The Tesla Arcade is likely one of the most unique additions to a car in recent memory. The addition of Tesla’s gaming console adds something to do when Supercharging or could be a source of entertainment for when Tesla vehicles are fully autonomous (although that could be some years away). It truly revolutionized the experience of owning a vehicle for entertainment purposes.
However, some games require a controller, and there are plenty of options on the market. However, each controller has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages, and there are some products that are better in a pinch, and others that are better for a more enjoyable gaming experience. Whether you need a last-second Christmas gift or you just picked up your first EV and you want a controller in case slower charging methods are only available during your first road trip, here’s the perfect list of what you can expect from each option:
The Best Bargain: EasySMX Wired Gaming Controller
Amazon
The EasySMX Wired Gaming Controller is only $20 on Amazon and is even included in the e-commerce giant’s Prime program, so it can be at your front door in as little as a few days. It features dual vibration, one motor on each side, and an ergonomic design that will give comfortability while gaming for your thumbs. (Sounds like a reach, but if you’re at a destination charger, you’ll thank me later).
It features a sub-par compatibility profile, however. So if you intend on using it for your Tesla, but you’re at a buddy’s house who only has one controller, you won’t be able to run to your car and grab this. It will work on Windows, PS3, and Android, but not Xbox One or Mac. It also won’t work on newer, updated PlayStation models.
You get what you pay for. This won’t be the best option if you are used to the high-quality gaming pads on the market, but it will definitely get the job done.
The Best Quality: Xbox Elite Series Controller
Microsoft
The Xbox Elite Series Controller is the best of the best. It starts at $179.99, which is a lot of money for a controller. However, this thing will likely last as long as your Tesla will. Despite Xbox having a somewhat poor reputation for its quality of gaming controllers, this might be the best option for those who want longevity. It would probably be best to buy this if you’re a regular gamer, however, because you might not get your money’s worth if you’re not gaming on a somewhat regular basis.
It features an adaptable hand zie feature that improves accuracy and speed of gaming. It has metal and rubber joysticks, which are interchangeable based on your playing style. Yes, this is an excessive buy for a Tesla only, but it’s also the best quality controller you can buy. You will need either a Bluetooth Controller Adapter or a USB-C cord for connectivity. You might be able to find one of these at a GameStop or BestBuy, but chances are you will be ordering directly from Microsoft.
This is for the real gamers out there.
The Most Available: Xbox One Wireless/Wired Controller
Microsoft
If you need something today, the Xbox One Wireless or Wired options are the best bet. You can find these controllers literally anywhere: Wal-Mart, Best Buy, you might even find one in an Ollie’s Bargain Store if you’re lucky enough. You can also find affordable used versions at gaming retailers. It is similar to the Elite Controller, but with fewer options and lower quality. It is a perfectly reasonable option for short-term gaming in your Tesla.
However, if you are a more regular gamer, expect to buy around two of these a year. A common issue (that I’ve felt personally for many years) is stick drift or catchy joysticks. Stick Drift is when your controller is not being utilized but is turned on and connected to a game, and your player moves without you touching the joystick. After hours of use and pushing a joystick in one direction, let’s say forwards for a driving game, for example, these $60 controllers will begin to catch this problem. It can be fixed temporarily, but it is better to just move on to a new one, at least in my opinion.
If you forgot your gaming nephew who owns a Model 3 a cool controller for Christmas, you can run over to any large retailer and find one of these. We won’t tell them that you forgot to buy them a gift.
The Best Value: PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox
Amazon
If you want the Xbox One Wireless/Wired Controller, but can accept slightly lower quality and an awesome price tag, this is the choice for you. It feels, looks, and reacts just like a regular Xbox Controller, and it comes in many different colors. It simply plugs right into the USB port, and you can start gaming, it’s that easy!
For only $37.99, it’s available on Amazon and it is Prime-eligible; this is the best bang for your buck. It might be too late to snag this to have it under the tree in time for Christmas, but it would be a great alternative to those who just are not convinced that the regular Xbox controller is any better (It’s a good compromise).
I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.
For a century, the car has asked the same thing of its owner, which is basically to pay attention. Even the best ride-hailing app like Uber or Lyft only moved the problem into someone else’s hands. You stopped driving, but you still sat in a stranger’s car, while half listening, and wondering whether to take a phone call in the car without being rude. The Cybercab has no wheel, no pedals and no driver. With Grok @bot now live inside it, it becomes something else entirely, and I think that matters more than the fleet count that everyone is tracking.
Grok @bot is an agent, not a voice assistant. A rider signs in once, and from then on can say what they need and watch it happen. Order dinner from a favorite restaurant. Fill the grocery cart. Move money, answer email, adjust a calendar, push a work project forward. Tesla engineer Yun-Ta Tsai confirmed it is enabled across every Cybercab and the rest of the Model Y fleet, and Tesla’s own pitch is that Full Self-Driving handles the commute while Grok handles the errands.
Think about what that does to a thirty minute ride. Uber sells you a trip, while Waymo sells you the same trip in a more private setting. Tesla is selling the thirty minutes themselves, returned to you with an assistant attached. Errands that used to eat a Saturday get done between pickup and drop off. The ride stops being dead time between two places and becomes a place of its own.
