Tesla to pull plug on letting drivers play video games after federal investigation
CNN
Tesla reversed course Thursday and will no longer allow video games to be played on its cars' touchscreens when they are in motion, bowing to an investigation of the feature by federal safety regulators.
"Following the opening of a preliminary evaluation of Tesla's 'Passenger Play,' Tesla informed the agency that it is changing the functionality of this feature," said a statement from a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration spokesperson late Thursday. "In a new software update, 'Passenger Play' will now be locked and unusable when the vehicle is in motion."
The documentation for the investigation, disclosed Wednesday by the NHTSA, said the feature, known as "Passenger Play," has been available to drivers since December 2020. The games appear on the large touchscreen in the center of the dashboard. While the name suggests it is intended to be played by passengers, nothing prevented drivers from playing while the car is being driven, according to the documentation associated with the investigation.
