Meet The Swiss Start-Up Bringing In-Car Gaming To BMW Drivers

 

When you're in your car, what do you do? The response is that you drive it less and less than you might think. According to the Swiss startup AirConsole, as much as 30% of people's time spent in cars will be spent interacting with content provided by the technology and entertainment system. The company is announcing today what it describes as a world-first partnership with BMW, in which its gaming technology will be installed in BMW vehicles.

Anthony Cliquot, CEO of AirConsole, asserts, "The car is the next living room."It is where we will play games and consume an increasing amount of our content. AirConsole is best known for developing technology that eliminates the need for specialized consoles by allowing users to use their smartphones as game controllers. Nearly 200 games that make use of this technology have been co-created by the company and more than 10,000 developers around the world. These games have been played by more than 15 million people so far.

AirConsole turned its attention to other locations where people have access to screens after seeing an increase in demand for its technology among consumers playing games on television screens at home. One obvious candidate was the automotive industry, where manufacturers have steadily improved in-car entertainment technology, including larger screens for displaying entertainment and navigation content.

Cliquot describes the partnership between AirConsole and BMW as having "completely made sense for both sides."We need to give you the chance to play games in your car.

As a result, BMW's automobiles will be outfitted with the technology necessary to accomplish this through AirConsole's partnership with the German automaker.AirConsole will make a selection of its games catalog available from the beginning of the alliance, allowing car drivers and passengers to use their phones to play games on the screens in their new BMWs.In either single-player or multi-player modes, players will be able to play with anyone in their care.

The AirConsole technology has already been incorporated into some of BMW's brand-new 7 Series vehicles, and the company plans to implement it across the remainder of its fleet by 2023. Through its BMW Startup Garage program, the automaker selected AirConsole as a partner. Importantly, gameplay will only be possible when cars are stationary. This is in part due to the obvious safety concerns: drivers must not be distracted while the vehicle is moving. However, connectivity is also a factor; in order to play the games, players will require a reliable and high-quality data connection.

However, Cliquot anticipates that AirConsole gamers will spend a lot of time playing games. He says that charging electric cars takes a long time, so gaming could be a way to pass the time at charging stations. In point of fact, there are a number of different reasons why people spend time in cars that aren't actually moving. Some of these reasons include waiting to pick up friends and family or dealing with journey delays and other obstacles.

Cliquot adds, "We think this will have really wide appeal."We are not specifically targeting gamers, but rather the much larger market of people who play games when they have some spare time.

Additionally, BMW is certain that its clients will value the innovation. Stephan Durach, senior vice president of BMW Group Connected Company Development, asserts, "This will make every waiting situation inside the vehicle, such as charging, a fun moment."

For the time being, AirConsole only has a deal with BMW, and the company pays BMW a fee for each new vehicle with its technology installed. However, Cliquot anticipates that other manufacturers will eventually follow suit. In fact, our objective here is to establish a new industry standard," he states. It is in everyone's best interest to establish vibrant gaming in the car ecosystem."

The possibilities for the future excite the partners as well.AirConsole has already begun developing solutions that would permit gaming while the vehicle is in motion, possibly by restricting participation to players who have screens in the back of the vehicle and devising novel approaches to the connectivity problem. AirConsole and BMW, on the other hand, see today's announcement as groundbreaking for the time being. They argue that using your smartphone as a controller is preferable to touchscreen-based games because it provides a superior experience while using a device that the majority of people already own.