Did you just get a PlayStation 5, PS5 Pro, or PlayStation VR2 for Christmas? If so, you’ve come to the right place. One of the best things you can do is buy a PlayStation Plus Premium or Extra subscription, as that will give you access to a large catalog of games from every PlayStation platform to check out on your new hardware. As for more specific recommendations, this week I want to highlight some of the hidden gems that were part of December’s addition to PS Plus. That includes a Star Wars game that’s one of the best PSVR2 titles, an eerie Alien game that you only have another week or so to claim, and an underrated 2023 indie.
One standout launch title for PSVR2 was Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge — Enhanced Edition. This is a VR game that does a fantastic job of whisking players away and immersing them in various parts of the Star Wars world as a Jedi, bounty hunter, and more. That includes a digital version of Batuu, the planet that Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland and Disney World is based on. It’s still one of the best games you can play on PSVR2 and worth checking out for any Star Wars fan. In general, PS Plus Premium’s VR game catalog is worth it for anyone who owns Sony’s headset. Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge is simply the latest cherry on top.
The PSVR2 version of Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge — Enhanced Edition is available to PS Plus Premium subscribers. It’s also available on Meta Quest VR headsets.
In addition to the PS Plus Premium and Extra additions in the middle of each month, three PS Plus Essential titles are also available monthly. You have a limited time to download these, but they’re yours forever after doing so. If you’re still on a sci-fi kick after Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge, consider checking out Aliens: Dark Descent. That game doesn’t play quite like any other Aliens game out there, as it’s a shooter infused with elements from CRPGs. If you’re a fan of this franchise, make sure you download Aliens: Dark Descent while you still can.
The PS4 and PS5 versions of Aliens: Dark Descent will be available through PS Plus Essential until January 6. It’s also available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S through Game Pass.
A Space for the Unbound is one of the more emotionally moving indie games to have released in recent years. It follows high school kids who gain superpowers that allow them to alter reality and dive into people’s minds to fix whatever’s bothering them. This sets the stage for an adventure that’s equal parts romantic and tragic. It does a fantastic job of capturing the vibe and aesthetic of 1990s Indonesia through its detailed pixel art. I don’t want to spoil much about this game, as the less you know going in the better, but just know it’s one of the must-play indies now included in the PS Plus Extra game catalog.
The PS4 and PS5 versions of A Space for the Unbound are available as part of the PS Plus Extra game catalog. It’s also on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
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.