Microsoft has just unveiled a bunch of gaming-related updates, and while they seem like rather small tweaks, they could be helpful for Xbox gamers who don’t play on the actual console. The TL;DR includes a cleaner Game Bar UI, Game Pass benefits, and a way to seamlessly shift in and out of games using Xbox Cloud Gaming. Let’s dig in.
First, perhaps my favorite of all the announcements: Microsoft has made it easier to switch from one game to another in Xbox Cloud Gaming. Unfortunately, this only concerns Assassin’s Creed games so far, such as Assassin’s Creed Shadows — but it’s still pretty cool.
Prior to the update, you’d need to go back to the Xbox homepage to launch a new game. Now, games can be launched directly from the same window, without having to go back. It’s a small change, but could prove to be a great quality-of-life update for gamers. The best part is that Microsoft says it’ll be rolling out in other cloud-playable games “soon,” so it’s not going to be all Assassin’s Creed forever.
Speaking of games you can play in the cloud, Microsoft added new titles to the list of games you can play on supported devices (if you own them, that is). This includes Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Gotham Knights, but also Party Animals, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Wobbly Life. More games are coming soon, including Raft, which is one of my favorite survival games to date.
Next, Microsoft’s Game Bar has a whole new look, and it’s only the beginning — the company says that several visual enhancements will roll out this week. Game Bar now has a refreshed design with various widgets, including the Home Bar and separate widgets for resources, capturing gameplay, and performance tracking.
Lastly, if you’re using the Xbox Game Pass, you’ll be eligible for some free goodies as part of your subscription. This applies to free-to-play games and includes cosmetics, in-game currency, and other fun stuff in titles like Heroes of the Storm or Naraka: Bladepoint.
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.