Nowadays when we think of innovations and exemplary out of the box thinking, Tesla is one of the first companies that comes to mind. Elon Musk has made a name for himself for constantly launching exciting products and his most recent addition is no exception.
Tesla is on a journey to expand its market and to deliver the unique services that no one else can offer. By launching Tesla Arcade the company took another step in that direction and now they’ve added a feature that offers casino games to the passengers.
Tesla Arcade and its services
Tesla Arcade, which offers the drivers the option to enjoy various games on the dashboard located in the car will now be branching out to also offer real money casino games.
The company partnered up with a Chinese game developer Tencent who actually owns 5% of Tesla. Together with Tencent, Tesla will be launching the most recent addition to its arcade exclusively in China.
According to the official statements, Tesla will deliver to its customers Mahjong and two poker variations from Tencent. There are rumors that the two types of poker games will cover two of the most popular versions, Texas Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha. Since Tencent already has its own app called Tencent Poker, we will likely see their already existing poker game in Tesla, although it has not been confirmed just yet. Tesla has an opportunity to bring real money casino games to a big market where the need for this type of entertainment is very prominent.
A very important feature of this update is that you can only access the Tesla arcade when the car is parked and you can access all the entertainment by the touch screen. There is even an option to connect wired game controllers to play in the car. It goes without saying that the Tesla Arcade also offers all the popular chat apps and streaming services and this feature has been loved by many Tesla owners. And besides casino games, the arcade offers an impressive variety of different games ranging from the old school classics like Asteroids, Missile Command, Centipede and Super Breakout as well as some modern fan-favorites like Fallout: Shelter and Cuphead. It also has more tame games, puzzles and even other card games.
While Tesla cars are already distinguished enough, this particular feature really sets it apart from the rest. Tesla Arcade will likely become one of the favorite features of the future customers, while those in China who have loved gambling but have often been restricted by the regulations can finally enjoy a game while parked comfortably in their Tesla.
Possible challenges to the product
Launching this new feature in China was definitely a controversial move on the company’s part. In China attitudes toward gambling are not very positive and this could stir up some feathers. The crackdown from the Chinese government on gambling venues has greatly decreased the popularity of the industry and real money games are illegal on the mainland, with most of the people reserving to Macau, where gambling is actually legal to gamble.
Social apps have become the main source for the locals to gamble without having to travel to Macau. In recent years we’ve seen a major rise in the adoption rate of these online games and likely Tesla is aiming its newest feature to satisfy the needs of those who dont always want to travel to gamble.
Why China was the perfect place for Tesla Arcade
This innovation could even bring a whole new demographic involved with casino games and it will likely help to popularize the industry even more. While the general attitudes towards gambling in China are definitely more strict this new addition manages to deliver the games without violating any rules.
Since the Tesla Arcade will only be accessed by the adults it is likely that the backlash won’t be massive, even though there’s a big chance that Tesla will have to defend itself at some point if it wants to continue operating smoothly in China.
China is actually a great place to launch a product like this, because of the emerging upper class there that likes to indulge in luxury. Much like all of Tesla products, it combines practicality with fun and innovation which is a primary reason for its overwhelming success on the market. This new feature might soon become an industry standard but the one that many will fail to reach. The entertainment aspect of it mixed with the convenience really makes it a worthy experience.
