Tesla Debuts Steering Wheel-Controlled Pole Position Game Easter Egg For Model 3 And Model S
Call it a sign of the times we live in, but even automobiles contain Easter Eggs, apparently. That's true of Tesla's Model 3, Model S, and Model X electric vehicles, all of which have a hidden game after applying the latest firmware update (9.0.2018.48.12). Fittingly, that game is Pole Position, a retro racing title.
Tesla founder Elon Musk flat out said that some "super fun Easter Eggs" were headed to all Model S/3/X vehicles before the holidays. "Romance mode, toilet humor, and more video games," Musk promised on Twitter at the end of the November. Now just a couple of weeks later, he and his company have made good on that promise.
There's a twist to the Pole Position game. It's actually called Mars Madness as implemented in the supported vehicles, because that's where the racing game takes place. Just before the race begins, a Falcon 9 rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX, another company Musk founded, zooms across the horizon.
The latest Tesla update adds support for TeslAtari Game Controllers via the front vehicle USB port, though Model S/3/X owners can play Pole Position Mars Madness using their vehicle's actual steering wheel. That's pretty rad.
"Drive a Tesla around Mars in the TeslAtari version of Pole Position. to play when your car is in Park, turn your steering wheel to maneuver, press the brake pedal to adjust speed, and use the scroll wheels to shift gears," Tesla explains. "As with all TeslAtari games, you can play by tapping the Tesla 'T' at the top center of the touchscreen, then tap the Atari logo in your Easter Egg tray and select your desired game from the drop down menu."
The latest update also introduces a Romance Mode, which plays a video of a fireplace on the car's LCD screen. You know, just in case you find a place to park and want to get cozy with that special someone. It's probably best not to combine that one with the new Fart Mode, which is exactly as it sounds—you can simulate fart noise (though thankfully not fart smells).
Yes folks, it's a whole new world we live in.
