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Comcast has handed out one million cord-cutting Xfinity Flex boxes
When Comcast launched its Xfinity Flex streaming box for broadband-only subscribers last year, it seemed a bit silly to pay $5 per month when you could just use a Chromecast-type device instead. However, the company got rid of the monthly fee in September 2019, and just announced that it has now given out one million Xfinity Flex devices to date.
The Daily Grind: Do players ask for too much free in a free-to-play game?
In a couple of decades, I imagine that telling people that playing an online game used to cost money will be met with some strange looks. These days everything is going free-to-play, with only a few games holding on to the traditional subscription model. As a result, though, I can't help but find more people complaining about how much a game gives you for free and what things should never exist in a free-to-play game, despite the fact that as little as three years ago the business model in its entirety was considered an also-ran. On the one hand, this is totally reasonable -- companies have found a lot of ways to monetize games of late, and some of those have become both ubiquitous and incredibly annoying. On the other hand, it's increasingly difficult to establish a baseline of what anyone "should" get for free in a game when the concept of "games are free to start playing" is fairly new. So what do you think? Do players expect more to be free in a free-to-play game than is realistic? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
DCUO's Fight for the Light content pack free for subscribers
DC Universe Online is about to get a bit bigger, and it's also bucking the double-dipping trend that's gripped the MMO industry of late. The good news for subscribers is two-fold: First, there's a lot of new content on the way. Second, it's included in the subscription fee. The Fight for the Light pack, which integrates the legend of the Green Lantern (as well as the rest of the Lantern and Sinestro Corps) into Sony Online Entertainment's massively multiplayer beat-'em-up, debuts on September 6th. What exactly is in store for loyal denizens of Metropolis and Gotham City? For starters, there's the game's seventh power set (light, of course), followed by new instances like S.T.A.R. Labs, Coast City, and Sciencells Prison. In addition, players will interact with Green Lantern-based friends and foes as they battle to save earth from the clutches of Brainiac. %Gallery-128108%
New York Post blocks iPad access through Safari browser, hopes you'll pay for a subscription instead
Well, that's one way to make people pay for puns. The New York Post, that bastion of fair, balanced, and not-at-all sensationalistic reporting, has blocked iPad owners from reading its stories through the tablet's Safari browser. If folks want the full spill on Hugh Hefner getting ditched at the altar, they'll be prompted to download the iOS app, which requires signing up for a subscription starting at $6.99 on a month-to-month basis. Setting aside News Corp.'s hubris for a moment, what's odd about this is the number of workarounds Rupert Murdoch & Co. left us cheapskates. You can still read the site on a desktop browser or a phone, including an Android one. Basically, then, News Corp. is strangling web access, but only for a select group of readers. That's a stark contrast from other content providers (even the News Corp-owned Wall Street Journal), which have been more platform-agnostic. Then again, there's the dim possibility that News Corp. targeted the iPad in an effort to re-brand the Post as a glossier sort of tabloid, à la The Daily. To which we say, that's some wishful thinking there, Rupe.
Spacetime adds Sandstone Caves to Pocket Legends, extends free content offer
Free stuff is the rallying cry of Spacetime Studios, developer of the renowned Pocket Legends mobile MMORPG. Last month we told you about the game's anniversary promotion, which featured free access to a boat-load of content zones including Balefort Castle, the Fathom Crypts, and the Alien Oasis Trilogy. Today we're happy to report that Spacetime has donned its generosity hat and is making these (and a few other) areas free forever. But wait, there's more! Spacetime is also introducing a brand-new Pocket Legends zone called the Sandstone Caves. The caves are "littered with precious stones -- and the broken bones of the foolish who have tried to take them." If that's not a dare, we don't know what is, and you'll want to level your character up a bit to ensure she's fit to challenge the 20 - 25 zone. You can learn more about the Sandstone Caves, free content, and Pocket Legends itself at the game's official website.
Pocket Legends declares war on high prices, celebrates 1-year anniversary
Pocket Legends is ready to blow out some birthday candles, and players of the portable MMORPG are standing by to take the cake. Spacetime Studios is giving away all of the game's premium areas beginning on April 19th, which means that new and existing players get full access to Balefort Castle, Fathom Crypts, The Lost Expedition, and more -- all free of charge. Players can level to the cap and freely enjoy all of Pocket Legends' zones through Monday, May 4th. This adds up to hundreds of hours of free content, and Spacetime is also decorating each in-game town with cakes, streamers, and balloons -- as well as handing out in-game party hats to everyone. If that's not enough for you, Spacetime's Cinco Barnes is starring in a YouTube short extolling the virtues of the upcoming free content bonanza. Check it out after the cut.
