As electric vehicles continue to proliferate, manufacturers are forced to continue searching for ways to keep the driver entertained while their EV is getting charged. Obviously, in-car gaming is quickly becoming one of the most popular options in the era of big infotainment systems, a trend that was started by Tesla. BMW jumped on the bandwagon last year when it decided to team up with Zurich-based startup N-Dream to introduce its could-based AirConsole gaming platform inside the automaker’s latest vehicles.
Almost a year after the announcement was made, BMW has said that it will be attending the Gamescon, Europe’s leading trade fair for digital games culture, which starts today in the German city of Cologne. A tricked-out version of the new i5 will be displayed at the show by BMW along with AirConsole, which will demonstrate all the entertaining gaming options that soon be offered on the iDrive 8. The highlight is an in-car gaming version of the hugely popular “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” television game.
Based on the award-winning game show, the in-car version will offer single- and multiplayer experiences and can be played using both BMW’s central touchscreen and the occupants’ smartphone. The AirConsole version of the game is the first to be developed for in-car use “With AirConsole we bring a great platform for casual in-car gaming into our vehicles, which continuously pushes for new, entertaining experiences. Adding ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’ is a perfect example of that,” said Stephan Durach, Senior Vice President of BMW Group Connected Company Development.
BMW says the all-new title will be added to the AirConsole app at some point in 2024 and will become available on BMW and MINI vehicles. The vehicles that are currently compatible with AirConsole include the 7 Series and iX manufactured from March 2023, along with the X5 / X5 M, X6 / X6 M, and X7 assembled from April 2023 onwards. Additionally, all XM vehicles built from this month onwards will also be compatible with the in-car gaming app.
