E3 2019 is nearly upon us, and all the hype trains have left their preshow stations. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer shoveled a pile of fuel into Xbox’s marketing vehicle by sharing on Twitter that 14 Xbox Game Studios games are going to be shown at E3 this year — that’s the most the team has ever brought to one show. We decided to dig through the rumors and old reports that gamers may have forgotten about to give you a look at a few titles that should make an appearance during Microsoft’s Xbox briefing at E3 2019.
Halo Infinite was revealed at E3 2018 with a very brief cinematic trailer featuring Master Chief, but official details on this game are scarce. It’s a new Halo from 343 Industries, it’s built on a new engine, it’s reportedly the most expensive video game project ever, and the original trailer’s description says the franchise is headed into “new and unexpected directions.” If it turns out to be a connected shooter or loot shooter, we’re not sure that’s as unexpected as the development team may think.
E3 2018 was home to a cinematic trailer showing us the next chapter in the Gears of War series, and it ended with some quick looks at gameplay. Microsoft showing off a more in-depth look at Gears of War 5 gameplay is one of the few sure bets at E3 2019.
Lionhead Studios, the team behind the Fable series, was shut down alongside the co-op action game Fable Legends back in 2016. However, rumors started circulating that a new Fable is in the works from game studio Playground, and it’s allegedly a story and character-focused open-world RPG like the previous titles in the series. Eurogamer’s sources confirmed Fable 4‘s existence in early 2018 and it is very possible E3 2019 will be our first look at what the Forza Horizon development team can do within the RPG genre.
Inxile Entertainment crowdfunded Wasteland 3 in November 2016 and Microsoft acquired the studio in 2018. When the acquisition happened, it was said that Wasteland 3 development wouldn’t be hindered by the move. The studio could make the move to elevate Wasteland 3 via the deal, especially since Microsoft’s recent attempts to court PC gamers won’t compromise the game’s release on Steam. There’s also a chance the team may be working on something else. This particular prediction is a roll of the dice but could definitely make the cut.
After knocking it out of the park with Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, studio Ninja Theory was scooped up by Microsoft, and E3 2019 could be our first look at whatever the team is working on next. Ninja Theory has a history of original IPs like PlayStation exclusive Heavenly Sword, but the team has also delivered a fresh take on Capcom’s legendary hack-and-slash series Devil May Cry. Will Ninja Theory be cutting the ribbon on something new or bringing its pedigree to a dormant Xbox Game Studios title? We’ll have to wait and see.
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.