DJI is better known for its drones and cameras than any of its audio tech, but it’s apparently eager to change your mind. The company has released the Mic, its first dedicated audio recording gear, in the US. The wireless clip-on system promises 24-bit, 48KHz audio capture for your vlogs or other spoken-word content at distances of up to 820 feet. That’s not too special in itself, but DJI is clearly hoping to snag wireless earbud fans with the design — you charge the transmitters and receiver in a battery case that provides a total of 15 hours of use. You’re looking at up to 5.5 hours of use per session.
The Mic can output through a 3.5mm jack, Lightning and USB-C, and you’ll get familiar audio adjustments like sensitivity (between -12dB and +12dB) and variable gain. An included furry windscreen will prevent a blustery day from ruining your show.
The system is available now for $329. That’s a lot to spend if you’re just looking to record audio using your phone. You can spend a fraction of the price if you only need the basics. However, the outlay might be easier to rationalize if you either depend on long-distance recording or want the flexibility that DJI’s charging case and output selection can offer.
Roku users who might be used to major third-party services disappearing for a while (or taking forever to arrive) won’t lose access to Prime Video and IMDb TV any time soon. Amazon and Roku have reached a multi-year deal to keep the apps on the platform.
“Roku and Amazon have reached a multi-year extension for their distribution agreement,” Roku said in a statement. “Customers can continue to access the Prime Video and IMDb TV apps on their Roku devices.” It didn’t disclose terms of the deal.
The Amazon negotiations seem to have gone more smoothly than talks with other streaming services. It took months for Roku to reach a deal with WarnerMedia to get HBO Max on the platform. As for YouTube TV, that vanished from the Roku Channel Store for eight months. The company and Google aired their grievances in public while working on a new deal. Securing all those agreements means users will have access to more of the streaming services they might want to use under one umbrella.
Update 4/4 2:33PM ET: Clarifying that the YouTube TV app was removed from the Channel Store, not the entre Roku platform.
You no longer need an Xbox if you’re going to play Drinkbox’s latest game in your living room. The studio has announced that its silly-but-sophisticated RPG Nobody Saves the World is coming to PS4, PS5 and Switch on April 14th. The release will also see all players get a local co-op mode — Switch owners will even have the option to play locally using a single set of Joy-Cons.
Online co-op won’t be truly cross-platform. However, PS4 and PS5 players will get to take on dungeons together.
Nobody Saves the World aims to inject some life into RPGs both through its irreverent style and its shapeshifting mechanics. You can unlock and change into over 15 forms, including ridiculous characters like a bodybuilder or robot. Each shape has its own abilities and even quests. The dungeons are shapeshifting, too. Throw in a soundtrack from Superbrothers: Swords & Sworcery‘s Jim Guthrie and this may be one of those RPGs you revisit simply to experience the things you missed the first time around.
Big news for PlayStation and Switch players. 👀
Nobody Saves the World is coming to Nintendo Switch, PS5, and PS4 on April 14th. Plus, local co-op support is coming to all platforms on the same day!
One of the best video game series of all time is making a return in 2022 with some of its key original creatives on board. Return to Monkey Island is “a game by Ron Gilbert,” who conceived the point-and-click comedy-adventure saga in the late ’80s.
Gilbert wrote and directed the original game, The Secret of Monkey Island. He was director, programmer and designer on the sequel, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge. He left Lucasfilm Games soon after the latter was released, but he was credited on 2009’s Tales of Monkey Island. Gilbert is now back at work on arguably the series he’s best known for as a co-designer and co-writer alongside fellow Monkey Island veteran Dave Grossman.
Return to Monkey Island is in development at Gilbert’s Terrible Toybox. The studio’s working alongside Devolver Digital and Lucasfilm Games on the latest entry. According to the description on a teaser video Devolver posted, it’s a “long-awaited follow-up” to the first two games.
The clip also notes that Michael Land, Peter McConnell and Clint Bajakian — all of whom have previously worked on the series — are handling the music, while Dominic Armato is reprising his role as Guybrush Threepwood. So, it’ll certainly sound like a proper Monkey Island game.
Gilbert tried for years to get back the rights to Monkey Island (and Maniac Mansion) from the Disney-owned Lucasfilm Games to no avail. Still, it’s great to see him and so many other Monkey Island veterans returning to the series.
This just shot to the top of the list of my most-anticipated games in 2022. Sorry about all the game of the year awards you just lost, Elden Ring.
If I ever get to make another Monkey Island, I’m going to announce it on April 1st.
The UK wants to show that it’s embracing crypto, and that includes digital tokens — whether you like them or not. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has announced that the Royal Mint will issue an official NFT sometime this summer. More details aren’t yet available but Economic Secretary John Glen billed the token as a symbol of the “forward-looking approach” the country was taking toward crypto technologies.
