The next Blizzard games to hit Xbox Game Pass are two real-time strategy (RTS) classics. Xbox announced during its Tokyo Game Show 2024 presentation that StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection will be available on PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate very soon.
The reveal was delivered by Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, who appeared on the virtual stage in a StarCraft T-shirt. Spencer delivered a series of quick announcements before capping off his appearance by stating that the two games will hit Game Pass on November 5.
This doesn’t change players’ ability to play StarCraft and StarCraft 2‘s multiplayer for free through Battle.net with a Classic account. This release is for those who want to play any single-player campaigns. StarCraft: Remastered includes visual and audio upgrades to the original game, like 4K and widescreen aspect ratio support. StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection offers a way to play over 70 missions, according to Blizzard, from Heart of the Swarm, Wings of Liberty, and every other expansion. These releases also still feature their multiplayer modes.
Normally, StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection costs $40 on Battle.net, while StarCraft: Remastered goes for $15. Unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), StarCraft: Cartooned bundles won’t be playable on Game Pass.
“Ever since StarCraft first launched in 1998 and expanded with StarCraft 2 in 2010, the series has left an indelible mark on the real-time strategy (RTS) genre, esports, and the rise of live streaming – and continues to enthrall a very active and passionate community that is always looking to welcome new members into their ranks,” Xbox noted in a blog post.
So, no, there isn’t any news of StarCraft 3. Sorry about that.
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 One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it.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.