In celebration of Gran Turismo Sport, Sony is releasing a free, limited-time beta one week before the game’s full release. Anytime between Monday, October 9, and Thursday, October 12, players are able to download the Gran Turismo Sport beta via the PlayStation Store. By participating in the beta, up to $1 million worth of in-game credit can be carried over into the full game. Any unlocked vehicles are also transferable.
Within the beta, fans will have a chance to check out some new features geared toward all levels of drivers, from first-timers to long-standing veterans of the franchise. Racers drive and tune on their own term, while a new matchmaking system keeps players with similar abilities racing against one another.
From the beginning, the beta gives players the option to select which mode they would like to check out. In Sport Mode, drivers first shoot for their fastest lap time during a qualifying session. Depending on the results, similar drivers are grouped together to ensure a highly competitive and fair race. For a more single-player experience, Campaign Mode offers a chance to improve driving skills through challenges, missions, and circuits. Vehicle unlocks, in-game-currency, and experience points act as rewards for completing numerous trials and Daily Workouts. Arcade Mode is included for those who want to jump in and drive. Players choose between a wide range of vehicles on three different circuit configurations with different terrains.
Showcasing the power of this PlayStation 4 exclusive, Scapes is more than just a traditional photo mode. Each photo location contains all the lighting information needed to insert any personalized vehicle into hundreds of real-world places. Other creative modes include the Livery Editor which allows users to utilize logos as well as change the color of the car, wheels, hood, spoiler, mirrors, and more.
Gran Turismo Sport releases in full on October 17, just one week after the beta. To help warm up the engines, PlayStation Plus members can pre-load the Gran Turismo Sport beta two days early on Saturday, October 7 at 8 a.m. PT. Once the clock strikes 12 a.m. PT on Sunday, October 9, these same players can start racing. For everyone who isn’t a member, download and access to the beta begins at 6 p.m. PT on October 9. The beta wraps up for everyone on October 12 at 8 a.m. PT.
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.