Tesla has released its traditional holiday software update and there is a lot for drivers of its cars to get excited about. In addition to improvements to the driving experience, there are new games for its in-car arcade platform and, most eye-catchingly, a Boombox feature that makes it possible to play audio through a vehicle's external speakers. Not everything that was planned, however, was readied in time for roll-out.
Tesla releases over-the-air updates to its cars on a regular basis, with improvements being made and new features being added via the software that runs them. According to the Tesla software tracker Teslascope, there have been 130 updates in 2020, many being very minor or simple bug fixes. The annual holiday update tends to include more major features, though, and typically some more fun ones, such as last year's addition of Stardew Valley to the in-car gaming platform.
This year's holiday update, 2020.48.26, is no different, with the addition of three new games and the Boombox feature, but Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that not the firm couldn't get all the planned inclusions completed in time for roll-out and that, as a result, there is "more stuff coming." Musk was replying to a tweet contending that the update didn't justify the two fire emojis with which he had previously characterized it.
Tesla 2020 Holiday Update Details
The Boombox feature allows drivers of Tesla vehicles with Pedestrian Warning Speakers to play media externally when parked — playing music at a tailgate party, for example. In addition, the update also makes it possible to customize the sound made when pressing the horn, driving, or moving in Summon mode. Musk suggested with emojis in a tweet that users might upload goat, snake, saxophone, or 'wind' noises. Indeed, the existing just-for-fun Emissions Testing Mode feature, which plays fart noises, can now also be used with the external speakers.
The games added include The Battle of Polytopia, in which players must use strategy to lead a civilization to victory by expanding their empire and researching new technologies. Cat Quest is an adventure game in which players must "Leap into a grand adventure of dragons, magic and cats in purr-suit of the evil Drakoth and your catnapped sister" and the classic card game Solitaire has also been added with three different versions.
Elsewhere, Tesla's driving visualization has been refreshed with more details of what is nearby, the Scheduled Departure can now ready the battery and cabin conditions for a specific time, and more information is now provided via the Supercharger display, including pins that show the number of available stalls at charging sites. A host of more minor tweaks are also included in the update.
Source: Teslascope