A couple of years ago, you might have described Rode as a company that makes microphones. Today, it’s positioning itself more as a one-stop-shop for creator tools. The original Rodecaster Pro podcast mixer was the first big step in this evolution. That includes the new, gaming-focused “Rode X” sub-brand and products like the Streamer X capture card. The company, of course, still makes a microphone or two. But, with the new, smaller, more affordable and very capable Rodecaster Duo stream mixer, this move toward general creators is basically official.

The original Rodecaster Pro was the first mixing desk specifically designed for podcasters to really catch people’s attention. The build-quality, price, ease of use and simple workflow struck a chord with pros and amateurs alike. The Rodecaster Pro II ($699) went in a slightly different direction, introducing the ability to route different audio sources to different places, an essential tool for game streamers. The pads were upgraded from simple audio triggers to multi-purpose smart pads that can be used for MIDI, vocal effects and more. The second version also came in with a smaller footprint, removing two physical faders and making them “virtual.”

The Rodecaster Duo ($499) is arguably just the Rodcaster Pro II “mini.” The functionality is identical to its bigger sibling, but it comes with four physical faders (down from six); six pads (down from eight) and two XLR ports for microphones or instruments (down from four). You actually have control over seven mixing channels at any one time, but adjusting three of them is done via virtual faders. Importantly, you get to configure which inputs remain on physical faders and which are assigned to virtual controls in the companion software.

Photo by James Trew / Engadget

Two other small changes include the removal of the “record” button, which is now virtual/on the display, and there’s also a headphone port on the front edge. This last change solves one of my main nitpicks with Rodecaster Pro II, which only had headphone ports around the back. The port on the front is 3.5mm rather than 1/4 -inch and is compatible with headset/TRRS mics, adding another input effectively — one that’s particularly handy for game streamers.

One of the biggest upgrades from the original Rodecaster Pro is the addition of a second USB-C port around the back which can connect to a second PC. This is a massive boon for streamers who want to keep their gaming rig separate from their streaming one, and the new routing table allows you to send whatever inputs you like to either USB connection. This same port also can be used for connecting a phone, which is perfect for introducing callers or for streaming via mobile apps. You could always connect a phone via Bluetooth on the original model, which was handy but now you have multiple options (and via cable is much better quality).

The fact that there are only two XLR combo jacks speaks strongly to who this is for. While the Rodecaster Pro and its sequel were originally built for in-person, multi-guest, podcasts, it’s also a very capable tool for solo creators which has helped fuel its popularity. And with an increasing number of tools like Zencastr or Adobe Podcast, the need to host fellow flesh-sacks in the same room is no longer required for high-quality audio from all speakers. As such, the Rodecaster Duo makes a lot of sense for a broad stroke of creators from podcasters to streamers and even music producers and video editors (both the Duo and the II Pro are MIDI enabled).

Be under no illusions, the Duo — and its bigger sibling — are just as “pro” friendly as the first Rodecaster, but they both lean into the creator space a bit more than the original. This point is made most clearly by the very existence of the Duo. The smaller footprint is a clear admission that this was made to live on a desk full time alongside your other daily tools.

Photo by James Trew / Engadget

The Rodecaster II Pro was already a bit more manageable than the first model, but after a few weeks with the Duo, the difference is stark. It can remain nested under my monitor and easily moved into position when I go live. Before the Duo, I had the Pro II on my desk in a similar setup, but I was frequently moving it out of the way to make space for other things that it became a bit of a burden and I ended up unplugging it until show time. With the Duo it’s clear this can be a daily driver with little-to-no need to organize around it.

The number of tools for creators and streamers is expanding exponentially, and with that are more direct rivals to the Rodecaster series. In fact, just days after the Rodecaster Duo was announced, Boss unveiled its own take on the category with the Gigcaster 8 ($699) and Gigcaster 5 ($459). Both offer very similar features to Rode’s products in a generally smaller footprint. The Gigcaster 8 is a near 1:1 in terms of functionality to the Pro II, while the Gigcaster 5 sacrifices the physical trigger pads to make way for two more physical faders — six total — over the Duo’s four to create an even smaller footprint. Though it has a slight focus on musicians via some sound presets and effects, and doesn’t quite match the overall build quality and polish as the Rode.

