bundles
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Apple is reportedly planning 'Apple One' subscription bundles
Apple has many subscription services, and now it wants to bundle them together. As Bloomberg reports, the company is preparing a series of bundles -- currently dubbed "Apple One" internally -- that will offer multiple Apple-made services at a reduced monthly price. The cheapest will reportedly combine Apple Music and Apple TV+, followed by pricier options that stack Apple Arcade, then Apple News +, and finally iCloud storage on top.
Sky’s restructured TV pricing is simpler and more flexible
As UK consumers have become more confident with streaming services and accessing content via a low monthly subscription, UK broadcasters have been forced to take notice. These days, the all-you-can-eat package is no longer the de-facto option, with companies like Sky choosing to split bigger content bundles into more bitesize options. In July, it broke up Sky Sports into 10 individual channels, allowing sports fans to pay only for the sport they actually wanted to watch and chop and change whenever it suits. Now, it's bringing the same flexibility to traditional TV.
Spotify video streaming rolls out to Android users
Video streaming has finally arrived to Spotify on Android devices, giving you more to do than just listen to audio. As earlier reports revealed, content is available from providers like NBC, Comedy Central and BBC, along with popular video podcasts. To access the new feature, go to "browse" and select "shows," or check the "video" option in your library. You can then find content providers and follow shows or playlist "bundles" of video, just like you would with audio playlists. The company said that it's aiming to suggest video content that's in line with music that you're already listening to.
Microsoft extends Xbox One bundle deals through Christmas
Citing their sales successes on Black Friday/Cyber Monday, Microsoft announced on Wednesday that it will extend its $300 console bundle deal through December 26th. This $50 price drop reportedly applies to every Xbox One bundle including the Halo 5: Guardians Bundle, the Elite Bundle and 1TB Holiday Bundle. What's more, from December 27th to January 7th, Microsoft is also running its Countdown digital game sale with more than 200 discounted titles.[Image Credit: Getty]
Virgin Media to increase bundle prices by up to £4 next year
Virgin Media customers who are signed up to one of the company's "Big Bundles" will soon see their monthly bill get an inflation-busting price increase. The cable provider says "the vast majority" of subscribers will see their packages rise by up to 5.4 percent (between £3.49 and £3.99 a month), which will include a £1 line rental increase. The changes won't happen right away -- they'll come into effect next February.
GameStop won't sell consoles bundled with digital games
Perhaps more than any other retailer, Gamestop has serious clout when it comes to selling video games. The retail chain makes money hand over fist on game trade-ins and the resulting used game sales, and in an effort to protect that, it's made an edict that it'll only sell bundles that include a physical disc rather than a download code. In a shareholders call (PDF), chief operating officer Tony Bartel specifically cited the current Madden '16 Xbox One bundle. Rather than carrying the official deal, the company worked to offer a free physical copy of the annual football title with the purchase of a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, refusing to stock the digital bundle at all.
Vodafone's revamped mobile contracts come with 4G as standard
Vodafone is introducing a host of new monthly plans today with 4G connectivity as standard. The change affects its range of 12 and 24 month contracts, now called "bundles," and mirrors the stance taken by other networks such as EE and Three. In short, customers want faster speeds, and now that 4G-enabled devices are cheaper and more prevalent, it makes sense for Vodafone to offer its full network capabilities to everyone.
GOG Big Fall Sale Finale: FTL, Fez, Sam And Max, Rogue Legacy
GOG.com kicked off its DRM-free Big Fall Sale Finale this morning, putting more than 700 games on sale until Tuesday, November 25. The sale is split into two 48-hour periods, the first a "recap of flash deals" that rapidly come and go, and a second period with the Big Fall Sale's daily bundles that starts on Sunday. Thrifty buyers may want to act fast, as some of the flash deals will expire within hours. The deals include Fez ($5), Rogue Legacy ($3), Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition ($2.49), Pathologic ($2), System Shock 2 ($5), Rollercoaster Tycoon: Deluxe Edition ($3), FTL: Advanced Edition ($5) and the four primary Wing Commander games are $3 each, with the first two games bundled together. Sam & Max Save the World and Beyond Time and Space are $15 each, while The Devil's Playhouse is $17.49. OG.com also has deals on bundles starting today, such as the Fedora Deluxe Pack, a five-game Tex Murphy bundle that players can download at 80 percent off ($7.16). The digital games distributor is also offering a movie bundle for $8.45 that features five films, including The King of Arcades, Pixel Poetry and Minecraft: The Story of Mojang. [Image: GOG.com]
Xbox One trims $50 for the holidays
The price of the Xbox One will drop by $50 for a limited time in the United States starting November 2, Microsoft announced. The stand-alone system will cost $350 until January 3, 2015 at participating retailers, which will include Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Microsoft's stores, Target, Toys R Us and Walmart. The holiday savings applies to all versions of the console, so those in the market for one of Microsoft's Xbox One bundles will also save $50 during the two-month period. That includes the Assassin's Creed Unity bundle, available before Unity launches over a week later, will cost $350 for the standard version that also includes Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag and $450 for the version with both games and Kinect. The temporary price cut follows a much more permanent one the UK received in September. [Image: Microsoft]
Path of Exile Supporter Packs are about to disappear
If you love Path of Exile but haven't converted that support into monetary form yet... well, that's fine, the game is free-to-play. But you're running out of time to take advantage of the Supporter Packs that were introduced as part of the game's launch. The packs will be officially discontinued very shortly, so if you haven't grabbed one yet, now's the time to do so. The official announcement notes that you will be able to arrange a payment plan and/or upgrade your pack, but you need to set that in motion before the packs are gone for good, not after. So if you've been loving the game and want to buy a little power boost... do it now. You're running out of time.
