We played Elden Ring on the Tesla Model S poster

Starting in late 2022, Tesla’s Model S and Model X will be able to access Steam — a Christmas update that fulfills Elon Musk’s old wish. It’s a logical development: the American company’s cars have been playing video games for years (we’ve already been able to). Kobokbasi). Steam integration is the next step in the sense that it allows you to offer hundreds of products at once from one application. It also accompanies the power boost of the two 100% electric cars, whose gaming performance is comparable to Sony’s PlayStation 5 (around 10 teraflops of power).

Numerama was able to test the Model S Plaid over the weekend, and we didn’t miss the opportunity to fire up Steam by simply entering our credentials. We played two titles: vampire survivors (quick to install) and Elden Ring (a good client to test the power). Despite the fact that it’s called beta, given the technical issues we encountered during our various tests, the feature generally won us over.

The Tesla Model S Plaid is a four-wheel steamroller (or $140,000)

The first steps towards the Steam version of the Model S Plaid are quite promising. We find the large icons and interface layout of Steam Deck, Valve’s portable console. And for good reason: it’s exactly the same except for icons and dictionaries. This leads to nonsense in the settings when we are offered, for example, to format an SD card (you can’t insert an SD card into the car) or manage an external display (you can’t connect an external display to the car). In short, updates will be required to make this Steam version 100% designed for the Tesla ecosystem, if there are ergonomic grounds.

Especially since it raises questions for suitable games. Note that Steam Deck cannot play 100% of the catalog. Valve has built a system to inform players about the status of each game with buttons. They are also found in the Tesla, but are more powerful than Valve’s portable console and are not affected by certain limitations (for example: the screen is larger). In short, if the game is identified as unplayable on the Steam version of the car, try it anyway (you never know).

The lack of in-app performance optimization is also noticeable. Black screen, slowdowns in navigation (although everything is different), a bug that restarts the machine, an unresponsive controller… This first version of Steam must have technical difficulties, which is to be indifferent about the promise. . On the other hand, with the option to bet on the DualSense controller for the accessory that Tesla will recommend, we will be a little less. It overlaps several control schemes: Sony buttons in the interface, and Xbox buttons in games. In search of universality and clarity, it was better to choose Microsoft’s pad.

Elden Ring is really cool in Tesla

When we forget that Steam is still only in the beta stage, we have to understand that despite all the inconveniences, the gaming conditions are excellent. The definition is based on two strengths of the Model S Plaid.

• The first is the gorgeous display. Play on the plate cinematography The 17-inch (2,200 x 1,300 pixels) offers undeniable comfort with pretty colors and enough brightness in the program (which is important because we play outside). Combined with a sound system better than many living rooms (22 speakers for 960 watts of power), it delivers the show and makes you want to extend your downtime at Supercharger (time flies when you’re playing).

• Another argument of the Model S Plaid is in the declared power. 10 onboard teraflops allow the car to run Elden Ring With graphics and fluidity worthy of FromSoftware’s masterpiece. However, the initial settings, which are too high by default, need to be slightly tightened. We recommend switching to “medium” to get a more consistent framerate (we noticed a few drops) without making a real sacrifice in graphical fidelity. Either way, prove the benefits: we were able to beat the first boss of a demanding RPG with a character on almost basic level. Whether Elden Ring Had things gone wrong at Tesla, we wouldn’t have succeeded despite our great talent.

vampire survivors, it runs flawlessly. The opposite would be surprising, since we are talking about a less demanding game. Even when he transforms into a superhero who deals devastating powers to hundreds of enemies, the performance remains high. On paper, we can play anything on the Tesla Model S Plaid, knowing we can buy games from the integrated store. The last bit of good news: using the same account as on your computer, you’ll find your backups in the cloud.

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