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Nintendo adds monthly subscription to 'Fire Emblem Heroes'
Fire Emblem Heroes (FEH) is Nintendo's mobile money-maker. The free-to-play RPG has pulled in, according to SensorTower, $656 million since its release three years ago -- over $200 million more than all of Nintendo's other mobile games combined. That money train is running out of steam, though, and Nintendo wants to curb that with a $9.49 monthly subscription plan called Feh Pass. Despite being the company's most-successful mobile title in 2019, revenue was down significantly to $156 million, which is almost half that of the $295 million revenue from its 2017 launch year, and 23-percent down on the $205 million it made in 2018. This is a fairly normal pattern for a gacha title. Gacha games rely on a small number of high-value users spending hundreds and thousands of dollars on in-game currency (Orbs, in FEH's case). As the number of users playing a game drops, the number of high-value users typically drops in tandem.
Google Photos test subscription prints your best pictures every month
Online photo services with printing options usually revolve around on-demand printing for special occasions, but Google appears to be trying something different: printing photos every month no matter what you've taken. A 9to5Google tipster has revealed a Google Photos test subscription service that automatically selects your 10 best pictures for printing each month. You just tell Google whether you want to focus on faces (including pets), landscapes or a "little bit of everything" -- so long as you're willing to pay $8 per month, you'll get a collection of related 4x6 prints on matte cardstock. You can edit images before committing to the print process.
Calendar app Fantastical switches to a subscription for its Mac and iOS apps
Fantastical, one of the oldest and most loved calendar apps on Apple devices, just received its biggest update in years. The most significant change is that Fantastical is now a universal app you pay for through a subscription. As such, you don't need to purchase separate licenses to use the app on multiple devices. Developer Flexibits has also introduced a new tier that allows you to check out Fantastical's basic functionality for free.
Apple Arcade is now available as a $50 yearly subscription
Apple Arcade is already a fairly good value at $5 per month, but it's now more affordable still -- provided you're willing to make a deeper commitment, that is. iFun.de has noticed that you now have the option of a $50 annual subscription (£50 in the UK and €50 in the EU) that should save you about $10 per year. Much like Apple Music's yearly plan, this makes the most sense if you fully expect to stay subscribed and don't mind paying up front.
BMW will drop its Apple CarPlay fees (updated)
For years BMW has charged customers for access to Apple CarPlay. Initially, the automaker charged a $300 lifetime fee, but this summer, it introduced a yearly subscription model at $80 per year. That didn't go over well with drivers, especially because Apple doesn't charge car manufactures a fee to use CarPlay. Now, BMW says it will no longer charge a subscription fee for cars equipped with Apple Car Play in the US.
Jay-Z's music is back on Spotify after two years away
In 2017, Tidal owner Jay-Z removed his music from several competing streaming services. While much of his catalog returned to some of them, like Apple Music, pretty quickly, it hasn't been on the largest one ever since. Until now. Spotify announced at midnight ET that on the rapper's 50th birthday, his catalog is once again part of its library. There's no word on what arrangement was necessary to make that happen, but fans should be happy to have easy access to his hit songs once again.
Apple offers three-month News+ trials through Black Friday weekend
Apple Music has long had three-month free trials, but what if you want to give News+ a similar dry run? You can -- but only if you act quickly. Apple is offering a three-month trial to News+ to American and Canadian users who sign up through Black Friday weekend. That's much longer than the usual one month, and should give you a considerably better feel for what it's like to read magazines and newspapers on your Apple devices.
Nintendo is adding subscriptions to 'Animal Crossing' on mobile this week
Mario Kart Tour was just the start of Nintendo's plans for mobile game subscriptions, it appears. The developer has notified gamers that it's bringing two subscription plans to Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp on November 21st, both of which aim to lighten the load. One plan will designate an animal as a "camp caretaker" that will provide help around your site. The other plan will let you receive fortune cookies as well as store your excess furniture and clothes in warehouses. The perks are slightly like Fallout 1st in that regard.
Apple might be planning its own subscription bundle
Ever since Apple rolled out its second, third and fourth subscription services, folks have begun to wonder when they could buy all three together, ideally for a discount. According to Bloomberg, it's something that Apple is at least thinking about, if not actively planning to do at some point in 2020. Unnamed sources have said that, buried in the supplier contracts for news outlets, is a clause saying that News+ can be bundled with other services.
