zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Tech
/
The New BMW 5 Series Can Play Your Kid’s iPad Games, But Worse
The New BMW 5 Series Can Play Your Kid’s iPad Games, But Worse-May 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:23

Passengers play a video game on the 2024 BMW 5 Series display through AirConsole.

In-car gaming is one of those things that manufacturers want to believe will really take off, in spite of the fact we haven’t seen much evidence to support it. Mobile and “casual” games seem like a decent fit, but then people already have access to those on their devices. Then there’s Tesla, for all those times you want to spend two hours in a parking lot playing The Witcher III. None of it sounds very enticing, but what the hell — BMW wants in, and the will be able to support a spot of light gaming in partnership with a service called AirConsole.

is basically an app that houses a bunch of games, many of them multiplayer and indie titles, that you can access with a subscription. That sort of makes it like Apple Arcade, except unlike Apple Arcade, AirConsole allows you to project the game to a dedicated display while players use their own devices as controllers. The idea with the new 5 Series is that players will see the game on their car’s infotainment screen, but use a phone or tablet, paired via QR code, to control their experience.

If you’re a parent stuck in the car with your kids — and the car isn’t moving, to be clear— you’ll be able to pass the time with a range of “so-called casual games,” as . One of those happens to be Overcooked, a co-op staple:

With AirConsole, players can play so-called casual games. These are games that are easy to pick up and play and intuitive to control. The selection available for the market introduction of the new BMW 5 Series saloon includes racing, sports, quiz and music quiz games as well as simulation, strategy, jump-and-run and puzzle games. The 15 or so titles available to play from the start include “Go Kart Go”, “Golazo”, “Music Guess” and “Overcooked”. The portfolio of available games will be continually expanded.

A passenger selects a video game on the 2024 BMW 5 Series display through AirConsole.

tried a demo of the feature themselves, and found the performance satisfactory. Games are small enough to be downloaded from the cloud, then stored and run on local hardware inside the car.

The thing is, the 5 Series’ display isn’t that much larger than an iPad’s. And since chances are you or your child already has games on their tablet, what exactly is the benefit here? AirConsole offers limited, ad-supported access to some titles for free, but requires a $24 yearly subscription or $8 per month to explore its full library with the maximum number of players. One reviewer on the gave the service three stars, with a ringing endorsement to end all others: “The only thing is, there aren’t many good games.”

Jalopnik reached out to BMW to inquire about pricing, and more specifically if the automaker will issue a separate charge on top of AirConsole’s own. While the company isn’t offering full details yet, a representative did say AirConsole is “included in the 5 Series ConnectedDrive Professional for one year, and after that can be activated flexibly for a charge.” This seems like one of these take-or-leave luxuries on a road trip, but they’re not a heavy lift for BMW’s in-car hardware, and someone might subscribe to them. So, here they are.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Tech
Parking Aids on Amazon Are About As Good as You’d Expect
Parking Aids on Amazon Are About As Good as You’d Expect
Owning and driving an older car is pretty cool in a lot of ways. There’s the , of course, or maybe it’s , or maybe you just like you get in it, or perhaps, like most of us at one point or another, buying a new car just isn’t...
May 26, 2026
GM CFO Says Its Software Will at Least Be 'Equally as Compelling' as CarPlay
GM CFO Says Its Software Will at Least Be 'Equally as Compelling' as CarPlay
General Motors has certainly received some blowback for its decision to in its future electric cars, but it’s sticking to its guns. The company’s head of software, Scott Miller, has made it clear he believes customers are upset over losing phone projection , not because they love it. On...
May 26, 2026
Buy This Special Edition Mercedes EQS and Get a Free Electric Scooter, For a Year
Buy This Special Edition Mercedes EQS and Get a Free Electric Scooter, For a Year
California in the U.S.. But its southern half (also the warmer half) is home to many of those EVs. Frankly, it has to be fairly important, since Mercedes is giving the region its own special edition of the . But that’s not all. Not only will buyers get their...
May 26, 2026
Dead: Chevy Bolt EV and Bolt EUV
Dead: Chevy Bolt EV and Bolt EUV
Less than a year ago, there was some evidence that the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV , with GM making its EVs on a new platform and the Bolt’s sales never quite being so hot and also that . On Tuesday, GM made it official: Production for the Bolt...
May 26, 2026
Toyota Wants You to Think of PHEVs as 'Practical Electric Vehicles'
Toyota Wants You to Think of PHEVs as 'Practical Electric Vehicles'
Billions being into , yet Toyota, so far, is standing firm in its belief that EVs aren’t the only answer to the future of transportation. that while the company is getting ready for the new to hit dealer lots, Toyota is also making moves to convince more buyers plug-in...
May 26, 2026
Bi-Directional EV Charging May Become a Requirement in California
Bi-Directional EV Charging May Become a Requirement in California
Officials are starting to realize the power potential that EVs have. As global warming brings more extreme weather, EVs can potentially be used to bolster the power grid in some states with blackout-prone grids. One state that has recognized the potential for this is California; reports a bill is...
May 26, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved