Apple TV+ Friday Night Baseball doubleheaders start April 8th

Apple’s first Friday Night Baseball doubleheader will stream on April 8th. Announced at its recent “Peek Performance” event, the program will see Apple stream two exclusive MLB games every Friday through the end of the regular season. The first doubleh…

YouTube TV is testing 5.1-channel audio on Android TV and Roku

YouTube TV should soon add immersive sound to more platforms. The service is now testing 5.1-channel audio on Android TV (including Google TV) and Roku devices, and expects to make surround sound available on that hardware if all goes “smoothly.” The company is still working on support for Apple TV, Fire TV and game consoles, so don’t despair if your preferred platform is stuck with stereo.

At present, 5.1 audio requires either a “traditional” Chromecast (before Google TV) or a TV set from LG, Samsung or Vizio with a version of the YouTube TV app that runs at least Cobalt 20. The shows themselves need to offer surround sound, of course, but the enhancement should automatically kick in whenever it’s available.

The addition is relatively late when Hulu, Sling TV and other cord cutter services have offered some form of 5.1-channel output for a while. This might give you a reason to try YouTube TV if the audio wasn’t to your liking, though, and it’ll help make the most of your home theater setup.

Xiaomi’s cheapest 5G phone now starts from $199

Xiaomi has come a long way since the launch of its budget Redmi line back in 2013, and while the latter has since extended its coverage across a wider price range, it isn’t about to abandon the budget market. Ahead of its 12th anniversary on April 6th, Xiaomi announced a new Redmi 10 5G which, starting from $199, happens to be the company’s — and some markets’ — cheapest 5G smartphone to date. To put things into perspective, the OnePlus Nord N200 5G costs $240, and Samsung’s recently-launched Galaxy A13 5G is priced at $250.

The Redmi 10 5G — not to be confused with the 4G-only Redmi 10 or 10A — is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor with dual 5G standby, and it runs on MIUI 13 based on Android 11. You get a reasonably-sized 6.58-inch 2,408 x 1,080 LCD with up to 90Hz refresh rate, along with a generous 5,000mAh battery which supports 18W fast charging (interestingly, the phone comes with a 22.5W charger), a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and a 3.5mm headphone jack. 

Redmi 10 5G in
Redmi 10 5G in “Aurora Green.”
Xiaomi

There’s not much going on in terms of design — just a plastic body with a grooved concentric circle texture and flat edges. Likewise with photography: just a 50-megapixel main camera paired with a 2-megapixel depth camera on the back, plus a 5-megapixel “dot drop” selfie camera above the screen.

As with all Xiaomi phones these days, the Redmi 10 5G won’t be headed to the US, but a spokesperson confirmed that we can expect it to land in most of Xiaomi’s global markets, including the UK, Europe, South East Asia, Middle East and more. You’ll have two options: the $199 model comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, whereas the $229 version bumps the storage up to 128GB. These will come in “Graphite Gray,” “Chrome Silver” and “Aurora Green.”

Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G in
Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G in “Forest Green.”
Xiaomi

Also announced for the international markets are the higher-end Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G and Redmi Note 11S 5G, both of which also pack a MediaTek processor (Dimensity 920 and Dimensity 810, respectively) with dual 5G standby, a side-mounted fingerprint reader, an IR blaster, a 3.5mm headphone jack and dual speakers (with JBL tuning on the Pro+).

The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G has been available in China since October, and it’s all about its 15-minute fast charging on its 4,500mAh dual-cell battery, thanks to Xiaomi’s 120W HyperCharge tech. You also get a 6.67-inch 2,400 x 1,080 AMOLED screen, which delivers up to 120Hz refresh rate and up to 360Hz touch sampling rate for some slick scrolling, as well as a high brightness mode of up to 700 nits for outdoor usage. With its 108-megapixel main camera (Samsung HM2 sensor), 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, 2-megapixel telemacro camera and 16-megapixel punch-hole selfie camera, you should be able to get some nice photos out of this device. Prices range from $369 (6GB + 128GB) to $449 (8GB + 256GB), and you can pick “Graphite Gray,” “Star Blue” or “Forest Green.”

