Telsa will remove the ability to play video games on the vehicle’s centre console while the car is on the go, to which most people are probably asking “wait, you were able to do that in the first place?”
The Passenger Play feature, which includes classic games like Sonic, will now be locked while the vehicle is moving, following a forthcoming software update to be delivered to Tesla vehicles over the air.
Elon Musk’s firm has apparently bowed to pressure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the United States, after it announced plans to investigate reports drivers had been accessing the gaming feature while on the move.
Telsa enabled the Passenger Play feature last month, but did warn drivers that it was only to be used by passengers. However, there was little to stop the drivers playing games while behind the wheel, and videos have surfaced online showing people playing while driving.
While Telsa has bowed, according to a Guardian report on Christmas Eve, the regulators in the United States will continue with its investigation. Tesla itself hasn’t commented on the restriction of the feature, which has been available in all four of the major Tesla models since December 2020.
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“The Vehicle Safety Act prohibits manufacturers from selling vehicles with defects posing unreasonable risks to safety, including technologies that distract drivers from driving safely,” NHTSA’s statement said.
On Wednesday, the NHTSA said it was looking into the feature because “Tesla’s gameplay functionality is visible from the driver’s seat and can be enabled while driving the vehicle”.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
