Tesla cars to get playable Atari classics

There are some things you look for when buying a car – fuel consumption, availability of aftermarket parts, if it has wheels – and there are others you might not think of. Like if your Tesla includes Atari games in its system software or not.

Well, from the upcoming V9.0 update, the Tesla range will indeed feature classic titles such as Tempest, Missile Command, and Pole Position built-in, as revealed by Tesla founder Elon Musk.

Musk also said in a tweet he was hopeful Pole Position could be controlled by the actual car’s steering wheel – though only when the vehicle is stationary, for obvious reasons.

The games aren’t going to be part of the bullet point features list for Tesla’s range, instead included as Easter eggs in the vehicle’s software. It’s not hard to imagine somebody buying an entire car costing tens of thousands of pounds just because of nostalgia, though.

The V9.0 update, arriving in around four weeks, will see a range of actual car-related improvements, of course, though it’s unlikely to use any technology related to mini rescue submarines. It should also be noted that this is Musk making his hopes public, rather than specific confirmations – the Atari games will come to the car, things like the Pole Position steering wheel link might just be flights of fantasy.

In Atari news related to modern gaming, the firm completed funding of its Atari VCS hardware back in June, and will be revealing the new device – as well as its peripherals – at an unspecified point in the future.