Assassin's Creed Discovery Tours can offer valuable educational insights into historical periods, and that may be particularly true for the latest instalment. Ubisoft has released a Discovery Tour: Viking Age update for Assassin's Creed Valhalla that gives you the chance to explore Viking-era England and Norway without the usual conflicts. There's a new format, however. Rather than go on guided tours and visit exhibits, you assume the roles of four Anglo-Saxon and Viking characters (such as Anglo-Saxon king Alfred the Great and a Viking merchant) as they undertake eight quests that illustrate their daily lives.

You can also study period artifacts from museums in the UK, France and Denmark. And yes, there are rewards to unlock in the main Valhalla game for Eivor and his longship.

The Discovery Tour update is free for Valhalla players on all platforms, and you can buy the $20 stand-alone version for PCs through either Ubisoft's store or the Epic Games Store. Console and streaming players will have to wait until 2022 for a stand-alone release. However you get a copy, it could be a worthwhile experience if you've wanted to dispel the myths surrounding Vikings and their conquests.

The inspiration for a song can surface whether or not your full studio is available, and Roland has a solution for those spur-of-the-moment sessions. The music pioneer has introduced a free Zentracker app for Android and iOS that serves as a multitrack recorder for impromptu performances. You can add unlimited tracks (it defaults to four in the name of simplicity), draw on 200 audio loops and wield 16 audio effects while using familiar features like beat matching and looping.

You can save tracks to OneDrive, and Google Drive is "coming soon." The app is free as long as you have a Roland account, although Roland nudges you toward a Cloud subscription by limiting some effects, loop bundles, stem exports and other features to paying customers. You'll likely want a mixer like the Go: Mixer Pro-X to make the most of Zentracker, too.

There's an app for more formal productions. Roland is releasing a TR-Editor desktop app (below) that serves as a companion for machines like the TR-6S and TR-8S. You can browse sounds, program beats and tweak parameters from the comfort of your computer screen. While we're waiting on launch details as we write this, the software could be handy if you find the TR-series' on-device interface too cumbersome.

Roland

Microsoft is spicing up Flight Simulator with an expanded re-release, although this one may be more ambitious than some. It's releasingFlight Simulator: Game of the Year Edition on November 18th with both a heaping of new content as well as some meaningful feature upgrades. To start, there are five new stand-out aircraft, including the F/A-18 Super Hornet — you won't have to wait until the Top Gun expansion to buzz the tower in a fighter jet. You'll also get to fly the VoloCity air taxi, PC-6 Porter short-takeoff aircraft, the bush flying-oriented NX Cub and the single-seat Aviat Pitts Special S1S.

The GOTY upgrade adds eight airports, including Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and Patrick Space Force Base. Eight cities will get photogrammetry detail upgrades, such as Helsinki, Nottinghm and Utrecht. There are accordingly new tutorials (such as bush flying and IFR) and Discovery Flights.

The update adds useful features, too. You'll have early access to DirectX 12 features, an improved weather system and a developer mode replay system, among other improvements.

Most notably, you won't have to pay for any of this as a veteran player— existing Flight Simulator owners will receive a free update on both Windows PCs and Xbox Series X/S. The paid GOTY release exists chiefly to entice first-timers. For everyone else, this is billed as a "thank you" upgrade that could keep them coming back.

Many electric car drivers are aware of tricks to wring every last drop of range from their cars, but Volvo thinks it can take that load off people's shoulders. It's updating Volvo and Polestar EVs with a Range Assistant app that both helps you make smart choices and, in one case, makes the decisions itself. The app can automatically tweak the climate control system to extend your range at the (slight) expense of comfort.

The update is rolling out now to the XC40 Recharge, and will be coming to the Polestar 2. All compatible EVs should have the update by the end of October. And don't worry if you're eyeing a C40 Recharge — that coupe-like SUV will include the Range Assistant from the start. Future updates should add driver coaching on driving habits and speed, among other tweaks.

You probably won't need this app if you're a seasoned EV driver. You'll know enough to turn the AC off, stick to speed limits and avoid mashing the throttle. However, this could be vital as EVs enter the mainstream. Newcomers might not need to spend as much time learning the ropes (and charging their cars) as their predecessors.

MLB is notorious for blackouts on streaming home games — you still need a cable TV subscription. The league might just loosen its stance in the future, though. As The Vergereports, New York Postsources claim MLB is in "talks" to launch a national streaming service that would offer home games without requiring cable. While details aren't finalized, it would cost between $10 to $20 per month depending on the market. The NBA and NHL are even "considering" partnerships, according to the sources.

If it goes ahead, the service would launch as soon as the 2023 season. MLB.tv would still be available for those who don't mind out-of-market games. A deal is "not yet close at hand," so it wouldn't be surprising if talks fell apart. An MLB spokesperson declined to comment.

The pitch would be simple, according to the insiders: MLB sees this as a service for young baseball fans who are either cord-cutters or never subscribed to cable in the first place. Viewership and in-person attendance have both dropped sharply (12 percent and 34 percent respectively) since 2019, and the pandemic wasn't entirely to blame. This could shore up numbers and keep baseball relevant for an audience that would rather not pay $100-plus for cable just to root for the home team.

