price
Latest
Apple TV price slashed to £79 in the UK
Apple today introduced a new, cheaper iMac, but that wasn't the only update it made to its online store. In a move that will do nothing to dampen speculation of a new Apple TV, the company has slashed £20/€10 off the cost of its streaming set-top box in the UK and Europe. That means you can now pick up an Apple TV for £79 in the UK and €99 elsewhere on the continent. The reduction brings Apple's Store in line with prices we'd seen from third-party retailers like Amazon but also rival streamers like the Roku 3.
Netflix begins raising prices, but current users get a two-year freeze (update)
Remember that Netflix price hike we were warned about? Well, it's finally happening, and it's affecting potential streamers across Europe. We say potential because although the cost is rising by £1 and €1 in the UK and across Europe, to £6.99 and €8.99 respectively, it'll only affect those signing up for the first time. The good news is that if you're already a Netflix subscriber, you'll pay the same amount you always have for at least another two years. At this time, Netflix remains quiet over its US plans (it's not had the greatest of times when it's adapted packages and switched pricing in the past) but has said previously that it will raise subscriptions by $1 or $2. Chances are US customers will see prices rise by a dollar, giving Netflix the opportunity to sink more cash into future seasons of House of Cards. Update: US and Canadian users have now also begun receiving notification emails from Netflix and, as expected, they're seeing the same rise. New subscribers will now pay a dollar more at $8.99 a month, with existing customers enjoying a two-year grace period. Netflix is also making its single stream SD-only package official, and available for $7.99 per month -- $1 more than the test offers that popped up late last year.
Character service pricing going up for those paying in pounds
Though character service pricing has always seemed high, if you're paying for WoW in pounds sterling then soon you're going to have to pay a bit more. Presumably, this is to bridge the difference in value between the pound and the euro, but Blizzard's description of the price change as an adjustment to ensure they're offering the "best entertainment value" doesn't really sell it -- as pages of unhappy commenters can attest to. If you're in the market for character services, here's the new pricing, in effect April 30th: Takralus Name Change .................................................... Current Price: £6 | New Price: £7 Pets ....................................................... Current Price: £9 | New Price: No change Helms ................................................... Current Price: £10 | New Price: No change Appearance Change ...................................... Current Price: £12 | New Price: £13 Guild Name Change ....................................... Current Price: £15 | New Price: £17 Character Transfer ........................................ Current Price: £15 | New Price: £17 Race Change ................................................. Current Price: £15 | New Price: £17 Mounts ................................................ Current Price: £17 | New Price: No change Faction Change ............................................. Current Price: £20 | New Price: £22 Guild Transfer ..................................... Current Price: £25 | New Price: No change Guild Faction Change ......................... Current Price: £30 | New Price: No change Level 90 Character Boost .................... Current Price: £40 | New Price: No change Guild Transfer and Faction Change .... Current Price: £50 | New Price: No change source
Netflix is going to raise prices for new customers, and come to US cable DVRs
Our latest update on how Netflix is doing is here, and buried within the earnings details the company revealed two announcements that have been a long time coming: it's raising prices for new customers, and it is (after years of rumors) going to offer service on cable-provided DVRs in the US soon. The price hike later this quarter will be for new members only and is expected to be a "one or two dollar" increase, while current subscribers will be grandfathered in at their current rates "for a generous time period." The big question for Netflix? Now at 48 million customers strong (37.5 million in the US), can it push through a price hike without the customer losses it experienced the last time it changed pricing? In January it increased prices in Ireland by one euro per month and grandfathered current customers in at their existing price for two years, and says it saw "limited impact" as a result. Netflix executives will take investor's questions live on YouTube in just a few minutes, watch here or check after the break for any interesting details.
