Publisher Ubisoft is set to relaunch Watch Dogs 2‘s multiplayer component on Tuesday after unexpected issues rendered the game’s online modes inoperable in the week after launch.
PlayStation 4 owners can get an early look at Watch Dogs 2‘s multiplayer modes, while Xbox One online features will be activated before Wednesday.
Released for the PS4 and Xbox One earlier in November, Watch Dogs 2 is an open-world action game that takes place in a virtual version of the San Francisco Bay Area. Like its 2013 predecessor, Watch Dogs 2 allows players to hack nearby electronic devices and public infrastructures in their quest to subvert an intrusive city-wide surveillance program.
In addition to a single-player campaign, Watch Dogs 2 promised an expansive online multiplayer mode that cast players as rival hackers and bounty hunters. Prior to the launch of Watch Dogs 2, however, prerelease players reported major issues surrounding the game’s invasion-based multiplayer modes, resulting in severe lag and crashes. On the day Watch Dogs 2 hit store shelves, Ubisoft revoked player access to its included multiplayer modes, promising that fixes were on the way.
“Watch Dogs 2′s ‘seamless multiplayer’ will not be live at launch as it’s not ready,” Ubisoft announced last week. “The team is working on a fix and we want to ensure that the core experience is stable at launch.”
The fixes were apparently successful, as Ubisoft notes that Watch Dogs 2‘s multiplayer mode is finally ready for a public showing. Starting Tuesday night across all platforms, players will be able to invite friends for local co-op sessions, invade rival hacker campaigns, and pursue bounty hunts for extra cash.
While connected to Ubisoft’s servers, Watch Dogs 2 players will need to be on their best behavior in order to keep a low profile. The publisher warns that if players cause too much chaos during Watch Dogs 2‘s campaign, the in-game San Francisco Police Department will issue an online bulletin for their arrest and rival players assuming the role of bounty hunters will soon be in hot pursuit.
Watch Dogs 2‘s multiplayer mode is active on the PS4 and online features for the Xbox One version will be ready “by early afternoon PST / evening EST,” according to Ubisoft.
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.