Politicians and awkward SNL hosts have long-relied on the humble teleprompter to get their lines out, and now there’s a device that lets the rest of us get in on the mealy-mouthed fun. The Elgato Prompter is basically a shrunken-down teleprompter, complete with a scrolling display, side hoods to minimize unwanted ambient lighting and simple connectors that attach to an external camera, built-in webcam or just about anywhere else.

Unlike other prompters on the market, you don’t need your own tablet or phone, thanks to a built-in screen and the company’s proprietary Camera Hub software. Once activated, the device not only displays video scripts, but also mirrors any window or app via a simple drag and drop. This lets you see both the script and live feeds from chat participants at the same time, all while looking directly into the camera. It’s a bona-fide cornucopia of human social cues.

Of course, you aren’t relegated to live feeds from fellow chat participants. You can drag and drop anything to the Prompter, with Elgato suggesting that users place a window of “the big match” so people can sneak glances during those endless work meetings. We would never, however, recommend such a blatant display of truancy.

The Prompter is an Elgato product, so it offers some deep integration with the recently-discounted Stream Deck. There’s a plugin for the device that offers control and adjustment options at the touch of a button, all of which should come in handy for livestreamers and YouTubers looking for that perfect take. To that end, Elgato says it built the device to be the “true all-in-one solution for content creators.”

Elgato, which is owned by noted peripheral manufacturer Corsair, says the Prompter integrates with more webcams, cameras and smartphones than any other similar device on the market, so you likely won’t need to buy additional hardware to use it. If you’re worried, there’s a list of supported cameras and devices right here.

Setup seems simple enough, with included attachment clips and a stand, interchangeable backplates and a single USB connection to both power the device and transfer data. The Elgato Prompter is available right now and costs $280.

On Tuesday, Microsoft announced a slew of accessibility updates for Xbox players on consoles and PCs. These include keyboard key remapping using controllers, easier-to-get-to accessibility shortcuts and a new section in the Microsoft Store. In a reminder that inclusive design can help everyone, one of the new features will let anyone set up a new controller without getting up to press a pair button on the console.

Wireless controller pairing no longer requires direct console contact. “From the comfort of a couch, wheelchair, hospital bed, etc., players can now put their console into pairing mode using an Xbox media remote, digital assistant voice command, or previously paired controller to connect a new controller to their console,” the company wrote today in a blog post. An official online support document walks you through the setup steps.

Microsoft also announced that “almost 90 keyboard keys” will soon be remappable to the Xbox Adaptive Controller and Elite Series 2 controllers. The idea is to make it easier for people with disabilities to play games that only support mouse / keyboard input. One example the company provides is reprogramming the left bumper to Ctrl+C for copying text.

In addition, the company is simplifying the steps to view options from the Xbox Accessibility menu. Beginning on October 19, the Xbox Game Bar on Windows will let you jump to accessibility settings via widgets. “In the updated Xbox widgets, you’ll find both visual and audio-related accessibility controls to customize your PC gaming experience according to your preferences and needs,” Microsoft wrote. Once the feature launches, you’ll get to the accessibility options via the settings button for “any of the new Xbox widgets in Game Bar.”

Finding accessibility-friendly games is about to get easier, too. The Xbox store now has a channel devoted to Accessibility in Games, featuring every title with corresponding feature tags. The labeling feature launched in 2021 and spread to the Windows app and web store earlier this year.

Finally, Microsoft shared the video below highlighting how the Adaptive Gaming program at Craig Hospital in Englewood, CO, is empowering players with disabilities to rekindle their love of gaming.

Austrian Audio is not exactly a household name. It was formed in 2017 following the closure of AKG's offices in Vienna. And it's mostly stuck to higher-end microphones and headphones. Now the company is dipping its toes into more consumer-friendly territory with the $199 MiCreator Studio, a combination condenser microphone and USB-C audio interface in an incredibly portable package. 

At 155 x 60 x 37 mm the MiCreator Studio is quite small, but I'd say a touch shy of pocketable. It's also surprisingly dense. 13 ounces isn't exactly heavy, but it's more than I expected the MiCreator to weigh just by looking at it. The heft makes it feel like a durable and well-made device. The only exception to this is the swappable faceplates. My review sample came with black and red plates, they look nice but feel a little flimsy. And the magnets that attach them to the sides are a little weak and I could see them easily coming off if tossed in bag. At least it comes with a soft pouch you can put it in so everything will stay in one place even if it does get jostled around. 