Redmi Note 11S 5G in
Redmi Note 11S 5G in “Midnight Black,” “Twilight Blue” and “Star Blue.”
Xiaomi

The marginally cheaper Redmi Note 11S 5G is a slight variant of China’s earlier Redmi Note 11 5G, with the main difference being the extra 2-megapixel macro camera on the back. The rest appears to be identical: 6.6-inch 2,400 x 1,080 LCD (90Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate), 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging, 50-megapixel main camera, 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera and 13-megapixel punch-hole selfie camera. Prices range from $249 (4GB + 64GB) to $299 (6GB + 128GB), with color options including “Midnight Black,” “Twilight Blue” and a sparkly “Star Blue.”

PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium are Sony’s take on Xbox Game Pass

After months (if not years) of speculation, Sony has officially announced its revamped game subscription service as it looks to take on Microsoft’s all-conquering Game Pass. The company is keeping the PlayStation Plus branding as it combines PS Plus and PlayStation Now into a three-tier service, but don’t expect Sony to add new PS4 or PS5 games on their release day. 

PlayStation Plus Essential is the lowest tier and it’s effectively the same as the current version of PS Plus. You’ll be able to claim two games per month that you can download and play as long as you maintain your subscription. You’ll also get discounts in the PSN Store, cloud storage for save files and access to online multiplayer. Those on PS5 will still have access to the PS Plus Collection, which includes a great batch of PS4 classics.

Pricing stays the same at $10 per month; $25 per quarter and $60 per year in the US; €9 per month, €25 per quarter and €60 per year in Europe; £7 per month, £20 per quarter and £50 per year in the UK; and ¥850 per month, ¥2,150 per quarter and ¥5,143 per year in Japan.

The middle tier is PlayStation Plus Extra. You’ll get access to the same benefits as the Essential tier along with a library of up to 400 PS4 and PS5 games. These will include PlayStation Studios titles as well as ones from third-party publishers. At the outset, Sony plans to offer games including Death Stranding, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Mortal Kombat 11 and Returnal. 

You’ll be able to download these games, and everything else on the Extra tier, for offline play. Sony says the library will be refreshed regularly, so, as with Game Pass, some games might be dropped after a certain period.

The Extra tier costs $15 per month; $40 per quarter and $100 per year in the US; €14 per month, €40 per quarter and €100 per year in Europe; £11 per month, £32 per quarter and £84 per year in the UK; and ¥1,300 per month, ¥3,600 per quarter and ¥8,600 per year in Japan.

PlayStation 5 and DualSense controller
Aaron Souppouris/Engadget

At the top end is PlayStation Plus Premium. You’ll get access to everything in the Essential and Extra tiers, of course, and this is where the PS Now aspect really comes into play.

You’ll get access to another 340 or so games, including PS3 titles you can stream via the cloud. A bunch of PS1, PS2 and PSP games will be available to stream or download, meaning that Sony is using on-console emulation. Time-limited game trials will also be available on this tier.

Here’s where things get a little a more complex. Premium subscribers will be able to stream PS1, PS2 and PSP games, as well as PS4 titles on the Extra tier, but only in markets where PS Now is currently available. Those are the US, Canada, Japan, UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden.

Sony plans to bring cloud streaming to more regions at a later date. In the meantime, those in markets without cloud streaming will get access to a cheaper version of Premium. Those who subscribe to that service, which is called PlayStation Plus Deluxe, will be able to download and play PS1, PS2 and PSP titles and have access to the game trials as well as the Essential and Extra perks.

The cloud gaming option will work on PS4 and PS5 consoles as well as PC. At least for the time being, you won’t be able to stream PlayStation games natively on phones or tablets (though there’s always the Remote Play option). Xbox Cloud Gaming is available on mobile devices in many regions. 

PlayStation Plus Premium costs $18 per month; $50 per quarter and $120 per year in the US; €17 per month, €50 per quarter and €120 per year in Europe; £13.50 per month, £40 per quarter and £100 per year in the UK; and ¥1,550 per month, ¥4,300 per quarter and ¥10,250 per year in Japan. Notably, at least in the US, the annual price is $60 less than Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members pay for a year of access to that service.

PlayStation 5 DualSense controller.
Aaron Souppouris/Engadget

One thing you definitely won’t get anytime soon, no matter which tier you subscribe to, is first-party PlayStation games on the day they’re released. “We feel if we were to do that with the games that we make at PlayStation Studios, that virtuous cycle will be broken,” Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan told GamesIndustry.biz in an interview. “The level of investment that we need to make in our studios would not be possible, and we think the knock-on effect on the quality of the games that we make would not be something that gamers want.”

