over just in case the car screws up.
 
I would normally agree... except that "Autopilot" is a trademarked product name, not a description. Even if it were a description, the feature does quite a bit more than many of the autopilot systems that have been in aircraft for decades. As for FSD... sure, except that is far from being a released feature. Testers are fully aware that they are testing an incomplete feature that is in the works.
 
Yes, since the "autopilot" has been doing such a good job so far of driving into parked emergency vehicles. :rolleyes:Who needs the distraction of a game when many of these "autopilot" vehicles will crash the car for you? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
What are you talking about? Check the hundreds of videos with people make with the autopilot now driving entire city spans with no intervention and this is not from a few days now lol... next time check your information before posting
 
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