Terrence O'Brien / Engadget

There are a pair of rubber feet on the bottom that allow the MiCreator to sit comfortably on almost any surface with little concern it'll get jostled around. And the mic capsule is suspended by rubber shock absorbers, so vibration shouldn't prove too much of a concern. If the tiltable head doesn't give you enough flexibility, there is screw mount underneath for attaching to a mic stand.

Controls on the unit itself are relatively spartan. On the front is a switch that changes the mic from high gain, to low gain or mutes it. And there's a knob for controlling monitoring levels or the balance between two sources when you have something plugged into the 3.5mm in/out jack on the back. Below that dual-purpose jack is a dedicated 3.5mm headphone output, and above it is a switch that allows you to set the input level of the additional input.

The switches for changing the input level are probably my biggest gripe with the MiCreator. The difference between the high and low settings are pretty massive. Yes, obviously you can tweak the levels in your DAW and most people will have no issue doing that. But personally I like getting my levels as close to right as possible without touching the gain in my DAW for maximum flexibility. 

Terrence O'Brien / Engadget

I also found that the high gain setting still required me to get pretty close to the mic while speaking which resulted in a lot of breath and mouth noises. Probably exactly what you want when recording some ASMR videos, but it wasn't ideal for podcasting. Again, a lot of this is easily rectified with a decent pop filter. But that's one more thing to carry and slightly undercuts the portability factor.

Those minor nitpicks aside, the mic sounds great. They're highly directional so, despite the fact that they're fairly sensitive condenser mics, background noise is rarely a problem. And they capture a healthy amount of midrange and low end. That's essential for micing up, say, a guitar amp, and it tends to treat my lower vocal register well. But many will want to toss a low cut on their voice in post production.

That lack of tweakability on the gain is an issue again when you plug an instrument directly into the second input. Something like a synth with a master volume that doesn't alter tone is fine. But going direct in with my guitar was a little hit or miss. The most reliable way was to go through my pedal board and one of UA's amp sim pedals to give me better control over volume and tone, rather than relying on amp plugins in a DAW. Austrian Audio gets a ton of credit though for including an instrument cable in the box though that's standard 1/4-inch TS on one side and 3.5mm TRRS on the other side for plugging into the MiCreator. It might seem like a small thing, but it saves you from having to track down and order a rather unusual cable on your own.

Terrence O'Brien / Engadget

The company also sent over one of its MiCreator Satellites. This is a second mic, without an interface, designed to pair with the MiCreator. It costs $99 but adds a lot of flexibility. For one, it's the exact same mic as the MiCreator, so you can use them as a stereo pair or for two people in a simplified podcast setup. But the included cable is also long enough for you to put one mic right up against an amp while capturing some room tone with the other. Or, you could mic an acoustic guitar with one and sing into the other. And the Satellite is truly tiny. This is one of, if not the, smallest full-fledged podcast studio you can can get. 

If there's one feature I would have loved to see, it's a standalone operating mode. If the MiCreator had a small battery and a microSD card slot so it could double as a field recorder, or capture an interview when hooking up your laptop or iPad is not really feasible, I could see it carving out a permanent spot in my day bag.

Still, for $199, or $299 when bundled with a Satellite, the MiCreator offers a surprising amount of value. Frankly it's better than it has any right being at that price. It's an excellent condenser USB microphone and a solid (if simple) audio interface in a small, rugged package. It can be a high-quality go-anywhere podcast studio. Or be the primary way a band records new material while they're out on tour. 

Google has revealed a string of accessibility updates it's rolling out for Maps, Search and Assistant, as well as greater availability of some camera-based Pixel features. One of the main focus areas this time around is wheelchair accessibility. A new option that's gradually becoming available on iOS and Android will allow Maps users to request stair-free walking routes. This feature — which Google says will benefit those traveling with luggage and strollers as well — will be available globally, as long as the company has sufficient data for the region.

Google notes that if you have the wheelchair-accessible option enabled in your transit preferences, this will automatically be applied to walking routes too. Otherwise, when you request a walking route, you can access stair-free directions by tapping the three dots at the top of the screen and enabling the "wheelchair-accessible" option.

