Article Image

Fortnite is back on iOS thanks to Xbox Cloud Gaming

Fortnite is returning to iOS devices thanks to a workaround from Xbox.

The debacle between Epic Games and Apple that resulted in a giant court case saw what many believed was the end of Fortnite in the iOS ecosystem. Now, the pop culture-filled battle royale returns to Apple products in a roundabout way as Xbox is offering it for free as part of its Xbox Cloud Gaming service.

Fortnite players using iOS, iPadOS, Android phone or tablet, or Windows PC can now hop on the game literally anywhere — as long as they have internet access — through Xbox Cloud Gaming. The cloud software originally was exclusive to certain games through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Fortnite‘s return to Apple products marks the first time the cloud service is being made available to anyone for free, regardless of whether or not they have a Game Pass subscription.

Using the Xbox’s cloud service, Fortnite fans can not only play the game with higher graphics settings, but they’ll also have the choice between touchscreen controls and a supported controller as well. Of course, they’re going to want to be on the strongest internet possible to avoid the latency issues that can come with gaming cloud services.

Fortnite is Xbox’s first dive into its free-to-play cloud initiative. In a blog post, the company states that it’s looking to continue adding games to its cloud services, like Fortnite, completely free of charge to players around the world.

“At Xbox we want to make gaming accessible to the three billion players around the world, and cloud has an important role in that mission,” Catherine Gluckstein, Vice President and Head of Product, Xbox Cloud Gaming states in the blog. “Quite simply we want you to have more choice in both the games you play and the way you choose to play them.”

You can access Fortnite through various devices through Xbox Cloud Gaming for free right now. The only thing players need is an Xbox account.

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.