The best gifts for coffee geeks
There are two types of coffee drinkers: people who drink coffee and people who are obsessed with coffee. I fall into the latter category. A few years ago I became friends with a couple roasters while living in Savannah, Georgia, and I've never looked back. I currently have five different methods for brewing coffee in my house (more if you count the multiple pour-over contraptions). It's a serious habit. And I'm not alone. Coffee culture is thriving all over the globe. It's easy to find roasters akin to your favorite local small-batch outfit anywhere in the world. However, there might not always be time to go exploring while traveling, or the people on your list could maybe use an upgrade to their at-home setup. No matter what you're looking for, we have a range options that make great coffee gifts for everyone, including travelers and aspiring coffee pros.
Netflix CEO says time spent streaming matters more than subscriptions
Netflix founder and CEO Reed Hastings doesn't have any beef with other streaming services, and is actually planning on subscribing to Disney+ when it launches. These are just some of the insights he shared at the New York Times' DealBook conference on Wednesday.
Amazon discounts Prime subscriptions by $40 for veterans
With Veterans Day coming up, Amazon has launched a new promotion aimed at armed forces members. Starting today and until November 11th, if you've served in the military, or are a current active duty or reserve member, you can get $40 off the first year of an Amazon Prime subscription. If you're already a subscriber, fret not: you can use the promotion as a way to extend your membership at a discount.
Get ready to hear about Quip's new floss dispenser on all your podcasts
The podcasts you listen to will never be the same. That's because one of the biggest advertisers in the space, toothbrush subscription startup Quip, finally has a new product. On Tuesday, the company announced a refillable floss dispenser simply called Floss.
Amazon Fresh deliveries are now free for Prime members
Amazon is ditching its $14.99 a month Amazon Fresh fee for Prime members. Prime subscribers in the 2,000 US cities where the fresh food delivery service is offered can use it for free and take advantage of new one- and two-hour delivery windows. Shopping from Whole Foods is also an option here, and it's subject to the same quick delivery times. You can sign up here but you'll have to wait for an invitation -- as Amazon says, "We expect this will be a popular benefit."
Bethesda hopes you'll pay $100 a year for private 'Fallout 76' worlds
Bethesda is betting that Fallout 76 fans are willing to pay extra for creature comforts -- so much so that they'll pay more than they did for the base game. The developer has launched a Fallout 1st subscription that offers a few exclusive conveniences and other perks for $100 per year, or $13 per month. Most notably, 1st members can create private worlds for them and up to seven other people. You don't have to worry that a troublemaker will come in and ruin your experience, in other words. Friends can join these worlds without a subscription, so you don't have to persuade your pals to sign up just to get some relative peace and quiet.
Verizon is giving Unlimited customers 12 months of Disney+ for free
Verizon (Engadget's parent company) is offering 12 months of Disney+ to all of its new and existing 4G LTE and 5G Unlimited wireless customers. New Verizon Fios Home Internet and 5G Home Internet customers will get 12 months of the new streaming service too. The offer begins November 12th, the same day Disney+ launches.
Twitch viewers can subscribe to streamers on iOS
Twitch users on iOS can now subscribe to their favorite streamers directly from the app. It'll offer the same benefits of subscribing on desktop, including ad-free viewing, sub badges, channel emotes and sub-only chat, as well as supporting the partner or affiliate monetarily.
There's now a Harry Potter subscription service
Everything is a subscription service nowadays, so frankly it's a surprise it's taken so long for the Harry Potter franchise to get in on the action, but that it has, in the form of Wizarding World Gold. The 12-month sub includes a whole bunch of magical treats, including access to all seven ebooks and a new behind-the-scenes video series, collectible pin badges, priority booking for special events and discounts on merchandise from the Wizarding World.com shop, Platform 9¾ store in London's King's Cross Station, and Warner Bros Studio Tour stores in both London and Hollywood.
Google will offer whole-home Nest Aware subscription plans
Google's Nest Aware subscription plans let users record what's happening and get alerts from their Nest Cams and Nest Hello doorbells. Until now, you've had to add a subscription for each additional camera. Today, Google announced that it's simplifying things a bit. Beginning early next year, it will introduce whole-home subscriptions.
The Apple TV app is available on Roku
Apple wants Apple TV+ in as many places as possible, even if that means moving beyond its own devices. Today, it announced that the Apple TV app is now available on Roku, and beginning November 1st, Roku users will be able to access Apple TV+ through the app.