On a related note, wheelchair-accessible information will be available across more Google products, namely on Maps for Android Auto and cars with Google built in. When you search for a place and tap on it, a wheelchair icon will appear if the location has a step-free entrance, accessible restrooms, parking or seating.

It should be easier to find and support businesses owned by people with disabilities in Maps and Search too. If a business chooses to identify itself as "disabled-owned," this will be mentioned in Maps and Search listings. Google previously rolled out similar Asian-owned, Black-owned, Latino-owned, LGBTQ+ owned, veteran-owned and women-owned business labels.

Elsewhere, Google is enabling screen reader capabilities in Lens in Maps (which was previously called Search with Live View), an augmented reality tool that's designed to help you find things like ATMs, restrooms and restaurants with the help of your handset's camera. When you're in a perhaps unfamiliar place, you can tap the camera icon in the search bar and point your phone at the world around you.

"If your screen reader is enabled, you’ll receive auditory feedback of the places around you with helpful information like the name and category of a place and how far away it is," Eve Andersson, senior director on Google's Products for All team, wrote in a blog post. This Lens in Maps feature, which is geared toward blind and low-vision folks, will be available on iOS starting today and Android later this year.

On Pixel devices, the Magnifier app uses your camera to help you zoom in on real-world details from afar or to make text on menus and documents easier to read with the help of color filters, brightness and contrast settings. The app is available for Pixel 5 and later devices, but not the Pixel Fold.

Google also notes that the latest version of Guided Frame that arrived on Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro earlier this month recognizes pets, dishes and documents in addition to faces to help people who are blind or have low-vision take good-quality photos. The Guided Frame update is coming to Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 devices later this year.

Meanwhile, Google is offering more customizable Assistant Routines. The company says you'll be able to add a Routine to your home screen as a shortcut, determine the size of it and customize it with your own images. "Research has shown that this personalization can be particularly helpful for people with cognitive differences and disabilities and we hope it will bring the helpfulness of Assistant Routines to even more people," Andersson wrote. Google developers took inspiration from Action Blocks for this feature.

Last but not least, Google earlier this year added a feature to the desktop Chrome address bar to detect typos and suggest websites based on what the app reckons you meant. The feature will be available on Chrome on iOS and Android starting today. The idea is to help folks with dyslexia, language learners and those who make typos more easily find what they're seeking.

YouTube’s rolling out a whole bunch of new features and design updates, three dozen in total. Some of these tools are for the web app, while others are for the smartphone app and smart TV software. These features aren’t game-changers by themselves, but they add up to an improved user experience. Let’s go over some of the more interesting ones.

It’s now easier to speed up videos for those who just can’t get enough of really fast podcast clips. Just hold your finger down on the video and it’ll automatically bump up the playback speed to 2x. This feature is also useful for searching through a video for a relevant portion, in addition to fast-paced playback. The tool’s available across web, tablets and mobile devices.

The app’s launching bigger preview thumbnails to help with navigation. There’s also a new haptic feedback component that vibrates when you hover over the original start point, so you never lose your place. This will help when perusing videos with your finger on a smartphone or tablet, as the current way to do this isn’t exactly accurate.

One of the more useful updates here is a new lock screen tool to avoid accidental interruptions while you watch stuff on your phone or tablet. This should be extremely handy for those who like to take walks or exercise while listening to YouTube, as the jostling typically interrupts whatever’s on-screen. In other words, your quiet meditation video won’t accidentally switch to some guy yelling about the end of masculinity as your phone sits in a pocket, purse or handbag.

Speaking of guys yelling about the end of masculinity, the company’s finally (finally) added a stable volume feature, which ensures that the relative loudness of videos don’t fluctuate too much. This tool’s automatically turned on once you snag the update.

Even the humble library tab has gotten a refresh. It’s now called “You” and relays a bit more data than before. You’ll have access to previously watched videos, playlists, downloads and purchase all from one place. Again, this change impacts the app on both web and mobile devices. 

The rest of the updates are design related, with on-screen visual cues that appear when creators ask you to subscribe complete with dopamine-enhancing sparkles when you finally “smash that like button.” There’s even a new animation that follows the view count and like count throughout a video’s first 24 hours. Some design elements extend to the smart TV app, including a new vertical menu, video chapters, a scrollable description section and more.

YouTube’s latest update is a tiered release and the company says it could be a few weeks before it reaches every user throughout the globe. The popular streaming platform says more features are forthcoming, including a redesign of the YouTube Kids app.

