The latest patch for Firaxis Games’ PC strategy game XCOM 2 introduces controller support and full camera control, allowing players to explore the game’s expansive environments from a first-person perspective.
In addition to expanding XCOM 2‘s control options, this week’s update offers a glimpse into a world packed with detail that players would not otherwise see when using the game’s default camera angles.
XCOM 2, released earlier this year, is the sequel to Firaxis Games’ hit 2012 strategy game XCOM: Enemy Unknown. A revival of the classic ’90s-era UFO series, XCOM and its sequel put players in control of a squadron of soldiers who square off against alien invaders in a series of tactical missions.
Players normally don’t get to see much of their teammates during gameplay, but this week’s patch allows curious fans to check up on their squad while stationed at the Avenger command center by entering a series of simple debug commands.
“Traditionally, XCOM has used a zoomed-out, overhead tactical camera so players can see the entire battlefield,” XCOM 2 creative director Jake Solomon explains in the video above. “Players only get brief glimpses of what the game looks like from the ground level.”
Solomon continues: “What you may not know is that there’s full camera control that can be turned on at any time. Doing so while you’re in HQ can let you take a first-person tour of the Avenger.”
After enabling console commands via Steam, players who wish to explore the Avenger must hit their keyboard’s tilde or backslash keys. At the console command screen, players must then enter “toggledebugcamera” in order to access the game’s expanded camera control options.
Though the Avenger usually serves as a backdrop for mission briefings and other in-game cinematics, the environment is packed with details that “you would never see with the regular camera,” according to Solomon. Soldier bunks are filled with photos and hand-drawn pictures, for instance, while the bar area allows commanders to share a drink with their troops.
XCOM 2 is available now for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC platforms. Currently, the game’s debug features are exclusive to the PC release.
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.