E3 2019 served as the stage for Microsoft’s official confirmation and reveal of its next-generation Xbox, Project Scarlett. There were various rumors running rampant including one that there were multiple versions of the next Xbox in development but, in an interview with Business Insider, Xbox lead Phil Spencer confirmed that only one is being created for the time being.
GamesRadar reported on the interview, highlighting a moment where Spencer responded to a question about an old statement that mentioned multiple systems.
“Last year we said consoles, and we’ve shipped a console and we’ve now detailed another console. I think that’s plural,” Spencer said. He also stressed that “we’re focused on Project Scarlett and what we put on stage.”
The physical Project Scarlett console hasn’t been shown yet but it will likely be revealed whenever we learn the official name for it. Right now, we know that it will be powered by a custom AMD processor based on Ryzen 2, a GPU based on AMD’s Navi, and GDDR6 RAM. The final details will be revealed as we get closer to its release and, as is typical with home gaming consoles, the new Xbox will likely get a refreshed model a few years into its lifecycle. We’ve received four different versions of the Xbox One and it wouldn’t be surprising to see a similar amount before the next-gen starts to close out.
While Spencer did confirm there’s only one console being made, Xbox is planning to deliver content to gamers across three platforms. In addition to Project Scarlett, Xbox gaming will be delivered into homes and on the go via the new Xbox Game Pass for PC and the newly announced cloud gaming platform Project Xcloud. Game Pass is a known quantity but Xcloud is going to be the most intriguing new format from Microsoft.
It’s well known that Microsoft wants Xbox to be on as many platforms as possible and, with the company playing nice with both Nintendo and Sony these days, the sky’s the limit on what type of collaborative efforts we’ll see throughout the next generation of video gaming. Google Stadia has ignited a series of changes, creations, and collaborations.
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.