Rode’s audio chops are also not to be underestimated. The pre-amps and headphone outputs on the Duo are capital-L loud and squeaky clean with a very low noise floor. When the products were announced, Rode went out of its way to show how well it could power the notoriously quiet (and insanely popular) SM7B microphone. When you’re giving a shout out to a rival company’s product to demonstrate a feature, you better be confident that the feature you’re touting does the goods. And surely it does. The amount of clean gain to drive microphones such as the aforementioned Shure classic is impressive and a step up from the already-decent Rodecaster Pro before it.

Photo by James Trew / Engadget

In short, the Rodecaster Duo feels like a product that Rode maybe didn’t initially think was the main event. It’s the smaller, more affordable version of its flagship mixer after all. It turns out that this is likely the one that most solo creators will actually want. Even pros might want to consider the Duo over the Pro II if they don’t absolutely need the capacity to run four microphones in tandem.

It’s worth mentioning that if you’re considering moving over to the Duo from something like the GoXLR or the Razer Audio Mixer know that Rode’s take on a routing table is a little different to what you might be used to. The Duo’s companion software is generally pretty good, but it doesn’t use the conventional “table” format many streamers will be used to. Instead it’s a little bit convoluted, but once you get the hang of it, it’s quite powerful. This is particularly handy if you’re in the business of recording audio from multiple sources. I often just use the routing options so I can record either one or both sides of a phone call or online meeting depending on my needs, but it’s also good for feeding PC audio — including Zoom calls or YouTube videos etc. — into, well, wherever you want it to go, including your phone.

If you do any kind of live audio production or recording, especially podcasts, the Rodecaster Duo is an easy sell. For streamers, it’s also a very capable device, one that’s also easy to recommend, but with a small asterisk. Streaming setups and their associated platforms are often a little more to their host’s tastes and preferences. As such, the Duo’s suitability will depend on what you’re used to and the specifics of what you want to do. But for most creators, the Duo is the better option over the Pro II at the very least.

Netflix is getting the band back together with Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, an anime adaptation of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series. The company has dropped the first teaser for the eight-episode show, which centers around the titular character and his attempt to win a battle of the bands contest while facing off against the seven evil exes of his new girlfriend.

The anime follows on from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, a 2010 film based on the graphic novels. The main cast of Edgar Wright's movie are reprising their roles in the series, including Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Ramona Flowers), Kieran Culkin (Wallace Wells), Chris Evans (Lucas Lee) and Brie Larson (“Envy” Adams).

The teaser apes many of the visuals of the movie and graphic novels, such as Scott blocking a flying attack from Matthew Patel with his arm and the rehearsal space of his band, Sex Bob-Omb. You'll also see Ramona dragging Scott through space toward a door with a star on it and the lovebirds sitting next to each other on a swing set. I don't remember seeing any dinosaurs in the film, though.

Bryan Lee O’Malley, the creator of the graphic novel series, is one of the showrunners, while Wright is an executive producer. Abel Gongora of animation studio Science Saru (Star Wars: Visions, Devilman Crybaby) is the director of the show. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off also includes new music from Anamanaguchi, the terrific chiptune band behind the soundtrack of the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World video game.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is my favorite movie of the 2010s, and this teaser gets the look and the spirit of the universe spot on. I'm already counting down the days until Scott Pilgrim Takes Off hits Netflix on November 17th.

Robot vacuums may seem like mindless suction machines with wheels. But today, “​​basically these devices are like smartphones,” Dennis Giese, PhD student at Northeastern University who researches robot vacuum security, said. From internet capabilities to video recording to voice control, robot vacuums have become an advanced Internet of Things technology, but the security upkeep hasn’t caught up.

