Gaming

Acer unveils Predator Atlas 8 handheld with Intel Arc G-Series power

PC gaming on the go

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Predator Atlas 8

Acer has unveiled the Predator Atlas 8, a new Windows 11 gaming handheld powered by Intel’s latest Arc G-Series platform. The device expands Acer’s growing handheld portfolio and targets gamers who want PC gaming performance in a portable form factor.

The Predator Atlas 8 pairs Intel’s new Arc G3 Extreme processor with up to Intel Arc B390 graphics. It supports ray tracing and Intel XeSS 3 AI-powered upscaling to boost performance while maintaining image quality. Acer says the platform balances gaming performance and battery efficiency for gaming on the go.

Predator cooling comes to a handheld

Acer equips the Atlas 8 with a dual-fan cooling system inspired by its Predator gaming laptops. The setup includes what Acer describes as the first metal fan used in a gaming handheld. The company says the ultra-thin AeroBlade fan increases airflow by up to 10 percent. It works alongside a second fan and Acer’s Vortex Flow design to move heat out of the chassis more efficiently.

The handheld features an 8-inch WUXGA touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate and Variable Refresh Rate support. The panel reaches up to 500 nits of brightness and uses a 16:10 aspect ratio. Acer also protects the display with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and a DXC coating that helps reduce glare.

Acer complements the display with dual 2W speakers that support DTS:X Ultra audio. Dual microphones with PurifiedVoice AI noise reduction help improve voice clarity during multiplayer sessions and online chats.

Built around the Windows gaming ecosystem

The Predator Atlas 8 runs Windows 11 and supports Xbox Mode for quicker access to games and system functions. Acer also includes an Xbox Game Pass subscription, giving users access to hundreds of games from day one.

For connectivity, the handheld offers dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and UHS-II microSD expansion. The control layout includes full-size analog sticks and dual-mode triggers. Players can switch between instant-click microswitch controls for shooters and Hall-effect analog controls for racing and simulation titles.

A dedicated PredatorSense button provides quick access to performance settings, RGB lighting controls, and system monitoring tools. Acer has not yet announced pricing or local availability. The company says details will vary by market.

Computex 2026

ASUS ROG XBOX Ally X20 debuts at COMPUTEX 2026

Powerful gaming handheld

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ASUS has announced the ROG XBOX Ally X20 bundle at COMPUTEX 2026, just in time to celebrate the gaming brand’s 20th anniversary.

Featuring a translucent black chassis with vibrant gold internal structure, the machine is both a throwback to gaming two decades ago and a vision of the future.

The translucence offers a peek under the hood to the high-performance cooling system and handheld silicon from AMD.

Premium hardware

The ROG XBOX Ally X20 brings a new Nebula HDR Display to the handheld for the first time, with a 7.4-inch OLED panel and Corning DXC glass and anti-reflective coating.

This slightly larger panel increases immersion and visibility. It has up to 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium of support, and 1,400 nits of peak brightness.

Furthermore, it has a VESA DisplayHDR 1000 rating, Dolby Vision, and 0.2ms response time.

Powering the portable device is the AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor with ample gaming horsepower and the latest tools like Auto SR upscaling, as well as XBOX for seamless navigation and gaming.

It supports 24GB of DDR5 RAM and 1TB of PCIe 4.0 storage to accommodate a large library of titles.

Better ergonomics, controls

Inspired by iconic XBOX controller designs, the ROG XBOX Ally X20 has a transforming D-Pad. It’s designed with the standard four-way movement, but can easily be converted to eight-way control for fighting games.

The improved face buttons have also been adjusted, now sitting flush against the chassis to enable smooth and uninterrupted thumb sliding. On the rear of the handgrips is a rubberized coating.

Speaking of controls, the next-gen handheld levels up with a new TMR joystick technology, delivering pinpoint precision, smoother tracking, and longer-lasting performance.

Bundled with ROG XREAL R1 Edition 20 Gaming AR Glasses

The bundle also features the ROG XREAL R1 Edition 20 Gaming AR Glasses, making the set an absolute collector’s must-have.

The AR glasses feature a 171-inch virtual screen at four meters, 240Hz display that covers 95% of the field of view, and a 0.01ms response time, thanks to micro-OLED. These glasses plug directly into the Ally via USB-C.

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Gaming

Latest BeastLink Open Beta offers optimizations, improvements

Grove Street Games’ monster-sized Kaiju mayhem

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Grove Street Games has kicked off another round of beta playtesting for the large-scale multiplayer destruction sandbox game BeastLink.

The latest round of open beta testing opened at 4:00 P.M. ET on May 29 and will end at June 1 at 10:00 A.M. ET.

This Open Beta weekend offers a fresh look at the massive optimization sand improvements from the past month of closed playtesting.

Players can join through the BeastLink Steam page here.

The latest Open Beta features the Horned Lizard, Mandrill, and Bull Shark as playable beasts.

The Kaiju battles come with more freedom of movement and improved fighting. All beasts have seen extensive updates and balance improvements for a more refined monster vs. monster combat.

Moreover, there is a new map available: Wharf, which urges players to utilize ziplines and cranes. New effects like dust, fog, and rubble also make the showdown feel more chaotic.

Meanwhile, selecting Battle Arena from the Deployment Menu lets players battle against friends, the CPU, or by themselves for fun. That’s on top of other modes like Tutorial, Hazard Pay, Beast Brawl, and Colony Purge.

BeastLink is built on Unreal Engine 5, and uses Grove Street Games’ proprietary SuperDestruction system to push environmental wreckage to a new level.

The system lets players reshape the map both as human or Kaiu, with over 250,000 destructible objects and millions of individual pieces.

An announcement trailer has likewise been unveiled.

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Gaming

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has been officially announced

And it’s coming out on the Switch 2.

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Compared to the crazier news we��ve gotten so far, a new Call of Duty doesn’t seem like it should make a ripple, but it does. Activision has officially announced Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, and it’s coming out on the Nintendo Switch 2.

This year’s mainline entry has a couple of firsts for the ubiquitous franchise. For one, Modern Warfare 4 will not launch on the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. It’s the first time that the series is dropping the last generation of consoles. Secondly, it’s launching for the Switch 2, marking the first time that the franchise is coming out on a Nintendo system since 2013. Finally, it won’t launch as a day-one release on the Game Pass.

Besides the reshuffling of launch outlets, Modern Warfare 4 will offer much of the same from the franchise: bombastic campaigns with global stakes and a thriving palette of multiplayer modes.

This time around, players will start the campaign as Private Park, a South Korean soldier thrust into a war as North Korea suddenly invades its southern neighbor. Players will also face assignments in Mumbai and New York. Captain Price is, of course, coming back but as an outlaw in pursuit of a powerful weapon.

For multiplayer, Activision promises more improvements yet again for movement and gunplay. Modern Warfare 4 will also introduce new modes such as Kill Block, which features maps that change after every round. DMZ is coming back, of course.

Activision promises more updates coming throughout the year. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will launch for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2 on October 23, 2026.

SEE ALSO: Call of Duty drops the PlayStation 4 starting with its next game

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