Amazon UK, Asda selling Xbox One at PS4 price of £350
Amazon's UK arm and high street retailer Asda are currently offering the Titanfall Xbox One bundle at £349, the same price tag Sony UK puts on the PS4. The Xbox One originally launched at £430 in the country before Microsoft reduced its "estimated retail price" to £399 earlier this year. Amazon and Asda's pricing constitutes an almost 20 percent reduction from the Xbox One's launch price, a situation mirrored this time last year by the Wii U following its sales struggles. Last we heard, the Xbox One sold 3 million units by the close of 2013 following its launch in November; there's been no update on that figure since the turn of the year. Meanwhile, the Xbox One's regular price remains $499 in the US, although Microsoft is still selling it at $449 on its online store for a limited time. [Image: Microsoft]
Google's 'show me the menu' search brings the most important restaurant info up first
No matter how good the food is, it seems like many restaurants hide the most important info (what's cooking, and how much does it cost?) under a slew of sub pages, outdated Flash interfaces or bizarre PDF scans of printed pages. Google Search users can now pull up those details even faster and in a standardized interface on the desktop or mobile devices, simply by starting their search with "show me the menu." Add in the name of the restaurant and the city it's located in, and you should see the menu right on Google's page complete with prices, where available. Search Engine Land points out that Allie Brown spotted the feature in testing a few weeks ago, although it's not entirely clear where Google is pulling its info from -- menu aggregators like AllMenus.com, HTML tags embedded in restaurant websites or maybe an extension of Zagat. Either way, it seems like a command worth filing away when Yelp, Foursquare and other local info services fall short.
Ion Hazzikostas explains level 90 boost pricing
WoW Insider posted last week about the level 90 boost that appeared momentarily on live servers during maintenance, and now Eurogamer has had the chance to discuss it with Lead Encounter Designer Ion "Watcher" Hazzikostas. Ion had this to say: We realised as soon as we came out with Warlords of Draenor boost to 90, we knew that there was going to be demand for more than 1. It's tremendously awkward to tell someone that you should buy two copies of the expansion just to get a second 90. That's odd. So we knew at that point we were going to have to offer it as a separate service. When pressed on the price, he responded as follows: In terms of the pricing, honestly a big part of that is not wanting to devalue the accomplishment of levelling. If our goal here was to sell as many boosts as possible, we could halve the price or more than that - make it $10 or something. And then hardly anyone would ever level a character again. But levelling is something that takes dozens if not over 100 hours in many cases and people have put serious time and effort into that, and we don't want to diminish that.I am not an economist, I'm not the one setting the dollar value myself, but it's not the profit maximising price. That was not our aim here. Ion's explanations make sense, but it does not alter the fact that $60 is a huge amount of money, more than almost anyone ever thought the service would cost. Ion's interview with Eurogamer certainly implies although doesn't confirm that the $60 price point is correct, or at least was intentional at the time. [Thanks for the tip, silvertongue0!]
Level 90 boost appears up on live servers for $60
While we were expecting that the level 90 boosts may appear sometime after the patch's launch, we weren't thinking that they would crop up today before the pre-orders even went out. And we certainly didn't think they would be priced at $60. It seems likely that this is not intended to be up yet, given that pre-orders are not live, so there is a possibility that this is a test number. A member of WoW Insider staff, Matthew Rossi, was able to log on and see this on his server, between restarts. Whether it will still be there when servers come back up later today remains to be seen. This is a far higher price point than many were expecting, but that can be viewed as a good thing or a bad one. A good thing because it puts the price on leveling at a point where the work that goes into a 90 still has value, a bad thing because it's expensive.
Model S goes on sale in China for $121K, but Tesla says it's leaving money on the table
About a year after announcing plans to open a retail location in China, Tesla is releasing its Model S sedan there. Coming in at 734,000 CNY or about $121,000 US, it carries a premium over the $81,070 US base price (without incentives), but Tesla believes it could've gone higher -- for comparison, the BMW 650 has an $87K MSRP in the US, but costs around $326,000 in China. Claiming competitors ratchet up their price tags to as much as twice the price just to increase profits, Tesla's math starts with the same initial price before adding "unavoidable" shipping & handling, taxes and VAT -- access to the Supercharger network it's building across China comes at no additional cost. Tesla says it's risking the possibility buyers view its price as a signal of lower quality, but it's committed to "doing the right thing." Whatever the reasoning, we're sure Chinese buyers who've laid down up to $40K for a Model S or Model X pre-order appreciate the restraint.
Vizio's 4K Ultra HD TVs start at $1,000 for a 50-inch set (video)
If all of the 4K -- or 8K! -- talk from CES has you jonesing for a new TV, but you're short on scratch, we've got good news. Vizio has announced pricing for its P-series of Ultra HD panels and they'll sell for a lot less than you might expect. A 50-incher will run you a measly grand. Each five-inch bump in size ups the price $400, all the way up to the $2,600 70-inch set. Given that Vizio has a solid reputation, this line could be a reliable way to watch House of Cards in its native resolution without breaking the bank.
