Games for Tesla are a reality to be discovered
On Tesla you play games, watch movies and TV series and can even drive on Mars. In fact, there are many unique functions and unprecedented technological solutions present on the car, even if at times they are slightly playful and accessory additions. Among these are the now famous Easter Egg, or the hidden features and playful "teases" present in all Tesla cars. Incidentally, all of these features are, by nature, nerd-friendly. Starting from Tesla games, i.e. they are playable on the car screen, but there are also small references to the geek and nerd world and much more. So let's find out how to customize and take advantage of our Tesla car like real nerds!
Small disclaimer: all the proposed customizations, unless otherwise specified, are valid for all Tesla models, from 3 to X passing through the S and the brand new Y, arriving next year.
- Tesla Theater and Tesla Arcade: the "Entertainment" section
- Personalize a Tesla starting with the name: 42 and Patsy
- The Toybox, the meeting place for all Tesla Easter Eggs
- Sketchpad
- Santa Mode
- Mars Mode
- Romance Mode
- Rainbow Mode
- Tesla: playing with sounds. Here comes Boombox
- Emission Testing Mode
- Trax Mode
- Tesla car: the hidden features
- Not just games and Easter Eggs: Tesla, 007 and the winter dance
- Tesla App and Back to the Future
- Tesla: many possibilities and games that are always updated
Tesla Theater and Tesla Arcade: the "Entertainment" section
Tesla is one of the most talked about and well-known car manufacturers in the world. A very young reality, born in 2003 and which in just under 20 years has made itself known as one of the most modern and eccentric Houses of the world landscape. The company of Elon Musk, together with ever better car models and ever higher sales numbers, he never abandoned that “strangeness” which has distinguished it for some time now.
Let's start with a really important component to have on an electric car, namely the entertainment. Waits for fast charging often exceed half an hour, while at least two hours must be taken into account for the "classic" columns. Then find gods ways to spend quality time inside your own machine is increasingly important. In fact, not everyone wants to walk or have lunch while charging, and so more and more car manufacturers are looking for a way to entertain the occupants.
Honda, for example, has an HDMI socket and a domestic 230V socket, so that you can use your new PS5 or Amazon Fire Stick inside to play or watch a TV series while waiting for it to be fully recharged. Tesla instead launched two services within its new Entertainment section: Tesla Theater and Tesla Arcade. The first allows you to watch different video streaming platforms and more, while the second collects various more or less demanding games. Both services don't need additional peripherals to work: they are included in the on-board operating system.
Tesla Theater: the screen becomes a multimedia center with videos and films
The first component of the Entertainment section is the Tesla Theater. As the name already explains, literally Teatro Tesla, inside Tesla Theater you can see shows, or TV series, movies and videos available on the most popular platforms. All of course ONLY when the car is stationary: safety first!
The Tesla Theater comes constantly updated with new video platforms, new content and features. We must not forget the web browser presence, which allows you to view any content as on a normal PC. In this way you can even watch RAI Play or DAZN comfortably seated on your Tesla. Safely parked, please.
Tesla Arcade - games to pass the time
Alongside video streaming services, however, there is also another beloved pastime for those of us who love technology: i video games. Although for now there is no possibility to play the most popular titles such as GTA V, Assassin's Creed, FIFA or the much talked about Cyberpunk 2077, within the Tesla Arcade catalog there are several really interesting games for Tesla.
There are more than 15 video games available on Tesla and many of them are sure to bring tears to fans of 80s arcade games. Not surprisingly, the space dedicated to video games on Teslas is called its own Tesla Arcade.
Within the service you go by legendary games, such as Asteroids and Super Breakout, to newer video games, such as Fallout Shelter or the awesome Cuphead, Via classic games like Backgammon and chess.
Tesla Arcade also offers three types of “controllers”:
- For simpler games Tesla recommends using the touch screen as if we were playing from a tablet.
- For slightly more demanding games a USB controller can be connected to the car. Yes, you heard right: with a USB controller of a console in your car you can play Cuphead or Asteroids, crazy.
- For driving games you can use the steering wheel and pedals of the car to play. Absurd right? By steering, accelerating and braking you will be able to play smoothly, and the most amazing thing is that the wheels of your real Tesla will turn according to your inputs! Really crazy.
For fans of Lost finally there is a piccolo Easter Egg in the game of Backgammon. In fact, once the game has started, the famous numbers appear at the bottom right of the game board 4 8 15 16 23 42. Clearer than that!
Personalize a Tesla starting with the name: 42 and Patsy
Let's put the Tesla games aside and move on to Easter Eggs. In fact, Elon Musk has always professed himself as deeply nerd and lover of the culture of the 70s and 80s and this leads us to have many little gems inspired by this world. And to find them we start from name!
In fact, every Tesla can be renamed at the owner's convenience: a friend of mine called his Tesla “Subaru Baracca” for example, but the imagination has no limits (apart from the obvious bad words or curses). Tesla did put in though two small "surprises" if you rename your specimen with particular names.
