First Microsoft has to set aside over a billion dollars to cover the cost of warranty repairs on its Xbox 360 game console. Now, the company if offering a free “precautionary and voluntary” retrofit for its Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel alternative game controller because, it seems, in a small number of cases the units have overheated and started emitting smoke.
The overheating seems to happen only when the systems are powered using the AC/DC power supply. Microsoft is urging customers to stop using the power supply and run the wheel off batteries until they’ve obtained a retrofit. Wireless Racing Wheel owners can register for the retrofit via Microsoft’s Xbox support site or by calling 800/469-9269. The company says it’s working with the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission other other agencies to coordinate the program.
Microsoft describes the number of Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheels that have gone up in smoke as “very small;” the company has not detailed the nature of its “retrofit” kit, saying only that any necessary instructions will be provided along with it. Industry speculation has Microsoft offering replacement power adapters.
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 One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it.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.