This is a huge move for Sony as it tries to get players more invested in its platforms. Between PS Plus and PS Now, Sony has more than 50 million subscribers. The vast majority of those (more than 48 million) are PS Plus members that Sony is hoping will upgrade to a higher tier. Around 75 percent of PS Now members are also PS Plus subscribers, so they’ll soon pay less for the combined service.

The new-look PS Plus will start rolling out in June. It’ll debut in some markets in Asia before expanding to North America, Europe and other territories where PlayStation Plus is available. It plans to have the new tiers live in most PlayStation Network regions by the end of June. Expect to learn more details about the service in the coming weeks.

8BitDo’s Pro 2 controller drops to an all-time low in Amazon’s gaming sale

8BitDo’s Pro 2 was already great value at its regular price of $50, but now the controller has dropped to an all-time low on Amazon. It’s on sale for $42.50, which is 15 percent off the usual price.

Buy 8BitDo Pro 2 controller at Amazon – $42.50

As with the excellent SN30 Pro+, the Pro 2 is compatible with Nintendo Switch, Windows, macOS, Android and Raspberry Pi. This time around, the controller has two back buttons. Like all of the other inputs, those buttons on the handles (where your ring finger or pinky might rest naturally) are fully customizable through a Windows, Mac, Android and iOS app. The controller has a profile configuration switcher as well, so you can swap between three input configurations without having to fire up the app.

It’s a little disappointing that the controller isn’t compatible with iOS devices, PlayStation or Xbox. For those who game on pretty much every other major platform, though, the 8BitDo Pro 2 is well worth checking out, particularly if you pick up a cheap smartphone clip so you can more easily play cloud gaming titles just about anywhere.

Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma from side with yellow-green lighting
Razer

Elsewhere as part of Amazon’s gaming accessory sale, you can save on Razer’s wired Wolverine V2 Chroma controller. It also dropped to an all-time low. At $127.50, the white variant is slightly cheaper than the black model ($130). The controller usually costs $150.

Buy Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma (white) at Amazon – $127.50Buy Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma (black) at Amazon – $130

The Wolverine V2 Chroma is compatible with Xbox consoles and PC. It’s a worthy alternative to Microsoft’s Elite Wireless Series 2 controller.

It has six more buttons than a standard Xbox controller and they’re all remappable. Those could be useful for swiftly building structures in Fortnite (once that becomes a thing again) or executing rapid combos. There’s also full RGB support via Razer’s Xbox controller app, swappable thumbsticks and a hair-trigger mode that could give you an advantage over your rivals.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Amazon’s kid-centric Glow video call device is now widely available in the US

Last year, Amazon revealed one of the more original products we’ve seen, the kid-focused Glow that does video calls and projects a touch-sensitive play space onto a flat surface. Now, the company has announced that the Glow is available for all customers in the US, complete with a 1-year subscription for books, visual arts activities, play options and more. 

The Amazon Glow combines an 8-inch LCD teleconferencing display with a projector that creates a 19-inch, touch-sensitive interactive space. Parents and others can connect to the device via the Glow mobile app that lets them speak with kids and interact with the projected play space remotely. In the original announcement video, for example, Amazon shows kids doing puzzles, drawing and playing reading games, while parents and grandparents are able to see what the kids are seeing. 

“We know a majority of parents say it’s challenging for their kids to stay engaged on traditional video calls, and, let’s be honest, stay in one place,” said Glow GM Joerg Tewes. “For parents who are miles or minutes away from home for work, Glow provides a new way to say good morning or good night to keep those important relationships strong.”

The device comes with “nearly 100 games and visual arts activities” through Amazon Kids+, Amazon said. Those include Chess, Checkers, go Fish, Whac-A-Mole and others. It also includes thousands of books, different play options (remote or side-by-side), the ability to interact with Disney characters (Anna and Elsa, Woody and Buzz, etc.) and more. Parents, friends and others can use the Glow app on their existing Android and iOS smartphones/tablets or on the 2021 Fire HD 10 tablets. 

Glow looks like a pretty cool product, but it isn’t exactly cheap. You can now pick one up at Amazon, BestBuy.com and Target.com starting at $300, with a mat and mat case plus a 1-year Amazon Kids+ subscription included. It’s also available with a Fire HD 10 tablet for $380.