The NFT will come as part of a broader effort to support financial technology, and crypto in particular. The UK government aims to create a “dynamic regulatory landscape” that welcomes the technology, according to Glen. It now plans legislation that will welcome stablecoins into the country’s payment infrastructure, will mull the legal status of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) and hopes to remove “disincentives” to investment funds that include crypto.
The Financial Conduct Authority has already been experimenting through a regulatory sandbox, and plans its first in a series of policy “crypto-sprints” this May. The government is also forming a Cryptoasset Engagement Group that includes representatives from the FCA, Bank of England and business, with as many as eight meetings per year.
Glen was aware of the concerns surrounding crypto, such as the potential for scams, bootleg activity and environmental harms. However, he cast the NFT and similar projects as an opportunity to get “in on the ground floor” and thrive should crypto take off.
The NFT won’t thrill critics who see the tokens as creating artificial scarcity, increasing emissions or otherwise wasting resources. However, it will signal the UK government’s willingness to court the crypto industry. The country is clearly early to recreate its reputation as a financial hub in the digital realm.
While Samsung announced all of its new 2022 TVs back at CES, due to the pandemic we haven’t been able to check them out in person until now. And even though Samsung didn’t bring all of its 30-plus new sets to its flagship store in New York, from what I saw there’s a lot to like about Samsung’s latest big-screen lineup.
The centerpiece of Samsung’s portfolio is, without a doubt, the new QN900B, the centerpiece of the company’s Neo QLED 8K family. For 2022, Samsung has added 14-bit HDR mapping (up from 12-bit mapping on last year’s models) to improve picture detail in both bright and dark scenes. When combined with that massive 7,680 x 4,320 resolution, the TV looks seriously sharp.
The QN900B’s higher peak brightness and 8K resolution deliver super sharp details in practically any lighting conditions.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
But the most promising upgrades might be the changes Samsung made behind the glass, including an updated Neural Quantum processor the company says can analyze the content being shown to further optimize image quality. As for audio, the QN900B also gets a new 90W 6.2.4 channel speaker setup featuring Dolby Atmos with Object Tracking Sound Pro. This allows the TV to tweak sounds and voices based on where they appear on screen, adding an extra level of immersion.
As a gamer, I really like that in addition to improved support for game streaming services like Google Stadia and NVIDIA GeForce Now built into Samsung’s Gaming Hub, the QN900B (along with the 4K QN95B and QN90B) also gets one HDMI 2.1 port that supports refresh rates of up to 144Hz (up from 120Hz). Meanwhile, all of Samsung’s new TVs from the Q80B and up will come standard with four HDMI 2.1 ports that support 120Hz inputs. That means you won’t need to constantly mess with your cables to make sure you’re getting the best possible image quality for your Xbox Series X, PS5, or any gaming PCs you might have connected to the TV. That’s a big quality of life upgrade compared to my two-year-old TV that only has a single port that supports 120Hz inputs.
I also want to mention the QN900B’s design, which features practically non-existent bezels. Particularly with its slimmer base, the TV really gives the impression that the whole thing is floating in mid-air. Samsung even tweaked the sides of the TV’s bezels with a brushed metal finish and patterned cut-outs, which looks slick but not distracting. Sadly, with the smallest 65-inch model starting at a whopping $5,000, Samsung’s latest 8K TVs aren’t cheap. Thankfully, if you don’t care about 8K (which is very understandable), Samsung’s Neo QLED 4K QN85B starts at just $1,500 for a 55-inch model.
The S95B features Quantum Dot tech and is Samsung’s first new OLED TV in almost a decade.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
However, I think the S95B (which starts at $2,200 for a 55-inch model) is Samsung’s most interesting TV for 2022. Not only is it the company’s first new OLED TV in almost a decade, it also features Quantum Dot technology and a new sub-pixel architecture that delivers some truly impressive colors. Unlike traditional OLED displays, Samsung got rid of the traditional white sub-pixel and instead uses blue sub-pixels as the main source of illumination. And when paired with the same Neural Quantum Processor used in the QN900B, the S95B delivers better brightness than traditional OLEDs without washing out colors or reducing saturation. Honestly, the richness and vibrancy of this display is jaw-dropping, and I actually stopped in my tracks the first time I walked past it.
Now, it’s important to remember that the S95B still isn’t as bright as one of Samsung’s QLED sets, so for people watching TV in a room with lots of windows or tons of ambient light, something like the 4K QN90B would probably be a better option. And while the S95B (which starts at $2,199.99 for a 55-inch model) does get four HDMI ports that support 120Hz inputs, sizes top out at just 65 inches compared to 85 inches for most of Samsung’s QLED sets.
The 2022 Frame’s new matte coating also makes the TV’s art mode look much more lifelike.
