Volvo has joined forces with Epic Games, the company that created the Fortnite franchise, to give its next-generation cars a faster infotainment system with vastly improved graphics. Using technology from the game world promises to unlock a long list of new features.
Don’t expect a Fortnite-themed screen in the XC90’s replacement; the cooperation does not go that far. Volvo explained that it will use the Unreal Engine, a real-time 3D creation tool developed for industries outside the gaming world, to develop the digital interface it will program in future additions to its range. With this technology, it can deliver richer colors, sharper renderings and new 3D animations.
Good graphics aren’t worth much if the software is tedious to use, so Volvo will power its next infotainment system with the third-generation Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms designed by Qualcomm. We have been told that the end result is a system that is more than twice as fast as the one Volvo currently uses, with graphics generation and processing capabilities up to 10 times faster. Volvo hasn’t released a video of the software in action yet, but we won’t have long to wait to see it: the feature will debut in a new flagship model due out at the end of 2022.
This isn’t the first time Volvo has enlisted the help of a tech company to design an infotainment system. Current cars (such as the C40 Recharge) are equipped with Google’s Android Automotive OS infotainment system. And the worlds of gaming and in-car technology have collided before: Nissan specifically asked Polyphony Digital, the company behind the Gran Turismo franchise, to design the GT-R’s display.