Epic Games released Fortnite update 12.20 on Wednesday for all platforms. The major downloadable content update includes the long-awaited release of a new vehicle for battle royale, the start of a limited-time event, and changes to the island map. All of this expands season two in a significant way, giving players more to do.
After teases at the launch of season 2, the helicopters are here now in Fortnite. Officially known as the Choppa, this vehicle is a five-seater that lets players take to the skies. This comes after the community was vocal about the lack of maneuverability in the game during last season.
The Choppa is located on helipads around the island in the five locations named for season 2: Agency, Shark, Yacht, Grotto, and Rig. Five players can jump in one helicopter, with a pilot and four players, the latter of which can shoot from the sides. Allowing for five players is surprising, given that the max for squads in Fortnite is currently four.
Unfortunately, players will find the Choppa only in noncompetitive modes. Game modes like Arena and tournaments will not feature the helicopters for now.
Fortnite kicks off the new Spy Games limited-time event in update 12.20, too. Players can access the computer in the main battle pass headquarters to pick between the Ghost and Shadow organizations. Picking a side will give you different perks to choose from like gaining shields over time, or a jetpack.
Players can use those abilities exclusively in the special Operation Dropzone game mode that features the two spy agencies battling it out. Player’s allegiances aren’t permanent, so feel free to see which ability tiers work best for you. The one downside to this event is that it is only open to players who own the season two battle pass, similar to the situation with the Deadpool skin.
If you don’t currently own the battle pass, you can purchase it for 950 V-Bucks, or just under $10.
The first season two map changes post-launch released in update 12.20. The Rig is now significantly damaged and split in half. This changes some of the layout and affects players traveling between the two oil rigs.
In addition, the soccer field at Pleasant Park now hosts a helipad with Choppa spawn point.
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.