Publisher Square Enix announced a collection of PlayStation VR-exclusive content bundled with the upcoming PlayStation 4 version of Rise of the Tomb Raider, revealing that players will soon be able to freely explore series star Lara Croft’s childhood home from a first-person perspective.
Fans hoping for a pleasant tour through series history should beware, however, as Croft Manor hides chilling secrets throughout its dimly lit corridors and PlayStation VR support adds a first-person psychological horror element.
Rise of the Tomb Raider‘s PlayStation VR support is limited to the game’s exploration-based “Blood Ties” chapter, which was previously released as downloadable content for the Xbox One edition. The upcoming PS4 version of Rise of the Tomb Raider bundles all previously issued add-on content alongside its core single-player campaign.
“Chronologically positioned part-way through the main story and selectable as one of a handful of additional extras from the main menu, this side-quest sees Lara returning home to unravel a family mystery,” Sony’s Gillen McAllister explains. “Croft needs to explore her surroundings, piece together clues, and uncover secrets to learn how to reclaim the dilapidated Croft Manor as her own.”
McAllister notes that veteran players can also expect to see “Easter eggs galore,” including nods to the original Tomb Raider series prior to its 2013 reboot.
Wednesday’s announcement additionally reveals Rise of the Tomb Raider‘s PlayStation VR-optimized control setup, which is likely to carry over into future virtual reality experiences for the PS4. Rise of the Tomb Raider offers both “free” and “comfort” VR control methods. While free mode sticks to established input conventions for the series, comfort mode is built with VR in mind and allows players to travel the length of Croft Manor using a simplified, teleportation-based traversal system.
“Holding LT and pointing the controller will allow you to place a virtual transparent Lara anywhere in your field of vision,” McAllister notes. “A tap of RT will teleport you to that point. Repeatedly press the shoulder buttons to make a 360-degree pan in small degree increments. It’s quickly intuitive.”
Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration launches digitally and at retail for the PS4 on October 11.
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.