Tesla integrates Grok Bot into its vehicles for the ultimate personal assistant
Best of all, your Bots follow you into any Cybercab, and presumably your own Tesla, then logs you out automatically when you step out. Anyone can bolt a chatbot onto a screen, but much harder to own the vehicle, the autonomy stack and the assistant at once. It also quietly ties SpaceX’s Super Intelligence business to Tesla’s fleet, after Tesla converted its xAI stake into SpaceX equity. The relationship between those two companies is getting harder to describe as separate.
This is also where the hard questions start, because an agent that can spend your money in a vehicle other people also ride in needs some answers. How does it handle a voice it shouldn’t trust? What gets recorded, who can see it, and for how long? What happens when a rider leaves halfway through a task?
If Tesla gets those answers right, the scoreboard changes. We have been counting Cybercabs and wait times. The more telling number may be what riders accomplish per trip. That is data almost no one else will ever have, and it is the real reason to watch Grok @bot.
What do you think? Leave me a comment.
Lifestyle
Tesla’s mirrorless Cybercab will give riders a visibility upgrade
Tesla engineer confirms Cybercab update letting riders pull up rear and repeater cameras on demand.
Tesla is working on a Cybercab update that would let passengers pull up the vehicle’s rear and side cameras on demand, and the request came straight from a rider.
The exchange played out on X late Friday. Cybercab rider Dan Burkland shared photos of the two-seater’s cabin screen after an evening ride, praised the UI team’s work, and left one request: let riders open the rear and repeater cameras whenever they want, “especially for peace of mind.” Tesla UI software engineer Evan (@CarCoder) answered with two words: “In development.”
The Tesla UI team absolutely crushed it with the infotainment software. Nicely done @CarCoder!
One feature request: Allow folks to pull up the rear & repeater cameras on demand. This would be great especially for peace of mind. https://t.co/mNAOSLx6pE
— Dan Burkland (@DBurkland) October 10, 2026
The idea fits a pattern Teslarati has tracked since public rides began. Days after paid Cybercab service opened in Austin, Tesla sent riders a survey that asked them to rate the touchscreen, the app and the cabin, and to pick the features they wanted most. We reported on that survey in September, and a camera view is the kind of small software change Tesla can push quickly if riders keep asking.
It also speaks to something unique about the vehicle. With no steering wheel, no pedals and no driver, passengers have no mirror to check and no way to see behind them. The hardware is clearly built for camera awareness, from the repeater cameras to the rear camera. Letting a passenger look through those same cameras would give a nervous first time rider a way to confirm what is around the car.
The timing matters because the fleet is growing fast. Tesla’s Robotaxi account said on Saturday that more than 300 Cybercabs are now serving Austin, an eightfold increase in 30 days, and Tesla AI chief Ashok Elluswamy named Dallas as the next city. More cars and more cities mean more people riding in a driverless vehicle for the first time, which is exactly when small trust features carry weight.
For now, the feature is confirmed only as in development. If Tesla follows its usual pattern with Cybercab software, riders could see it appear in a point release without any announcement, and Teslarati will watch for it.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s surprise addition to the X Takeover lineup has fans talking
Elon Musk will join Saturday’s X Takeover at Giga Texas for a live virtual interview.
Elon Musk will join X Takeover at Giga Texas on Saturday for a live virtual interview, according to Sawyer Merritt, who shared the news late Thursday. Musk will not be on stage in Austin. The conversation is set to stream for free on the @teslaownersSV account on X.
Organizers had kept expectations in check. In a September update, Tesla Owners Silicon Valley said Musk had appeared at the event twice before but was not promising a third appearance, even as fans hoped he would walk the Giga Texas grounds in person. A virtual spot matches 2024, when Musk gave a surprise interview of about an hour to the crowd in San Luis Obispo, as Teslarati reported at the time.
Wasn’t expecting this 🫡
— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) October 9, 2026
This year’s edition is a first in several ways. It is the first X Takeover held outside California and the first at a Tesla facility, with tickets selling out in eight days. Tesla provides the venue, but the event is produced independently by Tesla Owners Silicon Valley. The main event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT, followed by a drone and light show at 9 p.m. Maye Musk is the keynote speaker, Franz von Holzhausen is set for a virtual keynote, and Nicki Minaj is the special guest. Joe Tegtmeyer, whose drone footage Teslarati used to track the Optimus factory steel frame at Giga Texas, is also on the speaker list.
Musk’s interview topics have not been revealed, but the backdrop is busy. Tesla doubled its Cybercab fleet in Austin in late September, and last week Musk explained why Robotaxi hours only moved from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.. Merritt also reported Thursday that Texas DMV records now show 319 registered Cybercabs, up from 169. NHTSA’s deadline for Tesla’s sworn answers on Cybercab certification is October 30, and Tesla reports third quarter earnings on October 21.
Fans who cannot make it to Austin can watch the livestream on X. Musk tends to say more in unscripted settings than he does in prepared remarks, which is the reason this one is worth having open on Saturday.
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