Ubisoft’s open-world action game Watch Dogs 2 will get a brand new set of campaign missions and “substantial story arcs” with next week’s launch of the “Human Conditions” DLC expansion.
PlayStation 4 owners will get an early look at the Human Conditions DLC when it hits the PlayStation Network next week, while Xbox One and PC players will have to wait an additional month before they can check out Watch Dogs 2‘s latest add-on content.
Released for consoles and PCs last year, Watch Dogs 2 is a hacking-themed action game in which players control Marcus Holloway, a member of the anti-surveillance group DedSec. Set on the simulated streets of San Francisco, Watch Dogs 2 allows players to approach in-game challenges in a variety of ways thanks to its unique hacking mechanics, which offer a variety of solutions to enemy encounters and mission objectives.
In addition to a new enemy type and exclusive co-op challenges, the upcoming Human Conditions DLC will introduce several story mode missions that can be accessed during Watch Dogs 2‘s campaign mode. Watch Dogs 2‘s core campaign frequently parodied controversial real-world figures and events affected by hacking, and the upcoming Human Conditions DLC will follow suit with missions featuring self-driving cars and ransomware, among other elements.
“More than missions, these are substantial story arcs that give Marcus Holloway a fresh set of tech villains to smack down, unique hacking challenges to discover, and at least one familiar face to reconnect with,” Ubisoft teases. The publisher additionally notes that DLC missions will open up in Watch Dogs 2‘s campaign after players complete the Hacker Wars, Eye For An Eye, and Watched operations.
Watch Dogs 2‘s Human Conditions DLC is included as part of the game’s digital $40 Season Pass, and will be available for purchase separately at a yet unknown price. Human Conditions will launch first for the PlayStation 4 on February 21. Xbox One and PC editions will follow on March 23.
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.