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Gaming creators and streamers will already be familiar with Rode. The company’s microphones and podcastingproducts make good options for those plugging into OBS, YouTube, Twitch and anywhere else you might “go live.” But as of today, there’s a whole new sub brand specifically catering to their needs: Rode X.

The first three products under the new mark include two microphones and a comprehensive desktop app for stream routing and mixing. The mics will look eerily familiar to fans of Rode products, but the company assures us they have been “redesigned internally for optimal performance for streaming and gaming.”

The new mics are the XDM-100 ($249) and XCM-50 ($150). The clue to the difference between them is in the name - D for dynamic, C for condenser (you can read about the difference here). The XDM-100, at least physically, looks like Rode’s Podcaster with a dash of red at the top. The XCM-50 is a condenser microphone that appears to be built on the same platform as the NT-USB Mini and features a distinct red button on the front.

James Trew / Engadget

Both microphones are USB only (no XLR), which means you won’t need an audio interface to use them, and they have built-in headphone ports for latency-free monitoring. Which of the two might interest you most will depend on both your preferences and the room where you stream from.

The XCM-50 has a bright sound that will work well for those in acoustically treated, or “softer” rooms. When tested side by side with its NT-USB Mini doppelganger, they do sound incredibly close, but to my ears the XCM-50 is a tiny bit brighter sounding. The NT-USB Mini sounds a shade “closer” by comparison.

The XDM-100 has a more classic “dynamic” microphone sound. While perhaps not quite as well rounded as something like the Shure SM7B or even Rode’s own Podmic, it feels cleaner than the Podcaster that it shares its physical appearance with. If you want a good USB dynamic option, this feels like a competitive choice for the price. Especially once coupled with the new Unify software.

The one thing that a lot of gamers and streamers really need isn’t so much a microphone – there are many options for that – it’s a reliable tool to route all the sounds in your stream, usually some mix of game sounds, chat, music and effects. With Unify, you have a simple software solution that is similar to the routing matrices you find with the GoXLR, the BEACN Mix Create or Elgato’s Wave Link.

Rode

Unify creates a couple of virtual audio interfaces on your PC and you can then control which app uses what, and where that sound goes. For example, you probably want your intro music to go out on the stream, but maybe you don’t want it in your headphones? Or maybe you want your audience to hear a YouTube video you’re playing, but not the music you’re streaming. With Unify, you can pipe most things to most places, and then change the levels, or “mix” for each destination also.

Rode has added the ability to record all your audio directly within the app, too. This makes it appealing to more than just streamers. For example, you could use it to record both sides of a Zoom call and be able to feed audio into that call that would otherwise be tricky. The fact that Unify has sound pads for intros and effects means it also works quite well as a software “Rodecaster Pro.”

Unify looks most similar to Wave Link but offers much more fine-grained control. The app isn’t quite as simple as BEACN’s, which lets you access each mix matrix at all times and has a slightly clearer UI. BEACN also benefits from the hardware mixer, too, but there’s no option to record within that app or trigger sound effects.

Where Unify differs from most of its rivals is that you don’t have to buy the company’s hardware to use it. If you just wanted the software features you can pay $5 a month or $45 a year for the app alone. This means you can easily use it with any microphone you have, you’re not beholden to using a Rode (unlike, Wave Link that requires an Elgato mic). If you do buy a Rode X mic, then the software is free. Sadly, if you already own a Rode USB mic, it won’t unlock the software, you'll be paying like everybody else.

Back in July, Samsung began testing a new privacy feature on Galaxy S21 phones in Korea. Dubbed Maintenance Mode, the tool allowed users to secure their personal information – including photos, messages and contacts – when sending their device in for repair. Now Samsung says the feature is ready for primetime.

Starting today, the company has begun rolling out Maintenance Mode to Galaxy devices with One UI 5 installed. Broader availability will follow in 2023. In other words, Galaxy S22 users will receive access to the feature first.

Once Maintenance Mode arrives on your phone, you’ll find the option to enable it within the “Battery and device care” section of the Settings menu. It will create a separate account on your phone for a technician to use while working on your device. In addition to protecting your personal information, Maintenance Mode prevents a technician from seeing what apps you have installed. They can use the Galaxy Store to download any diagnostic software they need, but once they’re done, your phone will automatically wipe any new data and apps. When your phone is back in your possession, you can disable Maintenance Mode by authenticating your identity.

With the first betas of iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2 and macOS Ventura 13.1 rolling out earlier today, Apple is letting developers try its Freeform app for the first time (via MacRumors). Announced at WWDC this past June, Freeform is a whiteboard-style collaboration app with integrations across the company’s ecosystem.

