Niantic’s wildly successful augmented reality mobile app Pokémon Go is getting a free update just in time for Halloween, and players can expect to encounter rare Pokémon more frequently as the holiday approaches.
In the days leading up to Halloween, Pokémon Go will also dole out increased candy rewards, which players can use to boost the stats of their collected critters.
Released for iOS and Android devices earlier this year, Pokémon Go is a free app that allows players to hunt down and capture virtual creatures using an augmented reality framework. Over the course of gameplay, players scour real-world locations for hidden Pokémon that they can then capture and add to a personalized database.
Collected Pokémon can also be deployed to capture Gyms, which are often located at local businesses or hot spots. Gym leaders shouldn’t rest easy, however, as rival Pokémon trainers can reclaim captured territory by engaging in battle with stationed creatures. In the months after Pokémon Go‘s launch, many Gyms remain hotly contested among veteran players, especially in largely populated areas or businesses with a significant degree of foot traffic.
Players who still need to fill out their Pokédexes will encounter many little-seen critters with greater frequency in the week before Halloween. After installing this week’s update, Pokémon trainers can expect to see first-generation Pokémon like Haunter, Gastly, Gengar, Zubat, Golbat, Drowzee, and Hypno pop up during their daily rounds.
Collecting every available creature in Pokémon Go is a difficult process, as many Pokémon only appear at night or in very specific real-world locations. This week’s update will make it easier for players to track down Ghost-type Pokémon before nightfall, making it a much safer and convenient process than usual.
While players can capture the Pokémon they encounter within the Pokémon Go app itself, publisher Nintendo recently produced a Bluetooth accessory that eases the process for experienced players. The Pokémon Go Plus is a wrist-worn device that vibrates when Pokémon are detected in its vicinity, and players can press a button on the face of the device to attempt to catch nearby creatures automatically.
Pokémon Go‘s free Halloween update is out now, and bonuses will remain active through November 1.
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.