PlayStation already announced that it’s planning a variety of releases and other surprises for its 30th anniversary, and on Thursday, it revealed a collection of special-edition consoles and accessories that bring back a flood of memories.
The company is selling two bundles: a PlayStation 5 Digital Edition with a 1TB solid-state drive and a PlayStation 5 Pro with a 2TB solid-state drive and some extra goodies, like a DualSense Edge and controller charging station. The disc drive is still sold separately, although you do get a vertical stand this time. Both bundles come with a cable connector, four cable ties in PlayStation face button shapes, a sticker, a poster, and a PlayStation Paperclip. You can also get the DualSense and DualSense Edge controllers separately, along with a PlayStation Portal.
Preorders begin on September 26 at PlayStation Direct and participating retailers, which is also the same day the PS5 Pro becomes available for preorder. The console manufacturer hasn’t revealed pricing just yet, but we can assume it’ll be more expensive than the regular versions of each product.
The PlayStation debuted in Japan on December 3, 1994, with a distinct look that’s still recognizable today. You can check out how PlayStation designed the 30th anniversary products in the video above, but you can see that gray color scheme is featured all over the place. Where it’s most noticeable is on the DualSense controllers. The home button looks like the old colorful PlayStation logo, while the four buttons are in the original colors. There’s also a USB-C cable connector that features the original housing.
The products also have a raised special logo printed once on the back, although it appears in an infinite pattern on the PS5’s inside panel and on the back of the DualSense’s grips. There’s a PS5 Pro that follows a similar design scheme, but with the addition of a serial number on one of front-facing panels. This is because PlayStation is only selling 12,500 units globally.
This is the second 30th anniversary announcement this month. PlayStation also revealed that it’s releasing some new exclusive game trials and never-before-released digital soundtracks. There are also some board games that are up for preorder.
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.