“You don't have any insight, what kind of data they’re recording, what kind of data is stored on the device, what kind of data is sent to the cloud,” Giese told Engadget. That might seem harmless for a device that sweeps your floors, but the real-life consequences have already taken effect.

Like in 2022 when the iRobot Roomba J7 captured private moments including photos of a woman on the toilet that the company sent to startup Scale AI to label and train AI algorithms. Amazon, which has experienced countless surveillance and data privacy scandals, is currently attempting to acquire iRobot for over $1.4 billion.

With all these features, robot vacuums can act as a surveillance system in your own home, meaning there’s a world where someone can access live view functions and spy on you. Companies can say this information is secure and only used when needed to improve your experience, but there’s not enough transparency for reviewers or consumers to figure out what’s actually going on. “People like me are catching the companies basically lying,” Giese said.

So, Giese is on a mission to give people more control over the robot vacuums in their homes because every device he’s tested has some sort of vulnerability. He spoke at DEF CON on Sunday about how people can hack their devices to disconnect from the cloud. Not only does this help protect your data from being used by the company, but it also gives access to the device so that you can repair it on your own terms. The “right to repair” ethos means that even if the warranty ends or the company goes bankrupt and stops supporting it, you can still use it.

Unfortunately, hacking into your robot vacuum’s firmware isn’t for newbies. It requires a level of technical expertise to figure out, according to Giese, but owners of robot vacuums can take steps to improve on-device data security. What you can do is make sure that you wipe all of the data before selling or getting rid of a robot vacuum. Even if the device is broken, “as a malicious person, I can just repair the device and can just power it on and extract the data from it,” Giese said. “If you can, do factory resets.”

Or, for full data privacy control but none of the convenience, stick to the standard push vacuum.

If you have an older Samsung foldable phone, tablet or watch, you may soon see some new features trickling down from the latest devices. The company announced today that the One UI 5.1.1 update — Samsung’s latest custom UI sitting atop Android — will roll out soon, bringing enhancements from the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5, Tab S9 series and Watch 6 series to pre-2023 gear. The features will support most of Samsung’s foldable phones and its recent tablets and smartwatches.

The One UI 5.1.1 update will support a long list of recent Samsung devices, but some may have to wait. It will roll out to Samsung’s stable of foldable phones, scheduled to reach the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 “starting this month,” while the Z Fold 3, Z Flip 3, Z Fold 2 and Z Flip will receive it “sequentially” later. Tablet multitasking updates will arrive for the Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+, Tab S8 Ultra, Tab S7, Tab S7+, Tab S7 FE, Tab S6 Lite, Tab A8, Tab A7 Lite, Tab Active 3 and Tab Active 4 Pro. Finally, new smartwatch features will support the Galaxy Watch 5, Watch 5 Pro, Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic.

Samsung’s foldable phone updates in One UI 5.1.1 make it easier to show or hide the Flex Mode Panel (the controls appearing on the bottom half of the screen when the phone is semi-folded). “When folding your phone in Flex Mode, the panel’s icon will float up the screen, allowing you easy access,” the company wrote. “Enjoy a more personalized Flex Mode Panel experience by simply dragging and dropping the icon on the toolbar.” In addition, Samsung says the media play bar button (now including 10-second fast forward and rewind buttons) will be more prominent and simpler to find when the Flex Mode Panel activates. You’ll also be able to press down on the timeline to scrub through media more efficiently.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Samsung is tweaking multitasking on recent tablets and foldables, making switching to multi-window from pop-up window modes easier by long-pressing the handle. It also adds two-handed drag and drop, which lets you hold your finger down on a document from one app, use your other hand to open something else and then drag the file onto it for sharing or storage. The company also says the Z Fold 4 and Tab S8’s taskbar will be faster and include more recent apps. “Now, the Taskbar enables lightning-fast task switching with access to up to four recent apps,” Samsung said.

