Microsoft spoils Xbox Game Pass subscribers this month with a star-studded December lineup and holiday bundles. Among Us and Stardew Valley stand out as two major indie successes among the offerings. However, Halo Infinite is the crown jewel here, as its getting subscriber-exclusive content.
Thanks to this latest update, Game Pass subscribers can suss out their friends in Among Us on Xbox consoles without paying extra on December 14. Members already receive the deduction for free on PC, as do mobile players.
Stardew Valley, coming to all platforms on December 2, also stands out as a popular Harvest Moon-inspired farming sim that still receives regular updates. Other games coming on December 2 include ANVIL, Archvale, and Final Fantasy XIII-2.
That’s just a sneak peek of games coming to Xbox Game Pass this month, though. Check out the full list below, including platforms and release dates for each title.
Microsoft also announced monthly Halo Infinite multiplayer bonuses for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate players starting on December 8. This month treats players to an exclusive Pass Tense MA40 AR Bundle, which includes the Pass Tense MA40 Assault Rifle coating, four 2XP Boosts, and four Challenge Swaps. Halo Infinite multiplayer is already available to download for free on Xbox, PC, and Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Halo fans aren’t the only ones feeling the love. Dauntless, Apex Legends, and World of Warships: Legends are also gifting subscribers free bundles and cosmetics for the upcoming holiday season.
In short, Xbox Game Pass continues to prove that it’s one of the best deals in gaming. Check out the best Xbox Game Pass games list if you’re curious about other bestsellers and recommended titles included in the service.
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 One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it.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.