Tesla preheats a new feature. Will it be possible to play games while driving?

In the past couple of days, a public statement by Elon Musk has sparked a heated online discussion.

The topic is not new; it's still related to Tesla's FSD (Full Self-Driving) feature.

However, this time Musk publicly revealed its new progress, which is quite revolutionary.

The cause was a video that went viral online:

In the video, a Tesla Cybertruck owner played games on the in-car screen after activating the FSD (Full Self-Driving) feature.

This video quickly gained millions of views. Meanwhile, many netizens in the comment section quickly expressed their doubts. Is this operation legal?

In response, Musk quickly gave an official reply directly under the video:

It can be realized in about 3 to 6 months, depending on the regulatory approval of the city and state.

Such an official announcement undoubtedly brings the issue of balancing the development of autonomous driving technology and real - world legal supervision back into the public eye again.

Technically, does Tesla have the ability and when can it realize the scenario of "playing games while driving"?

Legally, how should the relevant technology be defined, improved, supervised, and the responsibility - division system be implemented?

Both of these are crucial for the future development of the industry. Today, let's take this opportunity to further discuss this matter.

01

First of all, the vision of playing games in Tesla's FSD mode mentioned by Musk above was actually mentioned by him last year.

There were reports that at that time, Tesla revealed online that it was developing the "game function in FSD mode".

Today's response directly confirms the development progress of this function (to be realized in 3 - 6 months) and the launch conditions (subject to local regulatory approval).

In terms of technological layout, Tesla seems to be making rapid breakthroughs. However, there's no doubt about Tesla's hardware foundation. As early as 2022, there were reports that some Model S/X models supported the Steam platform, allowing owners to play AAA games when the car was parked.

Later (in 2024), due to hardware compatibility issues, Tesla's new models abandoned Steam support, but still retained the self - developed Tesla Arcade game platform, which offers some lightweight games.

Regarding the safety mechanism involved, after a foreign media reporter verified with Tesla engineers, it was learned that the planned game function is linked with the in - car camera and can continuously monitor the driver's attention.

If the system detects that the driver needs to take over the vehicle, the game will immediately pause.

Assuming that all these can be realized in Tesla in the end, the key issue then focuses on how to use it in practice and whether it can be used.

If it can be used, even if the system detects that the driver needs to take over, but the game process is suddenly interrupted and the driver immediately needs to shift attention to the real - world takeover issue, isn't the risk too high?

After all, both playing games and driving require a high level of attention.

Secondly, even if Musk can perfectly solve this problem in 3 - 6 months, relevant departments clearly stipulate that drivers must maintain control of the vehicle.

More importantly, Tesla's FSD has not been recognized by traffic laws around the world. Even in the United States, its full compliance has not been recognized.

02

Here, a detail must be added: A few days ago, Tesla was judged to be 32% responsible for an accident and had to pay more than $240 million in compensation.

This accident occurred in Florida in 2019. At that time, the driver looked down to pick up the phone, got distracted, and the vehicle crashed into a parked vehicle at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour.

At that time, Autopilot did not give a timely warning or intervene, nor did it effectively identify the risks on the road ahead. Finally, the accident resulted in one death and one injury.

It's quite absurd that the accident happened 6 years ago and the verdict was just made a few days ago. And there's more to this story. It's said that Tesla will appeal the relevant ruling...

This case directly exposes the imperfection and lag of legal basis. It also points out that Tesla's relevant technology is not 100% successful in practice, and once it goes wrong, it faces even higher risks.

So, it's hard not to be skeptical about Musk's official announcement that "Tesla owners will soon be able to play games on the in - car screen while using the FSD feature".

However, netizens' views are not unified. Many still believe that "the ultimate goal of autonomous driving is to liberate humans and should not be restricted".

More people who are worried think that "when the technology is not safe enough, it will encourage dangerous driving behavior, and the accident liability determination is not clear".

Some neutral people mainly consider that "it can be opened in specific scenarios, for example, only supported when the vehicle is moving at a low speed or in traffic jams"...

I wonder what you think of this problem. You can share your views in the comment section.

But I must add that currently, Tesla clearly states that for its FSD feature, "the driving responsibility still lies with the owner, and the owner must be ready to take over the vehicle at any time".

So, the official is also implicitly admitting that no matter how advanced the autonomous driving system is, it currently has limitations.

To put it more bluntly, no matter how much we praise it and how much you believe, in the end, if an accident happens, the responsibility is yours!

Up to this point, we don't really need to discuss further. We can have technological visions, but no matter how advanced and revolutionary the technology is, safety always comes first.

As an ordinary citizen, I'm willing to believe from a macro perspective of human technological development that Tesla will continue to make breakthroughs in relevant technologies. From a legal and regulatory perspective, I also look forward to the day when relevant departments will continuously refine and improve the relevant safety - responsibility division system.

If you ask me to be a volunteer, sorry, even a lousy life is still a life. Staying alive is more important than anything...

This article is from the WeChat public account "Tech Fox". Author: Fox Sister. Republished by 36Kr with permission.