X3: Albion Prelude is now available for PC and Mac. PC users can download through Steam, Mac users need to use Deliver2Mac.com. The boxed edition is at some point during Q1 2012.
Albion Prelude is essentially an add-on that’s seemingly being used as a means of generating more interest in 2012’s upcoming X Rebirth.
The official set of features for Albion Rebirth are as follows:
A new plot throws you into the power struggle between corporations at a time of war
More than 30 new ships and stations
New Stock Exchange feature allows advanced investment strategies
Improved graphics quality setting for high-end machines
Improved user interface introducing charts to visualize economic developments
Support for head tracking
Here’s the complicated part – the price.
If you already own the X: Superbox package then Albion Prelude is free. If you’ve got X3: Terrain Conflict, then you’ll need to pay an extra £9.99 to get the add-on. For those of you without either of the above, then you can get X3: Terrain Conflict and X3: Albion Prelude as a bundle for £19.99. The X3 Superbox is £39.99 on Steam.
The X3 Goldbox (X3 Reunion, X3: Terrain Conflict, X3: Albion Prelude) is £24.99.
You must have either X3: Terrain Conflict or the Superbox to play Albion Prelude.
However, it’s important to note that to qualify for the free/discounted version (if you own X: Superbox or X3: Terrain Conflict) you must have registered your copies through Steam. This can be done using the Keycode on the manual of your retail edition.
Download from Steam here.
