As the launch of Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon nears, some eager fans have already managed to secure copies of the game. Naturally, since its Pokémon, users have begun data mining the files to glean unreleased info — including the names of some new pocket monsters, Polygon reports. If you would rather discover the new Pokémon for yourself when the games launch on November 17, beware, substantial spoilers will be revealed in this post.
The big reveals are the names of new Ultra Beasts, which played a big role in the original Sun and Moon games and appear to have an even larger role in Buy Now and Buy Now . Previously known as UB Adhesive, the tiny poison-type Pokémon is confirmed to be named Poipole. Poipole will be made available via the Mystery Gift function and apparently, only appears after you catch the game’s legendary Pokémon. Interestingly, especially since Ultra Beasts aren’t technically Pokémon, Poipole can evolve into a creature called Nagandel, a first for an Ultra Beast.
The other two known Ultra Beasts, UB Assembly and UB Burst, are officially named Stakataka and Blacephalon, respectively. Stakataka is a rock/steel Pokémon, while Blacephalon has an intriguing fire/ghost skill set.
It also appears that Zeraora, a new electric type, will be a mythical giveaway next year, based on mined data. Whenever Zeraora is made available — seemingly not for a few months after launch — it can be nabbed as a mystery gift or perhaps through a retail promotion.
Additionally, the legendary Pokémon Necrozma, who appears on the cover of both games, will have an Ultra form as well. In this form, Necrozma is reportedly one of the top 10 strongest Pokémon ever.
All of the data-mined information can be browsed in this Google Doc, but if you want to avoid story spoilers, beware. There are a healthy amount of data-mined plot points that may be worth avoiding for the sake of the surprise. The doc also has a list of confirmed Z Crystals and new moves and abilities. More information is likely to be added as we get closer to launch.
Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon will max out the Nintendo 3DS power, according to a recent IGN interview with Game Freak director Shigeru Ohmori. For that reason, and probably also because the 3DS is in its twilight years, Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon will be the last entries to appear on the Nintendo handheld. Fear not, though, since a mainline Pokémon game for Nintendo Switch was confirmed to be in development at E3 earlier in 2017.
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.