Paradox Interactive is bringing its hit city-management strategy game Cities: Skylines to consoles for the first time with an Xbox One port launching this spring.
The upcoming Xbox One version of the game will also include all content from Cities: Skylines — After Dark, a post-release expansion that adds a variety of new structures, construction options, and gameplay features.
Cities: Skylines emerged as a popular favorite among fans of city-building strategy games upon its release in 2015, and effectively served as a replacement for Electronic Arts’ disappointing SimCity reboot that launched in 2013. Promising “a modern take on the classic city simulation,” the game allows players to build and manage a bustling metropolis while guiding its expansion in the fields of industry, residential housing, and commerce.
In addition to offering a realistic simulation of city economics, Cities: Skylines simulates real-world traffic conditions, challenging players to solve transportation problems by establishing taxi services and bus lines. Amateur city designers also have to grapple with issues regarding education, law enforcement, health care, and public utilities, adding depth to each gameplay session.
An expansion, After Dark, premiered shortly after the initial launch 2015. The expansion introduced a day-night cycle, along with additional options like airports, cargo hubs, and commercial areas specifically suited for leisure activities and tourist destinations.
Cities: Skylines was especially popular on Valve’s Steam platform in the months after its launch, and fans have since produced thousands of custom-built maps, mods, and scenarios via its included Steam Workshop support. Currently, there’s no word as to whether the Xbox One port will offer similar options regarding community-made content.
The Xbox One version will launch later this spring.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.