The software provides a “flexible canvas” where multiple participants can add text, photos, sketches and PDFs, as well as other content, to a shared space. Like Google Docs and many other collaboration apps, Freeform allows groups to edit their work together in real time. You can invite someone to a Freeform session over FaceTime, with Messages tracking any changes in a corresponding group thread.

Given its inclusion in the latest iOS, iPadOS and macOS betas, Freeform is likely to officially arrive alongside those updates later this year. The new versions of those operating systems don’t have a release date yet.

It took a while, but you no longer need to use an app just to check on your home through a current-gen Nest camera. As The Vergeexplains, Google has introduced a home.google.com portal in preview that offers web viewing for the latest Nest Cam and Nest Doorbell models. You can't watch recorded video, but you can catch the live feed, zoom in and turn cameras on or off.

The functionality is rolling out within the next week for battery-powered and wired Nest Cam models (including floodlight, Indoor, Outdoor and IQ variants) as well as the battery-based Nest Doorbell and its two wired counterparts (the Nest Hello and Doorbell second-gen). You can wake any battery devices.

Google already offered a web view for Nest cameras, but that support didn't carry over to the products released in 2021. General Manager Rishi Chandra told customers a web view would be available this year. It's not certain what prevented these newer models from simply using the old home.nest.com portal, but it's safe to say this was frustrating when numerous competing cameras had web support.

Whatever the reason, the web viewer makes recent Nest cameras and doorbells more useful. You can check on the front door or a pet rom your work computer rather than pulling out your phone. Google also stresses that it will continue to add "more popular camera features" over time, so you might not need the mobile app as much going forward.

Starting next month, dating app Hinge will begin rolling out a new profile verification feature to combat a surge in fake accounts. Dubbed “Selfie Verification,” the feature will prompt users to upload a video of themselves, which the app, with a combination of machine learning and human oversight, will use to confirm they look like the person pictured in their profile. People who complete the process will get a “Verified” badge on their dating profile.

Hinge parent company Match Group told Wired, the first publication to report on the feature, that Selfie Verification would roll out to all users by December. “As romance scammers find new ways to defraud people, we are committed to investing in new updates and technologies that prevent harm to our daters,” Hinge spokesperson Jarryd Boyd told the outlet.

The feature comes after Wired writer Lauren Goode wrote about her experience with Hinge’s many bots. The app, like many other dating platforms, is rife with fake accounts, and the real people behind them will often attempt to scam their matches out of money. For instance, “pig butchering,” one of the more popular online dating schemes, frequently sees victims tricked into “investing” their money into fake cryptocurrency platforms. As Gizmodo points out, online dating scams aren’t new, but they’ve become more prevalent since the start of the pandemic. In February, the Federal Trade Commission issued a warning to online daters, noting that people reported losing a record $547 million in 2021 from online dating fraud.

How much Selfie Verification will help protect Hinge users from such scams is hard to say. Other Match Group apps, including Tinder, already employ similar features. On those platforms, users aren’t required to verify their identity, and you still see plenty of fake accounts.

Google has announced it will end Chrome support on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 early next year. Chrome 110, which is scheduled for release on February 7th, will not work on either of the operating systems. You'll still be able to use older versions of Chrome on Windows 7 and 8.1, but you'll no longer be able to install newer builds, which will include new features and security updates.

On a support page that revealed the news, Google suggested upgrading to Windows 10 or Windows 11 to keep getting Chrome updates. That might be difficult for those whose systems don't support more recent versions of Microsoft's OS, businesses that are still stuck on Windows 7 or 8.1 and folks who can't afford to buy a new computer. Still, Google had to wind down support at some point. The company pointed out that its timeline matches up with Microsoft ending extended support for Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 on January 10th. 

As it turns out, however, Google will support Chrome on Windows 7 longer than planned. It previously said it would stop offering Chrome updates for the OS in 2021, then this year.

World's Edge, the Xbox studio that's overseeing Age of Empires these days, held an event to mark the franchise's 25th anniversary. With it came some major news about the future of the series, including its debut on consoles. Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition will be available on Xbox consoles and Xbox Cloud Gaming on January 31st. 

The most recent game in the real-time strategy series, 2021's Age of Empires IV, will arrive on consoles and Xbox Cloud Gaming later in 2023. Naturally, both titles will be available on Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. This is a big shift for a series that, until now, has only been available on PC. 