YouTube’s constantly changing up its core features. The past year has seen an enhanced 1080p playback option for web users and the company's even announced a spate of AI-enhanced creator tools, among other updates. Evolve or die right? The social media landscape, after all, is currently in the midst of something of a sea change.

If you have a pair of in-ear headphones, there’s a good chance they are using a technology that’s several decades old. Despite attempts to introduce different, exotic-sounding systems like planar magnetic, electrostatic and even bone conduction, most IEMs or in-ear headphones still use either balanced armature or dynamic drivers. But there’s another contender, promising high fidelity, low power consumption and a tiny physical footprint. The twist is, it’s a technology that’s been in your pocket for the last ten years already.

We’re talking about micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), and it’s a technology that’s been used in almost every microphone in every cell phone since the 2010s. When applied to headphone drivers (the inverse of a microphone) the benefits are many. But until recently, the technology wasn’t mature enough for mainstream headphones. California-based xMEMS is one company pushing the technology and consumer products featuring its solid-state MEMS drivers are finally coming to market. We tested the high-end Oni from Singularity, but Creative has also confirmed a set of TWS headphones with xMEMS drivers will be available in time for the holidays.

Where conventional speakers and drivers typically use magnets and coils, MEMS uses piezos and silicon. The result, if the hype is to be believed, is something that’s more responsive, more durable and with consistent fidelity. And unlike balanced-armature or dynamic, MEMS drivers can be built on a production line with minimal-to-no need for calibration or driver matching, streamlining their production. xMEMS, for example, has partnered with TSMC, one of the largest producers of microprocessors for its manufacturing process.

xMEMS

Of course, MEMS drivers lend themselves to any wearable that produces sound from AR glasses to VR goggles and hearing aids. For most of us, though, it's headphones where we’re going to see the biggest impact. Not least because the potential consistency and precision of MEMS should marry perfectly with related technologies such as spatial audio where fast response times and perfect phase matching (two headphones being perfectly calibrated to each other) is essential.

For now, MEMS is best suited to earbuds, IEMS and TWS-style headphones but xMEMS hopes to change that. “The North Star of the company was to reinvent loudspeakers,” Mike Householder, Marketing & Business Development at the company told Engadget. “But to generate that full bandwidth audio in free air is a little bit more of a development challenge that's going to take some more time. The easier lift for us was to get into personal audio and that's the product that we have today.”

To look at, the first IEM to feature xMEMS’ solid-state drivers, Singularity’s Oni, seem like regular, stylish high-end in-ear monitors. Once the music started to flow, though, there was a very clear difference. Electronic genres sounded crisp and impactful in a way that feld more . The MEMS drivers’ fast transient response evidenced in the sharp, punch percussion of RJD2’s “Ghostwriter” and the Chemical Brothers’ “Live Again.” The latter’s mid- and high-end sections in particular shone through with remarkable clarity. Bass response was good, especially in the lower-mids, but perhaps not the strong point of the experience.

Singularity

When I tried Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” I immediately noticed the hi-hats pushing through in a way I’d never heard before. The only way I can describe it is “splashy.” It didn’t sound weird, just noticeable. I asked Householder about this and he wasn’t as surprised. “Yeah, the hi-hats, cymbals and percussion, you're gonna hear it with a new level of detail that you're really not accustomed to.” He said, adding that some of this will be the tuning of the supplied headphone amplifier (made by iFi) so it’s partly the EQ of that, mixed with the improved clarity of high frequencies from the MEMS drivers.

There was another surprise with the supplied amp/DAC also — it had a specific “xMEMS” mode. I originally planned to use my own, but it turns out that I needed this specific DAC as the MEMS drivers require a 10-volt bias to work. I asked Householder if all headphones would require a DAC (effectively ending their chances of mainstream adoption), but apparently xMEMS has developed its own amp “chip” that can both drive the speakers and supply the 10-volt bias. The forthcoming True Wireless buds from Creative, for example, obviously won’t need any additional hardware.

