Next year, BMW cars featuring the company’s latest iDrive infotainment system will have access to casual local multiplayer games through AirConsole. Occupants can control games on the car console’s screen with their smartphones. Requiring smartphones for AirConsole seems cumbersome. However, using phones as controllers allows users to play local multiplayer games on one screen, offering a couch-co-op experience while waiting in your car.
The only way to get a similar experience is to use a Nintendo Switch with the Joy-Cons disconnected and the screen fastened to the inside of the vehicle. Perhaps playing Mario Kart is preferable to playing a knockoff clone. However, an AirConsole subscription is likely cheaper than a Switch with a game if all passengers already own mobile devices. Last year, BMW unveiled its iDrive 8 system, which combines an instrument cluster display and touchscreen on a single curved 200ppi display. AirConsole will be another feature added to the infotainment system in 2023.