Wizard101 introduces Fishing
Fishing is the eternal side activity of MMOs, the reason for players to sit about and cast their line over and over in the hopes of receiving something worthwhile. Wizard101 joins the lineup of fantasy games offering a fishing option today with a new patch, although you will be fishing in an appropriately magical fashion. Rather than a mundane line and sinker, players summon magical orbs to help snare fish; the ones they catch can be sold, used for crafts, or displayed as trophies around your house. If this is the one thing you've been waiting for before you get into the game, you can also take advantage of the new promotional bundle on sale at Target. The Spiral Cup Gauntlet Bundle includes a new housing item, a new pet, new clothes, and a new mount for players, along with either a month's subscription or 5000 crowns. You can pick it up for $39 and then jump right back into casting orbs and looking for fish. Or doing other things, presumably. [Source: Kingsisle Entertainment press release]
Xbox One's 'Titanfall' bundle gets a price cut to $450 at Walmart and Best Buy (update: Amazon too)
The PS4 may have commanded an early lead over the Xbox One, partly thanks to a $100 price difference, but Microsoft is quickly narrowing the gap. Now, the company might just seal the deal with a discounted Xbox One-Titanfall bundle: both Walmart and Best Buy have cut the price to $450. The move is an aggressive one on Walmart and Best Buy's part: Microsoft only recently started selling the Titanfall bundle for $500 a week and a half ago. Now, just 10 days later, it's received a $50 discount. For those keeping track, that puts the Xbox One within spitting distance ($50) of the PlayStation 4, which doesn't even come with a game in the box. Subtract Titanfall's $60 value from the cost, and Microsoft at last has the cheaper console. So, which of you is buying? Update: Amazon is also getting in on the action. Though the Titanfall bundle is still listed for $499, adding it to the cart and using promo code "xiamazon" drops the price to $450.
MechWarrior Online's clan warfare bundles now available for pre-order
MechWarrior Online's implementation of clan warfare is scheduled for Soon TM, and Piranha Games is celebrating by making clan mechs available for pre-order in the form of special bundles. Each bundle includes one or more clan mechs with variants, XP boosts, and other exclusive items. Piranha also unveiled the Gold Khan collection of mechs, which have gold skin and are priced to match at $500 each. Non-gold variants of the mechs will be available for in-game currency at a later date. According to the official collection website, pre-ordering ensures you receive the collection by June 17th. [Source: Piranha Games press release]
Walmart still taking PS4 and Xbox One bundle pre-orders
GameStop isn't the only retailer with available next-gen consoles for pre-order, as Walmart still is still offering both stand-alone systems and value bundles. While Walmart doesn't have any standard Xbox One systems available for pre-order, it is still offering up PlayStation 4 consoles with free shipping. The retailer also has two PS4 bundles priced $459 and $517 respectively, each packing in additional DualShock 4 controllers, cameras and/or games. Walmart also has two Xbox One bundles for $559 and $617 respectively, the former giving players an option between an additional controller or a game, and the latter including an extra controller with the option of any Xbox One game. Every bundle includes free shipping, in which buyers will receive their systems before December 25.
Report: Gamestop's Black Friday has exclusive bundles, blue PS3
Gamestop's Black Friday circular has supposedly leaked its thick, viscous deal-goo all over the internet, exposing the retail chain's plans for the most excruciating shopping day of the year – just don't expect any deals on that new PlayStation 4/Xbox One hotness. For everyone staying in this console generation, though, there's some cool stuff going on if you think leaving the house on Black Friday is worth it. You can have your choice of 250-gig PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 for $199.99, the former bundled with The Last of Us and Batman: Arkham Origins, and the latter bundled with Halo 4 and a download code for Tomb Raider. Meanwhile, a Gamestop-exclusive Azure Blue 250-gig PS3/Jak and Daxter Collection bundle can be had for $249.99. For 360 owners, there's also a Gamestop-exclusive Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City boxed set, Dishonored and Splinter Cell: Blacklist at $24.99 each. PlayStation 3 owners can snag Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag for $40 and a year of PlayStation Plus for $29.99. The chain is also running a buy-2-get-1 free promotion on all pre-owned items, provided the free thing you pick out is of equal or lesser value. Gamestop is also granting an additional 30-percent in-store credit on all trade-ins, though whether these two offers stack is unknown. There's a lot of other stuff on sale, so while we check on the trade-in value of a human soul, click all up on this to check out the full 12-page circular for yourself.