On the smartwatch front, the company is adding sleep-tracking upgrades from the Galaxy Watch 6 to older wearables. The changes include “a more intuitive UI” with the additions of Sleep Score Factors, Sleep Consistency and Sleep Animal Symbols. Sleep Coaching will also be available on the watch without looking at your paired phone. The Galaxy Watch can also automatically adjust SmartThings home devices for a more rest-inducing ambiance at bedtime.

Sam Rutherford / Engadget

Smartwatches will also receive fitness updates. The Watch 6’s Personalized Heart Rate Zone feature trickles down; it analyzes your physical abilities and “defines five optimal running intensity levels to help users set their own goals based on their ability — from burning fat to high intensity workout.” The Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 4 series will also add Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications in the update, which could be a lifesaver for some.

Meanwhile, Track Run, which (as its name suggests) records your runs on a track, also makes its way from the Watch 6. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro will have access to a GPX File Database for downloading map data to your watch. Finally, One UI 5.1.1. lets you control the Flip 4’s camera with a paired Galaxy Watch. A new quick-access button will let you use your watch as a remote shutter, and it also lets you switch camera modes and control zoom levels.

Warner Bros. Games revealed back in June that Batman: Arkham Trilogy would arrive on Nintendo Switch sometime this fall, and now we have an exact date. The bundle of Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Knight — along with the expansions for all three games — will land on Switch on October 13th.

Turn Me Up Games (which helped bring Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 and It Takes Two to the Switch) handled the ports of the well-regarded series. Batman: Arkham Asylum kicked off the trilogy in 2009 with an original story that pits the Caped Crusader against many of his most formidable foes. The Joker orchestrates a plot to take over Arkham Asylum and Batman also has to deal with Harley Quinn, Bane, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy and Scarecrow.

Batman: Arkham City, the 2011 sequel, expands the scope to a broader area of Gotham and brings in some more classic villains including Mr. Freeze, Two-Face and The Penguin. Rocksteady followed up its previous two games in 2015 with Batman: Arkham Knight, which has a transformable Batmobile you can drive through the open world.

The beefy, brawling combat is a highlight of three games, while the stealth and puzzle mechanics helped provide some variety. If you haven't played these games before and you're a fan of the Dark Knight, they're worth checking out, though it's worth noting that you'll probably find them at a lower price on other platforms, at least for the next few months.

In any case, Batman: Arkham Trilogy (whether you're a newcomer or revisiting the three games) could help you pass the time until Rocksteady's next game, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, finally arrives. Following a poor reception to an extended look at gameplay, Rocksteady and WB Games pushed back that title from May to next February. Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League was originally supposed to arrive in 2022.

If you've been looking to pick up Samsung's new Galaxy Z Flip 5, the foldable phone is now down to $900 at Amazon for a 256GB model. That's a $100 discount for a device that only officially went on sale last week. You'll just need to clip an on-page coupon to see the deal at checkout. 

Previously, Amazon ran a pre-order deal that bundled the 512GB version of the Z Flip 5 with a $150 Amazon gift card for $1,000. This new offer isn't quite as strong of a value, but it's the first cash discount we've seen for the device. If you shop at Amazon regularly, you can still get the 256GB model with that $150 gift card, but you have to pay $1,000 upfront. 

In any event, we gave the Galaxy Z Flip 5 a review score of 88 earlier this month, and we currently list it as the "best foldable for selfies" in our guide to the best smartphones. As our Deputy Editor Cherlynn Low notes in her review, the big upgrade this year is a roomier cover display; at 3.4 inches, it's much more useful for replying to texts, checking notifications, using apps, and yes, taking selfies without having to physically unfold the phone. You have to jump through a few hoops to get any app to work in full on the outer display, but once you do, it becomes a bit more versatile. 

Beyond that, there's a new hinge that lets the whole thing fold flat when closed. The device is still capable as a "normal" phone, with a flagship-level Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and a vibrant 6.7-inch OLED interior display. Samsung also promises four years of OS updates and five years of security patches, which is more extensive than many Android manufacturers.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is still a foldable, so you'll have to take more care than usual when handling it. Its IPX8 water-resistance rating means it can survive a brief dunking, but it may be more susceptible to damage from dust or sand. Its camera performance isn't as impressive as the best standard phones in its price range, particularly in low-light settings, and its battery life is only so-so by comparison. There's a visible crease on the interior display as well. Nevertheless, this is the best flip-style foldable you can buy, and this deal makes it a little more affordable.  

