Volkswagen announced plans on Monday to make the AirConsole video game platform available in its cars starting in September.
The automaker said the first recipients would be the ID.3, ID.4, ID.5 and ID.7 electric vehicles, as well as the latest versions of the Golf, Passat and Tiguan.
However, the feature will initially only be available in a few European countries. Availability in the US was not mentioned in Monday’s announcement.
BMW is another automaker that offers AirConsole’s gaming platform in its cars, such as the latest 5 Series.
The gaming platform allows occupants to play games on the vehicle’s infotainment screen, including in multiplayer format, using a connected smartphone as a controller. The system only works when the vehicle is stationary, making it an excellent option for electric vehicle owners as it can keep the kids occupied during long charging times.
AirConsole is an app developed by Swiss company N-Dream. According to their website, there are currently 137 games available, some of which are exclusive to the platform. The selection is huge, including educational games with quizzes or word guessing games, as well as classics like Tetris and some that look a lot like Nintendo’s Mario Kart. The games are free to play, but there are also subscriptions that offer benefits such as being able to connect with more players, skipping ad breaks, offering an expanded portfolio of titles, and more.
