Microsoft laid out a detailed plan for introducing Xbox Play Anywhere, its new cross-play initiative for the Xbox One and Windows 10. This included a list of upcoming games that will support it, and what users will need to take advantage of it.
Announced at Microsoft’s E3 2016 keynote, Xbox Play Anywhere gives players digital access to participating games on both Xbox One and Windows 10, offers cloud saving so you can switch between the two platforms and, in some cases, supports cross-platform multiplayer. Microsoft will also track achievements and DLC purchases across both platforms.
According to a report from Polygon, Xbox Play Anywhere will only support games purchased digitally. Players who buy disc-based games for Xbox One (or Windows 10) will not have access to multi-platform support.
Microsoft announced Wednesday that the Xbox One summer software update and the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, which launches August 2, will integrate Xbox Play Anywhere support to the platforms. The first game to support the service will be Comcept and Armature Studio’s action-adventure game ReCore, which launches September 13.
Microsoft also confirmed the full list of announced games that will support Xbox Play Anywhere upon release:
As you might have expected, the majority of the games are either Xbox exclusives or games that received co-marketing support from Microsoft. There’s at least one notable exception on the list: Capcom’s Dead Rising 4, a timed exclusive on track to launch on Xbox One and Windows 10 in December. That doesn’t necessarily mean the game won’t receive cross-platform support of some kind. The standalone version of The Witcher 3 card game, Gwent, will support Xbox One and Windows 10 cross-play when it enters beta in September, but is not listed as an official Xbox Play Anywhere title.
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.