Renowned car manufacturer Bayerische Motoren Werke, more colloquially referred to as BMW, partnered with AirConsole to launch their new electronic BMW 5 series. The collaboration aims to release Bayerische Motoren Werke’s first modernized car line that allows drivers to play video games on its dashboard.
AirConsole is a gaming platform developed by N-Dream that allows users to play video games through any central screen while cell phones act as the controller. That same technology will be implemented into the BMW 5 Series that will give potential drivers an entertainment system similar to that of a television screen, but from the comfort of your car. Previously, AirConsole worked with Bayerische Motoren Werke on a similar project, although this recent partnership will have a new integration that will provide future drivers a multiplayer function to the in-car gaming system. Bayerische Motoren Werke markets this new feature as a way of passing time while waiting for the BMW 5 Series car to reach full battery at the charging station. Both companies have ensured that safety was their main priority, however, as they designed the system to only run when the vehicle is stationary.
The way that the system works is that players would start the AirConsole app built into the vehicle, connect their smartphones to the car by scanning a QR code, then get straight to gaming on the BMW Curved Display. There are about fifteen different titles available with the BMW 5 Series that range from racing games to puzzle games. Some titles that are included are Go Kart Go, Overcooked, and Golazo. As time passes, Bayerische Motoren Werke and AirConsole hope to expand the car’s library to offer their drivers a diverse library.
“With AirConsole we will leverage innovative technologies combined with a broad variety of fun and multiplayer games. This will make every waiting situation inside the vehicle, such as charging, an enjoyable moment,” commented Senior Vice President BMW Group Connected Company Development, Stephan Durach.
In addition, the BMW Group Design will be presenting a BMW i5 with a gaming wrap aesthetic exclusively launching alongside the BMW 5 Series. The design features large pixels that refer back to iconic eight bit computer games and utilizes a color scheme inspired by AirConsole’s platform.
With most modern vehicles having built-in touch screens and entertainment systems, many saw this as the next step. Other car manufacturers such as Tesla and Mercedes have their own lines of cars that bring video game titles to their vehicles, and Bayerische Motoren Werke wanted to provide devoted audience that same experience. Considering the growing gaming market, in particular, mobile gaming becoming increasingly more prolific, Bayerische Motoren Werke saw this as an opportunity to appeal to the concept of using mobile devices to play video games in their cars. Since most mobile games are designed to be interacted with through a touchscreen and the in-car touchscreens being limited in some functionalities, having passengers use their mobile phones as controllers was the perfect solution to this issue.
In the future, Bayerische Motoren Werke and AirConsole plan to implement this feature into other car lines. For now, though, it is exclusively in the BMW 5 Series line.