This is where things get interesting. While we don't know the price for Creative’s TWS buds with xMEMS drivers, we can be sure that they will be a lot cheaper than Singularity’s IEMs which retail for $1,500. “You know, they're appealing to a certain consumer, but you could just very easily put that same speaker into a plastic shell, and retail it for 150 bucks,” Householder told Engadget. The idea that xMEMS can democratize personal audio at every price point is a bold one. Not least because most audiophiles aren’t used to seeing the exact same technology in their IEMs also in sub $200 wireless products. Until we have another set to test, though, we can’t comment on the individual character each manufacturer can imbue on them.

xMEMS

One possible differentiating factor for higher-end products (and competing MEMS-based products) is something xMEMS is calling “Skyline.” Householder described it as a dynamic “vent” that can be opened and closed depending on the listener’s needs. Similar to how open-back headphones are favored by some for their acoustic qualities, xMEMS-powered IEMs could include Skyline that would open and close to prevent occlusion, improve passive noise canceling and other acoustic qualities such as “transparency” mode where you want to temporarily let external, environmental noises come through.

For those who prefer on-ear or over-ear headphones, MEMS technology will likely be paired with legacy dynamic drivers, at least initially. “The first step that we're taking into headphone is actually a two way approach,” Householder said. The idea being that a smaller dynamic driver can handle the low frequencies, while MEMS drivers currently don’t scale up so well. “It's really the perfect pairing. The dynamic for the low end, let it do what it does best, and then we've got the far superior high frequency response [from MEMS],” he said. “But the long term vision is to eventually fully replace that dynamic driver.”

The ultimate goal would of course be a set of solid-state desktop speakers, but we’re a little way out on that it seems. For now though, there’s a tantalizing promise that MEMS-based in-ears could modernize and maybe even democratize consumer audio, at least around a certain price point. Not to mention that xMEMS isn’t the only company in the game. Austrian startup, Usound, already showed its own reference-design earphone last year and Sonic Edge has developed its own MEMS “speaker-in-chip” technology. With some competition in the market, there’s hope that the number of products featuring it will increase and improve steadily over the next year or so.

In a study from Oxford University, researchers found that by using a combination of wearable sensor data and machine learning algorithms the progression of Parkinson’s disease can be monitored more accurately than in traditional clinical observation. Monitoring movement data collected by sensor technology may not only improve predictions about disease progression but also allows for more precise diagnoses.

Parkinson’s disease is a neurological condition that affects motor control and movement. Although there is currently no cure, early intervention can help delay the progression of the disease in patients. Diagnosing and tracking the progression of Parkinson's disease currently involves a neurologist using the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) to assess the patient's motor symptoms by assigning scores to the performance of specific movements. However, because this is a subjective, human analysis, classification can be inaccurate.

In the Oxford study, 74 patients with Parkinson’s were monitored for disease progression over a period of 18 months. The participants wore wearables with sensors in different regions of the body: on the chest, at the base of the spine and on each wrist and foot. These sensors — which had gyroscopic and accelerometric capabilities — kept tabs on 122 different physiological measurements, and tracked the patients during walking and postural sway tests. Kinetic data was then analyzed by custom software programs using machine learning.

Oxford

The sensor data collected by the wearables were compared to standard MDS-UPDRS assessments, which are considered the gold standard in current practice. That traditional test, in this study's patients "did not capture any change" while the sensor-based analysis "detected a statistically significant progression of the motor symptoms" according to the researchers.

Having more precise data on the progression of Parkinson's isn't a cure, of course. But the incorporation of metrics from wearables could help researchers confirm the efficacy of novel treatment options.

ERNIE, Baidu’s answer to ChatGPT, has “achieved a full upgrade,” company CEO Robin Li told the assembled crowd at the Baidu World 2023 showcase on Tuesday, “with drastically improved performance in understanding, generation, reasoning, and memory.”

During his keynote address, Li demonstrated improvements to those four core capabilities on-stage by having the AI create a multimodal car commercial in a few minutes based on a short text prompt , solve complex geometry problems and progressively iterate the plot for a short story on the spot. The fourth-gen generative AI system “is not inferior in any aspect to GPT-4,” he continued.

ERNIE 4.0 will offer an “improved” search experience resembling that of Google’s SGE, aggregating and summarizing information pulled from the wider web and distilled into a generated response.The system will be multimodal, providing answers as text, images or animated graphs through an “interactive chat interface for more complex searches, enabling users to iteratively refine their queries until reaching the optimal answer, all in one search interface,” per the company’s press. What’s more, the AI will be able to recommend “highly customized” content streams based on previous interactions with the user.

