Fortnite‘s latest update is bringing dynamic weather to the game. Players will now have to deal with lightning storms and tornadoes during their battle royale rounds.
Fortnite has added many new features in its latest season that have drastically turned the tide of battle. Not only have we seen the return of Quad Crashers, which are ATVs that have a myriad of different uses, but Epic introduced Spider-Man’s iconic web-shooters, a new slide mechanic, and crazy powerful SMGs. The addition of dynamic weather continues that trend.
The latest update and its dynamic weather include active tornadoes and lightning storms. In a press release, Epic detailed these new additions and the abilities that they grant players.
Tornadoes will randomly form on the map and players can use them to take to the skies and glide away from battle or toward an objective. Players will not receive fall damage after being spit out of a twister.
Lightning storms also help out players, as shocked players will take a bit of damage, but receive a speed boost as well. Players can increase their odds of getting struck by lightning by jumping into water beneath the storm cloud or climbing to the highest point they can. Lightning also won’t strike twice — literally. Once players are struck, they won’t be struck again during that storm.
The new update also includes a new weapon: The flare gun. Like firefly jars, flare guns will start and spread fires that cause ongoing damage to any players too close to the flames. They’ll appear on the map in chests and supply drops, as well as appearing on the ground.
The new update is active in Fortnite lobbies everywhere right now. Feel free to jump in tornadoes to your heart’s content.
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 One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it.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.