There's little doubt this would be a gamble, though. Sports channels and cable providers are highly protective of their broadcast rights, and Sinclair alone owns the digital rights for 14 of 30 teams. Sinclair reportedly asked to run the service for "several years" before MLB shot it down. While MLB is in a strong-enough position to reject Sinclair's overtures, it could face a backlash from cable companies that would pay less to air games.

The rumors were true: Google has an answer to the Apple One bundle. The company has introduced a Pixel Pass subscription that includes a Pixel 6 or 6 Pro phone (with an upgrade in two years), an extended warranty, 200GB of Google One storage, Google Play Pass, YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium. In theory, you'll have everything you'd want for one monthly rate.

The Pass starts at $45 per month for the regular Pixel 6, and climbs to $55 for the Pixel 6 Pro. You can subscribe through either the Google Store or Google Fi depending on your choice of carriers.

Google's strategy is familiar: like Apple, it's hoping to boost adoption of its services and keep you ensconced in the company's ecosystem. You may be less likely to switch to a competitor (even another Android vendor) if you feel you're getting a better bargain with the Pixel Pass. This takes things a step further by including the phone, though — you're buying the whole experience rather than just a spate of extras.

Even so, the subscription may be helpful simply by recognizing a practical reality. Many people want more than just a phone, and Google is including those modern must-haves rather than asking you to pay for them after the fact. Don't be shocked if other phone makers take this approach before long.

Catch up on all the latest news from Google's Pixel 6 event!

Google's Pixel 6 is almost here after months of hype. The company is livestreaming the Pixel 6 launch event starting at 1PM Eastern, and you can watch it with us on Engadget's YouTube channel (below) for an extra dash of insight.

The focus is on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, of course — both are expected to herald Google's return to flagship-class phones with improved cameras, flashier designs and a custom AI-centric processor. We'd also expect to hear news about Android 12 availability, however, and we wouldn't rule out news on Pixel Pass or other service-oriented features. As much as Google has said so far, it might have plenty more to say during its presentation.

Brave is very confident in its privacy-centric search engine — so much so that it's giving Google the boot. As of today (October 19th), Brave will use the engine as its browser's default search tool, replacing Google in the US, UK and Canada. It'll also supplant DuckDuckGo in Germany and Qwant in France, with more countries seeing the switch in the "next several months."

Your browser will keep its existing search engine settings, and you can always pick Google or another competitor if you're so inclined. The change in defaults is available across desktop releases as well as Android and iOS.

Brave Search is effectively billed as the anti-Google engine. It doesn't track you, your search history or what you've clicked. While its independent index won't necessarily be robust as Google's, Brave is betting that the default position will significantly boost adoption.

You can help improve the results, too. Brave has launched a Web Discovery Project that lets volunteers contribute data to improve Brave Search's overall quality. The feature is anonymous and makes the data "unlinkable," rendering it useless to ad customers or hackers. It runs automatically as you browse. The opt-in nature will limit WDP's usefulness, but Brave is clearly hoping to find enough participants that it narrows gaps with heavyweight rivals.

It took years, but Instagram will finally let you create posts from the desktop web. The social network is issuing a flurry of updates that will culminate on October 21st, when users worldwide will have the option of posting photos and short videos (under one minute) from their computer browser. That's helpful if you'd rather not reach for your phone, of course, but it could be particularly useful for businesses and enthusiasts that want to make better use of their expensive cameras.

There are plenty of updates for mobile users, too. A Collabs test feature available today (October 19th) lets two people co-author posts and Reels. You just have to invite someone else from the tagging screen to get them involved. Followers for both users will see the post, and it'll even share views, likes and comments. It's safe to say this could be valuable for everything from superstar team-ups to sponsored posts.

Another test coming on October 20th will let you start nonprofit fundraisers right from the new post button, simplifying charity efforts. Everyone will see new music-driven Reels effects on October 21st, including Superbeat (special effects in sync with the beat) and Dynamic Lyrics (3D lyrics that flow with the track). They're not as flashy as the other additions, but they may help you focus on sharing content rather than editing it.

You don't need pro editing software to work with an iPhone 13's Cinematic Mode video on your Mac. AppleInsidernotes Apple has updated iMovie for Mac to enable editing for Cinematic Mode footage. You can change the focus subject, tweak the depth of field effect and even delete focal points on a much larger screen.

There's one main catch: you'll need macOS Monterey for this to work. Given that Monterey won't officially debut until October 25th, you'll likely be waiting about a week before you can give Cinematic Mode editing a try. At least there's an upside for new MacBook Pro buyers — iMovie should see "improved" efficiency and performance on systems using the M1 Pro and M1 Max.

The iMovie update is free for all Mac users. It's safe to presume most iPhone 13 owners will still edit on-device, even if they have a Mac. These files can take a long time to transfer, after ll. However, this should still be useful if you want to eke more from Cinematic Mode without learning your way around Final Cut Pro.