Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass Ultimate cloud gaming is launching in a little over a month. And some new controllers to facilitate anywhere play will be available with it.
Project xCloud gaming will be available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers on September 15, Microsoft said in a blog post on Tuesday. The service will launch with more than 100 games, including Minecraft Dungeons, Destiny 2, and Gears 5. Microsoft reiterated that any new Xbox Game Studios title, including Halo Infinite, will also be available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers on launch day.
The service will only be available on Android phones and tablets, and launch in 22 markets including the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Microsoft said it will launch Ultimate’s cloud gaming in additional markets after it can ensure the service is stable enough to be available elsewhere.
Xbox Game Pass, which costs $10 per month, gives users access to more than 100 games each month. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which costs $15 per month, adds Xbox Live Gold and allows users to access their accounts on both consoles and PCs. Microsoft said on Tuesday that Game Pass now has more than 10 million subscribers but didn’t break out which of those subscribe to the standard plan and which have opted for Ultimate.
Microsoft also said Tuesday that it has partnered with third-party accessory makers Razer, PowerA, and 8BitDo to offer new controllers designed for mobile play.
Razer’s Kishi accessory comes with an extender feature that lets users place their phones inside the controller and use physical buttons on either side to control gameplay. The device, which connects to smartphones using a USB-C connection, is available now for $100.
PowerA’s upcoming MOGA XP5-X Plus is a Bluetooth controller that connects wirelessly to a smartphone or tablet. It also comes with a phone mount so users can hold the controller and phone together. It will be available on September 15 for $70, but customers can preorder it today.
Similar to Razer’s Kishi, PowerA is also working on an all-in-one controller with an extender that will allow players to insert their phones into the device. The MOGA XP7-X Plus will connect to phones via Bluetooth and launch this winter for $100.
8BitDo has a more budget-friendly controller in the works that aims at retro gamers. The company’s SN30 Pro looks more like an old Sega Genesis controller and comes with a built-in mount for holding a phone. The controller will launch on September 21 for $50.
In addition to the new accessories, xCloud players will be able to control games with Microsoft’s Xbox One Bluetooth Wireless Controller. Sony’s DualShock 4 controllers also work with xCloud games.
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.