We’re finally learning more about Starfield‘s first major expansion just weeks ahead of release, and it won’t just be more story.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Bethesda Game Studios revealed that the new planet for the Shattered Space expansion, known as Va’ruun’kai, will have 50 new locations to explore. We know of one location already: Dazra, a city on the planet that serves as the location for House Va’ruun. Learning more about this religious faction — set up in the base game as something of a mystery — and what happened to it is the main goal in Shattered Space. It’ll overall take place in a new part of space that players haven’t gotten to experience yet.
There will also be some new weapons, although they might not be what you’re exactly looking to use. We’ve already learned about a new vehicle, the REV-8 (which dropped in the latest update), but the post also reveals there will be new grenades to craft out of organic material. The developers say that “it’s gross,” and we believe them.
Of course, along with new weapons come new enemies called the Redeemed and Vortex Horrors. There aren’t any revealed specifics yet, but based on the names, the location, and the imagery we’ve seen of the DLC so far, they’ll probably fit right in with the horror-tinged vibe Bethesda is going for. Old enemies like the Crimson Fleet will also be returning.
While this wasn’t detailed in the X post, an interview with lead creative producer Tim Lamb at Gaming Boulevard mentioned that there will also be “a few new mechanics” like zero-gravity combat, along with new ship customization options, and new gadgets for exploration. Lamb also mentioned that Va’ruun’kai is “densely packed with content,” so those 50 locations will likely offer a lot for players to do.
This teaser comes as Starfield celebrates its first anniversary. There’s only a few weeks before Shattered Space launches on September 30 for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox Game Pass, but Bethesda says there will be more revealed “soon.”
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.