Similar to ChatGPT Enterprise, ERNIE’s new Generative Business Intelligence will offer a more finely-tuned and secure model trained on each client’s individual data silo. ERNIE 4.0 will also be capable of, “conducting academic research, summarizing key information, creating documents, and generating slideshow presentations” as well as enable users to search and retrieve files using text and voice prompts.

Baidu is following the example set by the rest of the industry and has announced plans to put its generative AI in every app and service it can manage. The company has already integrated some of the AI’s functions into Baidu Maps, including navigation, ride hailing and hotel bookings. It is also offering “ow-threshold access and productivity tools” to help individuals and enterprises develop API plugins for the Baidu Qianfan Foundation Model Platform.

Baidu had already been developing its ERNIE large language model for a number of years prior to the debut of ChatGPT in 2022, though its knowledge-base is focused primarily on the Chinese market. Baidu released ERNIE Bot, it’s answer to ChatGPT, this March with some 550 billion facts packed into its knowledge graph, though it wasn’t until this August that it rolled out to the general public.

Baidu’s partner startups also showed off new product series that will integrate the AI’s functionality during the event, including a domestic robot, an All-in-One learning machine and a smart home speaker.

Netflix is getting into live sports streaming, but it's not shelling out hundreds of millions of dollars on NFL games, Formula 1 races or the English Premier League quite yet. The company's first live sports event is a pro-am golf tournament that features athletes from its Formula 1: Drive to Survive and Full Swing docuseries.

The Netflix Cup will see four pairs of Formula 1 drivers and PGA Tour golfers pairing up in a match play tournament that will take place in Las Vegas. You'll be able to watch the event starting at 6PM ET on Tuesday, November 14 — just a few days before F1's inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix.

As things stand, The Netflix Cup is set to feature F1 drivers Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz. The golf pros who have lined up to take part are Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas. The tournament will see the pro-am pairs play an eight-hole match. The top two teams will duke it out on a final hole to try and win the Netflix Cup.

“The continued success of Drive to Survive has played a significant role in the growth of Formula 1 in the US, which has ultimately led to the addition of a third American race,” Emily Prazer, chief commercial officer of Las Vegas Grand Prix, Inc, said in a statement. “It’s only fitting that we kick off our inaugural race weekend with a fun event that can be streamed by F1 and PGA Tour fans around the globe.”

This is a logical way for Netflix to dip its toes into live sports streaming. It means that the company doesn't have to immediately snap up expensive rights to high-profile leagues (many of which have deals with rival streaming services anyway) or to showcase lower-tier sports.

It's also another example of Netflix's cross-branding coming to the forefront. The company is placing more focus on its own properties with things like a Squid Game reality competition series and branded retail stores that will feature an obstacle course based on its biggest hit to date. Netflix is also said to be developing more video game adaptations of its shows and movies, such as Extraction and Black Mirror.

Netflix's first livestreamed event was a Chris Rock standup special. However, the company ran into technical problems with its second planned livestream, a Love is Blind cast reunion. The company instead filmed the reunion and uploaded it to the platform as quickly as it could. Netflix will be hoping things go more smoothly this time around.

Alan Wake is coming to Fortnite in a cross-promotional event ahead of the 2010 game’s long-awaited sequel. Alan Wake: Flashback “reimagines Remedy Entertainment’s iconic story in Fortnite” as Epic Games and Remedy Entertainment introduce younger players to a franchise that faded in and out of public consciousness before some of them were born.

The game within a game appears to provide a quick recap of the events of the first title within Fortnite. “Troubled author Alan Wake embarks on a desperate search for his missing wife, Alice,” Epic’s description reads. “Following her mysterious disappearance from the Pacific Northwest town of Bright Falls, he discovers pages of a horror story he has supposedly written, but has no memory of.”

The surreal pairing becomes more logical when you consider Epic and Alan Wake developer Remedy have a working relationship. Remedy signed a publishing agreement with Epic in 2020 in a program covering up to 100 percent of a title’s development costs, including paying for quality assurance, localization and marketing. Once a game recovers its development costs, the companies split their profits 50/50. So, the Fortnite tie-in is a win-win for both companies’ bottom lines.

Alan Wake will also be a playable character via an Alan Wake Outfit. It will launch in the “Waking Nightmare” set available on the Fortnite shop beginning on October 26. Meanwhile, Alan Wake 2 launches for $50 on October 27 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC via the Epic Store.