Sam Rutherford/Eng
Finally, when it comes to Samsung’s Frame TVs (which starts at $1,000 for a 43-inch model), the big change for 2022 is a new matte finish that reduces reflections and helps the set do an even better job of disguising itself as art when you’re not watching it. To me, the matte finish gave things like brush strokes in paintings an extra level of texture, resulting in a more lifelike appearance. That said, there is a downside because the anti-reflective coating slightly reduces how much light gets through the TV’s front glass. Thankfully, Samsung easily remedied that by increasing the 2022 Frame’s overall brightness, both in art mode and when showing content.
Here’s a comparison showing the effect the 2022 Frame’s (left) anti-reflective coating has when light is shined on it versus last year’s model (right). Note how the glare is much less harsh on the new Frame.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
But perhaps my big takeaway after seeing Samsung’s new TV lineup is that it feels like there’s more choice than ever before when it comes to picking your perfect set. If you want a super high-res TV with excellent brightness that will look great even in bright rooms with lots of windows, there’s the QN900B. Alternatively, if you want brilliant colors and deep inky blacks, the S95B represents a welcome return for Samsung to the OLED TV space, which is a market its cross-country rival LG has dominated in recent years. And if you prefer a TV with a more subdued design that might blend in better with your decor, there’s the Frame and its updated matte finish.
All of Samsung’s new 2022 TVs are available for pre-order today, with devices expected to begin shipping out sometime later this month.
Epic Games and Microsoft have wrapped up their campaign to support Ukraine relief efforts through Fortniteafter raising an impressive $144 million. Both companies donated their proceeds from the game for the last two weeks to humanitarian causes supporting people affected by the war. The funds will go to Direct Relief, UNICEF, UN World Food Program, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and World Central Kitchen.
Our deepest thanks to everyone who joined us in supporting humanitarian relief efforts for people affected by the war in Ukraine.
The campaign aligned with the start of Fortnite‘s latest season, meaning that many players were buying V-Bucks to unlock the latest Battle Pass and scoop up new in-game items. Epic and Xbox donated their cuts of gifted Battle Passes, Fortnite Crew subscriptions and gift cards redeemed during that time to relief efforts as well.
Now is a good moment to buy the Beats Fit Pro if you’re a habitual Amazon shopper. Amazon is offering a free $25 gift card when you buy the true wireless earbuds for $200. While that doesn’t represent a discount for the buds themselves, as we’ve seen in the past, it’s still a significant bargain if you’re likely to shop on Amazon again.
In some ways, the Beats Fit Pro represent a better value than much of Apple’s earbud lineup, including the third-gen AirPods and even the AirPods Pro. They’re comfortable, sweat-resistant and should stay put during many workouts, but they offer punchier bass than the regular AirPods and last a healthy six hours with active noise cancellation compared to just 4.5 for the AirPods Pro. They’re also considerably more discreet than the Powerbeats Pro, and certainly more colorful than Apple-branded earbuds.
There are some catches, such as the lack of wireless charging, the risk of accidental button presses and a few (thankfully minor) iOS-only features. The biggest obstacle might simply be sales on other Apple and Beats models. The AirPods Pro and Powerbeats Pro are frequently on sale, and sometimes cost less than the Beats Fit Pro — you may want to do some comparisons if you’re mainly interested in the lowest possible price. Even so, the Beats Fit Pro remain good value for money.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Upgrading to an OLED TV will make a big difference in your living room setup, but the best displays out there don’t come cheap. However, Amazon has slashes the prices of LG’s 2021 C1 OLED lineup, bringing most of them down to new record lows. The cheapest of the bunch, the 48-inch model, is down to $997, which is about $50 cheaper than its previous record-low price. But you’ll get the best deal on the 65-inch TV, which is 32 percent off and down to $1,697. And if you go for that model, you can also save $150 on LG’s SP9YA soundbar if you’re looking to upgrade your sound system along with your TV.
The mid-tier C1 sets have been quite popular since they give you all of the features you expect in an OLED set along with extra gaming perks, all at a decent price point. As with any OLED TV, you’re getting deep blacks and more accurate colors than standard sets, and the C1 models support 120Hz refresh rates and run on LG’s a9 Gen4 AI Processor 4K. LG’s smart TV interface gives you access to all of the top streaming platforms, including Netflix and Apple TV+, and it supports voice commands from both Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Assistant.
Along with the high refresh rate, the C1 sets have HDMI 2.1, support for G-Sync and FreeSync and are capable of a 1ms response time. Those features make these TVs excel when it comes to console gaming, and LG lets you control all of those relevant settings in its Game Optimizer menu.
It’s worth mentioning that LG’s 2022 OLED sets are available now, too, including the updated C2 lineup. The company made a few changes in this year’s sets, upgrading the processor to its a9 Gen5 chip, adding new features to Game Optimizer and reducing response times even further. However, the C2 TVs start at nearly $1,500, so if you’re willing to skip out on the latest improvements, you can get last year’s models at much better prices. Same goes for LG’s G1 “Gallery” series right now — while the 2022 G2 family is available starting at a whopping $3,200, most 2021 models have been discounted and the 65-inch G1 is down to a new all-time low of $1,997.
