5 Series Gets Its Own Console

Sat 3rd Jun 2023

BMW drivers in the future could enjoy the thrills and spills of go-karting, without their vehicle actually moving an inch after the German brand introduced in-car gaming to the new 5 Series.

For the in-car gaming experience, the players simply need their smartphone, which acts as a controller, and the BMW Curved Display. After starting the AirConsole app in the vehicle, the connection between the smartphone and the vehicle is intuitively established by scanning a QR code on the curved display.

Then players can get straight down to playing. The AirConsole app supports multiple players simultaneously. The rear passengers can also participate in the in-car gaming fun during stops. In general, it is possible to play alone, with all vehicle occupants together, or in competition mode.

Here are some of the features of the AirConsole:

There is no need for any special hardware. All you need is a smartphone or tablet and a car with a screen.
Wide variety of games. There are over 100 games available on the AirConsole, including racing games, party games, and puzzle game
Easy to use. Simply connect your smartphone or tablet to the car's Wi-Fi network and launch the AirConsole app.
Affordable. AirConsole is a free service, but you can purchase additional games if you want.

With the AirConsole, players can play so-called casual games. These are games that are easy to pick up, easy to 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.To celebrate the launch of in-car gaming, the BMW Group is presenting a BMW i5 with a unique gaming wrap. Its design symbolises diving into the gaming experience down to the individual pixels.

The large pixels are clearly recognisable as an homage to the now-iconic 8-bit era of computer games. The colour scheme takes its inspiration from the various games available on the AirConsole platform. Elements of video game controllers wrap around the i5 and thus pick up on the unique solution for in-car gaming with AirConsole, where the smartphone becomes the controller and puts all the game-play options at the players’ fingertips.