According to a new report, Sony is currently informing its developers about a new rule that will require all games over $34 to have a timed trial for PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers.
While we previously knew very little about how the way PlayStation Plus Premium trials would work, sources have told Game Developer that any game over the threshold will be required to include a trial that lasts a minimum of two hours. The change is not retroactive, nor does it apply to VR-specific titles, but developers releasing games on PlayStation 5 in the future will now need to allot time and resources to create these trials.
Developers will have up to three months after the launch of a game to bring a timed trial to PlayStation Plus Premium members, and it’s required to be available for at least 12 months. While Sony has expressed a willingness to be flexible and allow custom game demos in place of the trials, the company will approve such options on a case-by-case basis. Developers can also still opt to create demos, trials, and free weekend access periods that can be accessed by all PlayStation Plus subscribers regardless of tier.
Premium is the third and highest tier of Sony’s upcoming PlayStation Plus revamp and will include everything in the previous two tiers alongside a selection of retro PlayStation titles and the aforementioned timed trials. Sony recently revealed when players will be able to upgrade to the two new tiers of PlayStation Plus, including a targeted date of June 13 for those in the Americas.
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 One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it.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.