The first Easter Egg appears rnaming our Tesla with the number 42. By entering "42" with the keyboard, in fact, the name of our car will change to Life, the Universe and Everything. This is a reference to the famous novel by Douglas Adams "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Intergalactic", where 42 is the answer to all man's existential questions: Life, the Universe and all things.
A slightly less cultured and sci-fi quote is the one behind renaming your Tesla as Patsy. In fact, if you give this name to your Tesla, a giant bare foot will appear to crush all the interface. This is a reference to Monty Python, legendary English comedy group that has one of its recurring gags in Cupid's foot. Patsy instead derives from a character in the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. This is the name of a servant of King Arthur, whose main job is to… pretend the gallop of the King's horse with two halves of a coconut.
The Toybox, the meeting place for all Tesla Easter Eggs
In the early years of the latest Teslas such as Model S and X, to be able to "free" all the Easter Eggs it was necessary to use different techniques, a bit like cheats in GTA-style video games. Some of these hidden features were "unlocked" by clicking the same button several times, or by holding down an item in the various menus, or by using voice commands.
Today, however, Tesla has taken some magic out of its Easter Eggs, and it has them grouped in one place, the Toybox. The latter is a real one section of the Tesla menus, the “Toy Box”, where you can find all these fun features. Let's find out together what the Toybox contains.
Sketchpad
The simplest and most immediate way to enjoy Tesla technology is Sketchpad, Or the sketch pad. By selecting the Sketchpad function in the Toybox, the entire touch screen of Model S, 3, X or Y becomes a blank canvas where you can draw with your finger. A simple but very nice feature, very useful for entertaining the little ones.
Santa Mode
The second mode is a little more substantial, the Santa Mode, the "Santa mode”. This can be activated from the Toybox or by saying "Ho-ho-ho" to the voice command. In any case, once loaded the car reproduced in the infotainment will no longer be your Tesla, but the Santa's Sleigh!
The sled will also stay in place of your car in the AutoPilot directions, on whose screen it will start a to snow. And always on the same screen, the cars around you will become cute reindeer Christmas.
Really very apt for the Christmas period!
Mars Mode: how to drive your own Tesla on Mars
Similar to the Santa Mode there is also the Mars Mode, the "Mars mode”. By selecting this mode from the ToyBox, the car inside the navigator will become a small one mars rover.
The entire map will be transformed into the surface of Mars on which the little Mars Rover will move according to your movements in the real world. An Easter Egg that is a bit of an end in itself, but very fun!
Romance Mode: for true romantics
You are in the middle of an appointment and you want create the right atmosphere? Tesla has thought of you, and for the occasion he has foreseen the Romance Mode. Once the “Romance Mode” is selected from the Toybox, the screen will strip away all the usual information to play only a romantic bonfire.
The touch of class is to be found in the heating which is activated and gently blows warm air on the passengers to "warm up" the atmosphere... un'auto da veri latin lover!
Rainbow Mode: for those who love Super Mario
Could not miss a quote from the universe of Super Mario, and so here is the Rainbow Mode. It can only be activated if AutoSteer is active.
This mode is activated from the Toybox or by pulling the shift lever down 4 times on Model 3 and S, or by pulling the Autopilot stick towards you 4 times on Model S or X. road traveled by the car that you see on the Tesla AutoPilot reproduction will become rainbow color, just like in Mario Kart.
Tesla: playing with sounds. Here comes Boombox
As described a few days ago by our Stefano, the Tesla operating system update has been rolled out since Christmas day, which has added a new feature to cars equipped with external speakers: the Boombox. This allows play a marching sound, as has been mandatory for some time for electric cars.
On Tesla, however, this sound is customizable, as is the horn: they can be replaced with different sounds. You can reproduce the sound of the ice cream truck, or replace the horn with applause, the Cucaracha or… a fart.
They can also be added up to 5 custom sounds via USB, or play the audio source you are listening to externally. I can already see you in the city center making everyone listen Rivers of Jalisse Words…
Emission Testing Mode
There are other possibilities within the Toybox. The first is perhaps the most nonsense but also the funniest of all, the Emission Testing Mode. The "Emission Control mode" in fact allows you to reproduce different types of farts inside the car. You can choose to play them on command, from which seat to make them come, to play them randomly or even to replace the sound of the arrows with nice farts.
You can even choose the type of fart: it cannot be said that Tesla is not a House with a sense of humor.
This is also our Fjona's favorite mode… who knows why I think none of you were surprised!
Trax Mode
The last possibility offered by the Toybox is the Trax Mode. This tries to find a solution to the growing demand for things to do while charging, and allows you to… engrave pieces from the car's on-board system.
No, really. You can create, edit, remix and customize songs, audio files, recordings, even podcasts! Your Tesla (when stationary, of course) becomes a console. Really quirky, but very interesting.
Tesla car: the hidden features
Sentry mode
We close with the features contained in the Toybox, arriving at other hidden features. Who has never dreamed of having one inside the car true sentry mode? To monitor everything and stay calm even when you park your Tesla outside, there is the Sentry Mode.