Microsoft adds £5 to the price of exclusive digital Xbox One games in the UK
All that turmoil deciding whose next-gen colors you were going to wear might have come down to one thing: which one has the launch titles, or exclusives you want. Imagine, then, that the very thing that won you over, came back to bite you. For early adopting Xbox One fans in the UK, that's exactly what's happening. Dead Rising 3, Forza Motorsport 5 and Ryse are all listed on Xbox Live for a fiver more than they cost at launch (£49.99, up from £44.99). At time of writing, it's not all titles that will see you short of a deep sea diver, but Microsoft has confirmed to VG247 that pricing for "select digital content" has changed since launch, gently reminding us that price and promotions can vary by region. Evidently so.
Microsoft's $100 Surface Pro price cut to stick around, accessory discounts incoming (update: worldwide)
In a move that should surprise few, that August price cut for Microsoft's Surface Pro -- which now starts at $799 for the 64GB version -- will remain in effect permanently. WPCentral has also revealed a $40 discount on Touch Covers, that now start at $79, and $50 off of the Surface RT tablet / touch cover bundle that starts at $399. The bundle pricing should kick in today although we're not seeing it live on the Microsoft Store yet. According to a statement from Microsoft (included after the break) this is based on customer's "exciting" response to the recent price drops. So, is this enough of a push for you to grab a slate (or two) right now, or would you rather wait for the sequel? Update: While the original Surface Pro discount only applied in a few locales, we're hearing that the price in several European and Asian countries is also dropping. Word on price cuts for the accessories has varied from place to place, so depending on your location you may want to keep an eye out.
Samsung's curved OLED TV drops price by a third, LG brings cheaper 4K TVs
Korean manufacturers Samsung and LG often match each other in product introductions, but today they were together in announcing cheaper options for some of their latest TV technology. Samsung is dropping the price on its new 55-inch curved OLED (above) and LG rolled out two lower priced versions of its 55- and 65-inch 4K TVs that sacrifice a few premium features. In Samsung's case, the price is dropping by 34 percent, from 15 million won ($13,500) to 9.9 million ($8,910). While we'd heard the KN55S9 will arrive in the US mid-August for $15,000 there hasn't been an official announcement yet, but Value Electronics is promising more details on the 14th. For LG, the new LA9650 (pictured after the break) variant of its 65-inch UHDTV drops to 8.9 million won ($8,010) compared to 10.9 million ($9,810) for the original LA9700, while the 55-inch is 5.9 million won ($5,310) compared to 7.4 million ($6,660). In the US the original models sell for $7,999 and $5,999, respectively, while retailer B&H already has placeholders for the new models with US prices of $6,999 and $4,999. If the listing is accurate, we could see these versions ship in the US around October 23rd. These new models give up a few creature comforts like the bottom-mounted motorized 4.1 speaker and camera, but keep the pixel count along with fixed 2.1 speakers and 16GB of memory for DVR functions. According to the Korea Times, Samsung's price cut came as a result of improved manufacturing yield, and customers that already purchased one will be refunded the difference. Of course, these prices are hardly mass-market or challenging value priced entries from Chinese manufacturers Seiki or TCL, but is remarkable to see OLED technology dropping below $10,000 so quickly.
Xbox One controllers, headsets available for pre-order
The Xbox One controller is available for pre-order on the Microsoft Store for $59.99. The store is also offering the controller with a Play and Charge kit for $74.99, with the kit priced at $24.99 on its own. Lastly, Microsoft's Store lists its "must-have" wired headset for $24.99. Amazon also has the Xbox One controller available for pre-order, listed for a Wednesday, November 27 release, just one day before Thanksgiving. The Microsoft Store still has the "Day One" edition of the Xbox One console listed as being available in November. Whether Amazon's date holds up remains to be seen, but the controller is also available for pre-order at GameStop and Best Buy. Sony's DualShock 4 controller for the PlayStation 4 is also available for pre-order, and is also around $60. [Thanks, Eoin!]