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Apple has a thing for 10th anniversaries: The iPhone X made its debut a decade after the first iPhone arrived. The rumor mill says Apple Watch’s 10th birthday justifies a similarly dramatic reworking of its original template. Reports suggest 2025’s Apple Watch X will ditch the slide-in lugs in favor of magnetic band attachments. Doing so gives Apple more room to make the case bigger, and with it a bigger display and battery, but make the overall package thinner.

We might also see a bigger, brighter and more efficient microLED screen replacing the existing OLED display. And the X might also add an optical blood pressure sensor to its suite of health-tracking features. (It’s worth saying that optical blood pressure sensing is still a fairly novel technology outside of clinical settings and some niche wearables.)

With so many features coming to Watch X, the Watch 9 – which we’re expecting to see arrive this fall – might be a skip. Rumors suggest we could see a faster processor and different case colors, but otherwise it’s probably worth waiting for whatever’s coming next.

– Dan Cooper

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Netflix tests game streaming on select devices, smart TVs and desktop browsers

Testers can play Oxenfree on their TV.

Netflix

Netflix is testing if its streaming infrastructure can deliver games to smart TVs as well as other devices. It’s an extension of its nascent games project that, so far, is only on iOS and Android apps. The beta is running in the UK and Canada on select platforms, where users can play Oxenfree and Molehew’s Mining Adventure. Could this be the start of Netflix’s emergence as the cloud gaming provider Stadia could, and should, have been?

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Xiaomi's third foldable phone adds a zoom camera but keeps the slim frame

And now it supports hover mode.

Xiaomi

Xiaomi has announced the Mix Fold 3, its latest folding flagship that gains wireless charging and a 5x periscope zoom lens over its predecessor. The China-only handset may not be as thin and light as, say, Honor’s Magic V2, but Richard Lai seems pleased with the improvements on show. Especially as Xiaomi has taken a leaf out of Samsung’s book to make hover mode enough of a feature that you should be able to get the best out of the Fold 3’s many cameras.

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Assassin’s Creed Mirage will arrive one week early on October 5

Ubisoft says this is a less bloated title than some of its predecessors.

Ubisoft

Assassin’s Creed Mirage will now arrive on October 5, a week earlier than its planned release date. It’ll help space out a fall schedule full of blockbuster open world titles, including Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which arrives October 20. It’s rare for a game to be early, rather than forever delayed, so let’s give Ubisoft some credit for this welcome blast of punctuality.

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Ford's advanced BlueCruise driver assist features will only be available as a subscription

Your car just got swallowed by Recurring Revenue.

Ford

It may have started out as an optional extra, but now Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driving will be on all new supported vehicles. Would-be buyers can activate the tools at purchase or as an optional subscription at some point down the road. It’ll cost $75 a month, $800 for a year, or $2,100 if you buy three years’ worth in a single bundle, with Ford saying – rather terrifyingly – drivers will spend a lot more time with their hands off the wheel.

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Ford announced today that it’s expanding the availability of its BlueCruise hands-free driving tech. Previously, customers had to decide whether to add the option on available models at purchase — and that decision was final. Now, the service will be installed as standard on all supported vehicles. In addition to enabling it at purchase, owners can add the service later or only activate it for months when needed (like for road trips).

You’ll still have the option of buying the feature at purchase and folding it into your financing. However, you can now also subscribe to access annually or monthly at any point after that. BlueCruise costs $2,100 at purchase (for three years), while annual subscriptions cost $800 and monthly subscriptions $75. Ford also offers a 90-day free trial if you choose not to set it up at purchase.

The automaker expects to install BlueCruise on 500,000 vehicles in North America for the 2024 model year. That’s a significant ramp-up since it’s currently only installed on less than half of that: 225,000, according to Ford.