There will be crossplay support for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, so you can play with friends whether you're on Xbox, PC or accessing it via the cloud. What's more, the game will support keyboard and mouse inputs on console. In case you'd rather use a gamepad, World's Edge has designed a new controller tutorial, along with a revamped onboarding experience for newcomers to the game. On top of that, the team has added an AI system that's designed to make resource management more efficient and intuitive.

Elsewhere, World's Edge announced a new definitive edition of 2002's Age of Mythology, featuring "beautiful graphics, updated gameplay" and other features. Expect more details in the coming months. And, as is the way of things in the modern era, Age of Empires Mobile is in development, so you'll be able to get your AoE fix wherever you are without having to stream a game from the cloud. That game is coming soon, according to a teaser.

Lyft is once again rethinking its monthly subscription plan, and this time the cost might be easier to justify. The company has re-launched its Pink membership at $10 per month or $99 per year, or about half the previous price. You lose the discounts on all rides. Instead, the focus is on perks that may save you money in the long run. You now get free priority pickups that, according to Lyft, save an average of $3 to $4 per trip. You'll also receive "at least" a 5 percent discount on Preferred, Lux and XL rides, three free cancellations per month, a free bike or scooter unlock each month, free Sixt car rental upgrades, GrubHub+ discounts and roadside assistance for your own car up to four times every year.

The company still hopes you'll pay more. For $199 per year, Lyft Pink All Access includes unlimited 45-minute "classic" bike rides, unlimited e-bike and scooter unlocks (with discounted rates) and three yearly bike or scooter guest passes. If you regularly get around town on two wheels, this could represent a significant savings.

Drivers still get paid the same regardless of your discounts, Lyft says. You'll also receive a discount on rides if priority pickups aren't available when you book. Bike and scooter bonuses aren't available everywhere, however. You'll need to use them in a handful of US cities, including Denver, Los Angeles and New York City.

There's no mystery behind the reasons for the Pink re-do. This is Lyft's answer to Uber One, which costs the same $10 per month and shares the focus on "priority" service. Where Uber splits its attention between ridesharing and food deliveries, though, Lyft concentrates on transportation. Whichever service suits your tastes, the goal is the same — this is meant to ensure your loyalty while providing a recurring boost to the company's bottom line.

Dark Souls 2 players can once again team up and square off against each other on PC after FromSoftware reactivated the servers. The studio and publisher Bandai Namco switched off the online components for all Dark Souls games on PC back in January in order to tackle a security issue that allowed hijackers to take over players' systems. Nine months later, From and Bandai Namco have restored online features for the DirectX 11 version of Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin. The company said it will reactivate the servers for the DirectX 9 version at a later date.

On the downside, don't expect to play the online modes of the Dark Souls: Prepare to Die edition on PC again. "We have determined that we will not be able to support online services for the PC version of Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition that was released in 2012, due to an aging system," a statement on the Dark Souls Twitter account, as spotted by Polygon, reads. "We apologize for the long wait and ask for your understanding in this matter." That said, work is ongoing to bring back co-op and player-vs-player modes for 2018's Dark Souls Remastered on PC, but there's no timeline for that as yet.

As for Dark Souls 3, From and Bandai Namco restored the servers back in August. They originally aimed to revive online services for all the Dark Souls games by the time they released Elden Ring in February, but were unsuccessful in their attempts to meet that deadline.

As promised, Ken Block has released his first Gymkhana video with an electric car — and this time, the vehicle is almost as important as the hooning. The "Electrikhana" sees Block drift around Las Vegas landmarks in a one-of-a-kind Audi S1 Hoonitron. It borrows design cues from the well-known Sport Quattro S1 while using a dual-motor system (with an 800V architecture), a carbon fiber shell and FIA-grade safety measures. Think of it as a souped-up cousin to the E-tron GT. Audi is shy on the exact performance figures, but it's safe to say they're enough for donuts around hotel lobbies and boxing rings.

And the video itself? It brings Ken Block's signature antics to Sin City, including drifts in tight spaces and plenty of tire smoke. The lower center of gravity inherent to EVs certainly hasn't affected the handling, as Block has no problems maneuvering in some tricky situations. However, what's most notable is what you don't hear — the switch to an EV means the noises are largely limited to tire squeal and the S1 Hoonitron's strange motor whine.

The video is a not-very-subtle plug for Audi's lineup and racing heritage, and you certainly won't be recreating these feats away from a track. However, it represents a milestone for the cultural acceptance of EVs. Where electric cars used to be associated mainly with eco-conscious drivers, they're quickly becoming the machines of choice for performance-minded enthusiasts thanks to their instant torque and supercar-beating low-end acceleration. Block's Electrikhana helps show that EVs are viable for twists and turns, too.