Xbox One first-party games priced £50 in UK, Microsoft confirms
Microsoft's benchmark price for Xbox One games in the UK is £50 ($77), the same as Xbox 360 games and likewise matching the unchanged price point in the US. When asked about Microsoft Store prices for Xbox One games, a Microsoft spokesperson told Joystiq, "Microsoft first party games will cost £49.99, the same as Xbox 360 games currently." That should translate into suggested retail prices of £50 across the board on most games, and likely the traditional retailer cuts to around the £40 mark. Sony has yet to announce anything on PS4 game pricing in the country, but Sony Computer Entertainment America boss Jack Tretton put the US upper limit at $60 in an interview shortly after the console's unveiling in February.
Xbox One, PS4 launch prices compared to inflation-adjusted launches of old
The Xbox One and PlayStation 4's $500 and $400 launch price points (respectively) aren't necessarily what we'd call "svelt," but they're also not as expensive as consoles have been in the past. Even ignoring last generation's $600 PlayStation 3 launch, the annals of video game history are riddled with consoles that, when adjusted for inflation, make this holiday season seem like a bargain in comparison. The Intellivision cost $300 when it originally launched in 1979, which doesn't sound all that out of the ordinary – adjust for inflation, however, and that's the equivalent of $849 in 2013 dollars, according to Ars Technica's breakdown of console launch prices and their respective histories. The Panasonic R.E.A.L. 3DO was far and away the most expensive console in history with its $700 launch in 1993, which translates to $1,127 in today's skrilla. Hit up the source link below for more graphs comparing the cost of each console over its lifetime, both as a percentage change and a dollar figure adjusted for modern inflation.
GOG.com hosts big summer sale, including lots of cheap Mac games
GOG.com has launched a huge summer sale today, with over 500 games available for very cheap and more changing in and out every day. I'm mentioning it here because the site has a big Mac section with classic games like Dungeon Keeper, Syndicate and even the great System Shock 2 all on sale for less than US$5 each. Alpha Centauri is one of my favorite games ever, and it's also on sale, as is the recent indie success FTL: Faster Than Light. GOG is even offering the excellent dungeon crawler Torchlight for the low, low price of completely free, so definitely grab that and play it if you haven't yet. The big sale lasts through July 5, and there will be more titles in the mix as the event goes on, so stay tuned for more great games to play on your Mac this summer.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown arrives on iOS on June 20 for $20
The long-awaited iOS version of XCOM: Enemy Unknown is almost here. 2K Games has announced that it will be available on the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch Thursday at a premium price of US$19.99. Firaxis' excellent remake of the old PC game arrived on consoles last year to critical acclaim, and now it's coming to iOS with all of the single player features of the main release. Multiplayer mode is coming later on, and will be added in an update a little further down the road. That price might be the most notable thing about this one. Lots of developers are going with freemium on iOS lately, claiming that there's just not a big enough audience willing to pay a higher price to justify anything but giving games away for free. But XCOM is definitely a premium experience, and I think that there are plenty of gamers out there willing to pay $20 for a game worth the quality (XCOM is still selling in stores for $50 or $60 on consoles and PC). Firaxis apparently agrees, so if XCOM turns out to be a hit, we may see more developers and publishers trusting the premium price for their highest quality games. A hit here could also kick off a trend of even more developers bringing out their AAA titles to iOS, possibly even closer to the same day and release date of consoles and PCs. We'll see how this all plays out. If nothing else, we're all set to get another excellent game on iPhone and iPad this coming Thursday.
Sky site suggests TV subscription prices could increase by up to 10 percent on September 1st
If you've been pondering a Sky TV subscription, then perhaps here's something that'll get you off the fence. The company's online store has a new section saying that prices could increase "by up to 10 percent" on September 1st, which would push the cost of the basic bundle up to £23.65 ($37). The move comes a week after BT upped its line rental fee from £129 to £141 in order to cover its "free" sports bonanza. Still, compared to the £9.99 you'll pay for 24 hours of Sky Sports on Now TV, even with a possible 10 percent price increase, it's still pretty reasonable.
Sony PlayStation 4 price: $399
Sony has finally revealed release information about its PlayStation 4 console: that it plays used, lent or rented games with no restrictions and its price: $399. That translates to 399 euros, and £349 where applicable, or if you missed it, $100, 100 euros and £70 less than what Microsoft just announced for the Xbox One. There's no specific release date or month yet, just "this holiday season" in the US and Europe. The official spec list confirms that for four bills, you get the system, a controller, USB, HDMI and power cables -- but no PlayStation 4 Eye. So tell us, has this made your decision any easier? Pre-orders are open now. Follow all of our E3 2013 coverage at our event hub.