This “Sentinel” mode is one of the most useful, since allows the car to use the different external cameras, present for autonomous driving and parking assistance, to continuously record everything that happens outside the car. Thieves, vandals, even just dogs that pee every morning: with Sentry Mode you will see it. It is also possible download all the “incriminating” videos onto a USB stick, in order to use them in legal (and not) offices.
Dog Mode, the Dog Mode
Another really nice feature that all animal-loving nerds will appreciate is the Dog Mode. This mode can be activated from the screen dedicated to air conditioning, where next to On and Off is the Dog mode.
This mode allows you to leave and lock the car leaving your dog inside, but keeping the air conditioning running. In this way, the dog will be cool and safe from heat strokes that can really hurt our furry friends.
The special feature in this case is again the message that appears on the touch screen. In fact, once the car is closed, a huge appears stylized big dog that wags its tail happilywith the inscription "My master will be back soon. Don't worry! The air conditioning is on and set at xx °C”. So even those who pass by your Tesla will not be frightened.
Camp Mode
The next modality is aimed at all those who like to go camping, and in fact it is called Camp Mode. The "camping mode" is very interesting. In fact, it allows you to stay inside the car and to use on-board lights, climate control, Sentry Mode and seat movement without affecting the car's range.
This mode in fact, it limits the energy demands of the car so you don't run dry after a night of camping. Camp mode is activated from the climate menu, and is active until 20% battery remaining. Below this threshold, the car deactivates all on-board systems to allow you to return home safely.
Then there is a Hidden Easter Egg in Camping Mode. Indeed, after 10 minutes of inactivity, the car's central screen will play a video of a campsite immersed in a forest with tent, two chairs and a campfire. Inside the campsite, however, they are found hidden the Dog Mode pooch, a Tesla logo and, in the distance, the silhouette of the much talked about Cybertruck, the Tesla pickup coming in the next few years.
Not just games and Easter Eggs: Tesla, 007 and the winter dance
It's okay there toy box, the nice use of voice commands is fine, but one of the first ways to find Easter Eggs inside Tesla has always been theuse of the Tesla logo on the center screen. In fact, on every Tesla infotainment system at the top center is the T, the logo of the House.
Holding down the T for 5 seconds enters the "dealer" mode, where an Access Code is requested. By entering access codes, dealers can check the cars or set them for showroom use or maintenance mode. But how to miss the opportunity to exploit this thing for some funny jokes?
The Lotus Esprit submarine of 007
The first hidden content is really fun, and refers to the legendary films of James bond. However, this "trick" is present only on Tesla Model S and X equipped with air suspension and with adjustable height. In fact, by inserting the number "007”, our Tesla will turn into the car management screens in the Lotus Esprit “submarine” featured in the film The Spy Who Loved Me.
Not only that: in fact, when you try to raise or lower the car there will no longer be the different levels, but the depth in alloys, as if he really has to go under water. A simple but effective Easter Egg.
The "dance" on the notes of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
The last feature available through the Tesla logo is the Party Mode o Holiday Dance, the “Holiday Dance”. This is only available for Tesla Model X, the large SUV of the Californian House with Falcon wings, the “falcon wing” opening doors.
By writing “Holiday” or “ModelXMas” in the Access Code the car will tell you to get out of the car, close all the doors and lock the doors with the key or with the smartphone. Once done, this will happen.
A dance that use headlights, LEDs, doors and light effects to put on an incredible show.
All accompanied by the composition Wizards in Winter by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. A scenic impact guaranteed.
Tesla App and Back to the Future
On Tesla vehicles there are only Easter Eggs on the infotainment screen, indeed. Tesla could then not insert a reference to a milestone of Western culture such as Back to the Future? Of course not, although it is a little smaller and thinner than one might expect. In fact, it is not present in any mode of the car, and on any screen, but rather uses the smartphone app to manage your Tesla.
To find the Back to the Future reference, the car needs to have 121 km of autonomy. Not one more, not one less. Once you reach the "magic figure", entering the app click on the battery icon.
From that moment, the name of the car will change to OUTATIME (like the DeLorean license plate from the movie), the battery will turn yellow and with the nuclear symbol inside and the indication of 1,21 GW of power. Furthermore, scrolling to the bottom you will see how the date of the next service will be November 5, 1955 at 6 in the morning. All very beautiful and very evocative for fans of Marty McFly.
Tesla: many possibilities and games that are always updated
As we have seen, at Tesla they leave nothing to chance. The American House has spent a lot of energy and effort in trying to make each of their models more fun and light-hearted. By doing so they made the Tesla the nerd heaven, where you can play, discover Easter Eggs or hidden features and take advantage of technology to have no limits.
The beauty is that Tesla with each new release of its operating system adds many new features. Example is theChristmas update 2020, which gave birth to the Boombox and all its subsequent uses. As the good ones say, then, Stay Tuned for our new insights on the Tesla and infotainment issue. I'm sure we'll see lots of new stuff soon, knowing that crazy Elon Musk.
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