If you own a Nintendo Switch, be very careful not to break or lose it.
Nintendo has confirmed that all save data is stored on the Switch’s internal memory and cannot be transferred to a MicroSD card.
The Data Management FAQ was updated by Nintendo to detail how game save data storage works. It stated that games are stored on the system’s internal 32GB of storage and that it’s locked to that memory. If a gamer uses up all the internal space, the only solution Nintendo detailed was to delete previous save data.
Of the 32GB, 6.1GB is taken up by the operating system. That leaves 25.9GB for data. While that is still a sizable amount for data, games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild take up 64MB of data.
Deleting save data can be especially difficult for many gamers. For big RPG’s, gamers tend to invest hundreds of hours into developing their character.
The other troubling aspect is what would happen if a user’s Switch breaks or is stolen. With no cloud storage solutions, all that save data would be lost.
Nintendo has been strict with data management in the past. Games purchased on a Wii U or Nintendo 3DS were locked to that system. Nintendo did release a tool to allow gamers to transfer all data from one device to another, but limited it to a set number of transfers. This was to accommodate players who upgraded from a Nintendo 3DS to an XL for example.
In the past, Sony released an update allowing PlayStation gamers to save their data to the cloud. Now that Nintendo is also charging for online access, it’s within the realm of possibility that cloud storage could come in the future.
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 One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it.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.