The base version of The Sims 4 will go free-to-play starting October 18, publisher Electronic Arts announced. This free-to-play version will come to all platforms, including PC (via the EA app, Origin, and Steam), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
In addition, the publisher will host a livestream on October 18 called Behind The Sims Summit, which will feature more details about its future plans for The Sims.
EA revealed that on the same day, EA Play and EA Play Pro members will gain access to a special members-only version of the game, featuring The Sims 4 Get To Work Expansion. Pro Members will also receive that, as well as The Sims 4 Toddler Stuff Pack at no additional charge.
As a “thank you” to players who have purchased the base game already, EA will give all buyers the Desert Luxe Kit, which comes with new luxurious furniture with a Southwest desert theme, from today until October 17. This extra reward is available at no additional cost so long as you have purchased the base game already.
EA promises to continue supporting the game, and says “our team is more dedicated than ever to developing new and meaningful The Sims 4 experiences for our players and we will continue to develop and release packs, kits and Sims Delivery Express drops into the foreseeable future.”
The Sims 4 first launched in 2014 for PC and later came to other platforms with a lengthy list of expansions. As of 2021, the game has reached over 36 million players, but converting it to a free-to-play title will likely attract even more.
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 One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it.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.