Cryptic releases new Star Trek Online Featured Episode
Ready for Star Trek Online's newest Featured Episode series? Well, ready or not, Cryptic is here to give us the skinny on Series 3: Cloaked Intentions. If you're wondering how STO's episodes work, it breaks down like this: Feature Episodes are tied together to form a single story arc. New episodes under each Feature banner take a bow on Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. PST and are freely available to all STO players regardless of level. The new Cloaked Intentions arc involves a series of missions focused on the Romulan Empire; the overarching goal of participating players is the prevention of a bloody civil war. The intrigue kicks off today with Episode 1: The Vault, followed by episodes 2 - 5 every Saturday through March 5th. You can learn more at the official STO website, and don't forget to warp past the cut for the Cloaked Intentions trailer.
MAG patch 1.07 due out next week
MAG's next patch, due out next week, will bring some very welcome free updates to players. While the full patch notes aren't available yet, the MAG team has provided a short list of updates to hold fans over for a bit. MAG v1.07 will bring a number of fixes, content changes, and additions to the game, including a new happy hour feature. Happy hour is a double XP bonus that's applied to the first hour of every player's gaming session in a 24-hour period, giving you a little boost to start off with. You'll also find better lighting, redesigned maps, a new faction neutral Supression gameplay mode, and new code that allows for faster patching. Check out the current patch notes on the MAG site, and keep an eye out for the complete notes, available nearer the time of the update.
Revelation out now for Champions Online
The super-big free update for Champions Online, Revelation, is officially out today. While the announcement seems to have come out of nowhere, this is about mid-March which has been the scheduled release date for Revelation. Bringing a significant amount of completely free content to the game, Revelation adds a new zone in the form of the dark voodoo inspired Vibora Bay. It also brings new perks, five new enemy groups, six new meta-powers, a new raid in the form of Therakiel's Temple and even more costume pieces. All-in-all, it's a good day to be a Champions Online subscriber. We hope everyone enjoys all the new content, and we'll surely see you somewhere in Vibora Bay, battling werewolves and half-demon, half-angel supervillains.
Mabinogi expansion "Pioneers of Iria" set for February 26th
The massive content addition Pioneers of Iria is set to go live for Mabinogi users on February 26th, introducing two new races and a brand new continent for the low, low cost of free.Information about Iria has been slowly released over time on the Erinn Walker website, which has revealed even more interesting things about the new expansion. Iria will be featuring more field bosses to take on in large groups, like giant wooly mammoths, yetis, sandworms, dragons and even Ifrit himself. The new races, elves and giants, will also be able to take advantage of transformation techniques and enter "beast mode" to deal more damage to enemies around them.Nexon has also released a new trailer for Iria, which we've embedded for your viewing pleasure after the break. For more information on what Iria has in store for players, check out the Iria website and stay tuned to Massively.com.
Rumor: MS offers free content with GTA IV preorders, launch purchase
Hot rumors are flying out of D.I.C.E. tonight after the Wired interview with corporate VP of Microsoft Game Studios, Shane Kim, went live on Thursday evening. Early in the interview Kim discussed the upcoming launch of Grand Theft Auto IV telling interviewer Chris Kohler, "making sure that we own the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV from a platform perspective is really important." At first glance that comment, and the subsequent explanation of the exclusive content on the Xbox 360, seemed like a typical bullet point listing that is better reserved for the back of a retail box. However, according to the folks at Xbox Family Microsoft is taking steps to secure a successful Xbox 360 launch of the latest GTA title. Word around the campfire is Microsoft will offer free downloadable content to those who pre-order the Xbox 360 version of GTAIV and purchase their copies on launch day. The content in question isn't specified, but if this rumor turns out to be valid it would be interesting to see what would be given away. While the rumor isn't substantiated, the PR spin behind it makes sense. Offer an extended experience to gamers the day of release and it makes the PlayStation 3 version seem incomplete. But seriously, if this whole thing turns out to be about Gamer Pictures ... somebody's gonna get-a hurt real bad.
PGR4 DLC hits this Valentine's Day
Having spent the last few months polishing off The Club, Bizarre Creations just released word of brand new downloadable content for Project Gotham Racing 4. On Thursday, February 14, two content packs will be released for the latest installment in the popular racing franchise, the Free Challenge Pack and the Premium Challenge Pack. The Free Challenge Pack is, well, free and includes the design contest winning Peugeot Flux as well as two new game modes. The two new modes include, Tourist Mode which allows players to take in the sights with their friends over Xbox Live and Free Roam Cat and Mouse where a slow mouse vehicle must avoid enemy cats. The Premium Challenge Pack includes the free pack content, 7 additional cars, 3 bikes and the World Challenge Arcade Mode, which gives you 20 arcade events in 3 themed chapters for 400MS points. Additionally, the packs include an auto-update for PGR4 that sports 10 new achievements, 3 of which are exclusive to the Premium pack. Time to strap back into the driver's seat people!