The service’s changes will also apply to Lincolns. The 2024 Navigator and Nautilus lines and “select trims” of the Lincoln Corsair will come equipped with BlueCruise. The $800 annual and $75 monthly pricing is the same for Lincoln models.

Ford says the tech’s upcoming version, BlueCruise 1.3, will enhance performance when driving around curves and narrow lanes. The company says v1.3 lets you keep your hands off the wheel longer. “Based on our internal testing, BlueCruise 1.3 stayed engaged in hands-free mode for an average of 5X longer compared to BlueCruise 1.0, the first version of BlueCruise,” the automaker said. The 1.2 software, rolled out earlier this year, added hands-free lane changes, in-lane repositioning and predictive speed assist. The company is serious about AI-assisted driving: It created an automated-driving subsidiary earlier this year to push toward a more machine-driven future.

Netflix is officially bringing its games to more devices. So far, the company's impressive library of games has only been available on iOS and Android. Now, though, Netflix is starting to use its streaming tech to publicly test its titles on TVs and computers.

"Our goal has always been to have a game for everyone, and we are working hard to meet members where they are with an accessible, smooth and ubiquitous service," Mike Verdu, Netflix's vice-president of games, wrote in a blog post. "Today, we’re taking the first step in making games playable on every device where our members enjoy Netflix."

The test appears to be very limited for now. Just two games will be available at the outset: Oxenfree (Netflix just released the sequel as its first game from an in-house studio) and gem-mining arcade title Molehew’s Mining Adventure.

The beta is only open to a small number of Netflix subscribers in the UK and Canada on Amazon Fire TV streaming media players, Chromecast with Google TV, LG TVs, NVIDIA Shield TV, Roku devices and TVs, Samsung smart TVs and Walmart ONN. The company will add support for more devices later.

To play Netflix games on a TV, you can use a controller app that the company just released. When you select a game, your TV will display a QR code. Scan this with your phone to use it as your controller.

The games will also be available to try on Netflix's website via supported desktop browsers in the next few weeks. You'll be able to use your keyboard and mouse to control them on PCs and Macs.

Netflix says the goal of the test is to put its game streaming tech and controller app through their paces. Given the complex nature of rights agreements with various publishers, it's not yet clear whether Netflix will bring all of the games in its library to TVs and web browsers. For instance, you'll need a Netflix subscription to play Kentucky Route Zero,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge or Immortality natively on your phone, but those games are all available on other platforms. In any case, there's a big new player coming to the cloud gaming space.

Ubisoft is shaking up a busy calendar of big fall game releases by bringing forward one of several games it has on the docket. Assassin’s Creed Mirage will now arrive on October 5th, one week earlier than previously expected.

The move gives the game a bit more distance from another major open-world action-adventure game in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (which is set to hit PS5 on October 20th). However, Assassin’s Creed Mirage will now be going up against Detective Pikachu Returns, which will debut on Switch on October 6th.

Ubisoft is taking Assassin's Creed back to its roots with Mirage. It has a smaller scope than recent entries, the last of which (Assassin's Creed Valhalla) can take around 60 hours to beat — fully completing that game typically takes well over 100 hours. Ubisoft's internal playtests indicate that Mirage takes around 20-23 hours to beat and roughly 25-30 hours to fully complete.

Mirage is set two decades before Valhalla and it takes place primarily in ninth-century Baghdad. There will be a bigger focus on stealth and parkour than in recent Assassin's Creed games, while main character Basim Ibn Ishaq can slow down time to help you plan assassinations. Additionally, Mirage will have a full Arabic-language dub and subtitles, which could help the game feel more immersive.

Ubisoft has a busy few months ahead. Along with Mirage, The Crew Motorfest will arrive on September 14th while Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is dated for December 7th. XDefiant, Assassin's Creed Nexus VR and mobile title Tom Clancy's The Division Resurgence are all slated to arrive by the end of the year too. Skull and Bones still exists somewhere.