Nintendo's got three new Wii U bundles for UK dance parties
You're hosting a dance/Italian plumber enthusiasts party at your United Kingdom-based flat and need entertainment -- we totally get it. And so does Nintendo, apparently, as the game maker is bringing three new bundles to the UK starting on November 8th with the release of a New Super Mario Bros. U/32GB deluxe edition Wii U game console (the pack also contains the Luigi-based expansion). Next, on November 15th, an 8GB Wii U model gets bundled with Wii Party U and NintendoLand; a third, also 8GB unit, arrives on November 22nd with Just Dance 4 and NintendoLand. Nintendo's got each console listed at £250 ($400) on its new store, and pins the Just Dance 4 and Wii Party U versions as "limited edition." So, uh, act now! Maybe not. Considering the console itself normally costs £250 without any games at all, it sounds like Nintendo may be encountering some sales slowdown in the UK (things certainly haven't been rosy sales-wise in the US market). Anyway, probably not a rush on these puppies at the market next month, but some good options if you're looking for a Wii U with a free game other than The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD.
Three new Wii U bundles hit the UK next month
Nintendo is gift-wrapping three new Wii U bundles for the UK, including one 32GB Premium bundle and two 8GB Basic ones. The trio launch across consecutive weeks in November, and going by Nintendo's new web store they're each priced £250. The new 32GB Premium is first to reach Her Maj's Kingdom on November 8, bundling in New Super Mario Bros. U and its New Super Luigi U expansion on a 2-in-1 disc. Going by the Nintendo store it features the Legend of Zelda GamePad as per the Wind Waker HD bundle, as well as usual extras including Nintendo Network Premium membership. A Wii Party U bundle follows on November 15, featuring the not-yet-forgotten 8GB model. If one party game isn't enough, the bundle includes launch game Nintendo Land. Finally, November 22 sees the arrival of a Just Dance 2014 pack. Like the other 8GB bundle, it chucks in Nintendo Land. Nintendo's site lists both 8GB bundles as "limited," underlining the publisher's plans to focus on the 32GB model.
Wii U ups its value with two family-themed bundles in Japan
Nintendo is targeting families with two value-driven Wii U bundles in Japan, as it looks to give the console a welcome boost alongside its winter software line-up. The pair, launching on October 31, both include the 32GB Wii U (black or white), New Super Mario Bros. U, and Wii Party U. The pricier bundle also chucks in Wii Fit U. The Wii Fit U-less bundle costs ¥32,800 (around $332), while the healthier option is ¥34,800 ($352) adding in the Wii Fit U meter along with the game, but no Balance Board. There are the typical Premium extras of a Wii Remote, sensor bar, and 30 day membership to Wii Karaoke U in both sets. Japan's new options represent a significant value improvement on the original premium Wii U set, priced at ¥31,500 ($319) without any games included. The Japanese bundles follow Nintendo doling out a $50 price cut to the Deluxe set in North America, alongside the launch of a Wind Waker HD bundle.
Nintendo's new Pokemon XY edition 3DS XLs get Legendary on September 27th
Kids love colors. Kids love Pokemon. Collectors love limited editions. And that's all you need to understand about Nintendo's 3DS marketing strategy. So, what's a Xerneas and an Yveltal? They're Pokemon things -- Legendaries, in fact -- and we have no idea. But we do know Nintendo's two new Pokemon XY edition 3DS XLs are going to sell out like a Miley Cyrus concert sponsored by Blow Pops and Build-a-Bear when they hit stores on September 27th. The plus-sized systems come in two striking color combos -- blue/black and red/black -- and feature a pre-loaded digital copy of the game, as well as abstract sketch designs of the aforementioned deer-like, fairy Xerneas and hawkish, dark and flying-type Yveltal. Nintendo hasn't priced these two custom cash cows just yet, but consider yourself warned: if you don't act fast and catch'em all when they hit, you can can count on them being as rare to find as the Pokemon they represent. Update: Turns out these new bundles don't include digital copies of Pokemon XY. The game will be available for purchase separately.
Comixology adds options for subscriptions and bundles (update: Web app only)
Comixology is, as we've discussed here before, basically the premiere app for comic books on Apple's iPad. And now, the app (well, the web app at least) is adding one more feature to its already long list. Starting today, you can subscribe to your favorite comics right inside the app's web store, which means that instead of going in every week to buy the comics you want, you can tap one button, and you'll automatically pick up a comic when it arrives. That's pretty handy if you buy a lot of comics -- it's like having your own personal comic book store pulling issues as you need them. The company has also added support for buying comics in bundles, which means those deals we occasionally see come out of Comixology's offices will probably be a lot better (it's much easier to buy a bunch of comics at a time for cheap, rather than a ton of issues individually on sale). This also means that the company can bundle up storylines and back issues, so finding what you want to read and purchasing it all in one go should be a piece of cake. Update: Bundles and subscriptions are only available on the web app, we're told. But you can definitely buy comics on the web, and then browse them on your iPad.
