If you plan on buying a Nintendo Switch, it may not be a bad idea to buy an extra charging cable as well. New FCC filings show that the Nintendo Switch’s battery is not replaceable, meaning it will be bad news if the battery dies.
The Nintendo Switch, set to be released in March, will be the company’s latest console. But unlike the Wii U before it, it’s a true handheld console hybrid. The tablet-like device stores all the internal components and users can pop out the device from its cradle and take it on the go. It is powered by Nvidia’s Tegra chips and is expected to give near Xbox One levels of quality.
But, just like the Wii U before it, a controller with a screen will surely eat up battery life. It is a major concern for hardcore gamers that want to take their Switch on the go. With the Wii U Gamepad, Nintendo sold an extended battery pack that netted users eight hours of gameplay. It’s currently unknown how long the Switch will last on a full charge.
Beyond the rechargeable battery life, the real concern is the overall lifespan of the battery. Lithium ion batteries can vary from a few years to as many as 15 — it depends heavily on quality and use. Being unable to swap out the internal Switch battery for a new one means that after a given number of years, the Switch will need to be attached to a wall socket at all times, defeating the purpose of the console.
What the FCC saw was probably a near-final prototype. It’s possible that Nintendo could change this before shipping. It’s also uncertain if it will be possible for external battery packs to be attached to the Switch.
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 One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it.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.