Niantic Inc. is currently hard at work doing everything its power to ensure that the first-anniversary celebrations for Pokémon Go catapult the game toward the level of popularity it enjoyed upon its release last summer. In Japan, that effort will include a new accessory for the Pokémon Go Plus companion wearable, which launched last year.
A new adapter will allow players to wear their Pokémon Go Plus device as a ring on their finger, giving them easy access to it whenever they need to let loose a Pokéball. Previously, the hardware was confined to the user’s wrist.
The ring adapter costs around $3.50, and doesn’t include the actual Pokémon Go Plus hardware, according to a report from Gamespot. There’s currently no confirmation that it will be made available outside of Japan, but given that the Pokémon Go Plus device sold like hot cakes when it launched internationally, there’s reason to believe that the product will eventually reach the U.S.
The Pokémon Go Plus wearable allows players to perform certain actions in-game without reaching for their phone. It gives off an alert when a Pokéstop is nearby, and also can be used to capture Pokémon when they’re in the vicinity.
However, there are some questions about how useful the hardware is at this stage of the game. A recent update to Pokémon Go added the ability to gain items at gyms in much the same way as a Pokéstop, but it has been confirmed that the Pokémon Go Plus wearable won’t be updated to support this new mechanic — much to the frustration of players on Reddit.
It’s understandable that technical issues might make adding this kind of functionality difficult. However, it’s strange to see new Pokémon Go Plus accessories being released when the hardware isn’t in step with the current version of the game.
The Pokémon Go Plus ring accessory launches on July 15 in Japan, and will be on sale at Pokémon Centers across the country. As well as the adapter, special decals for the wearable based on the designs of Great Balls, Ultra Balls, and Master Balls are also set to be made available.
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.