Oof, when did streaming movies, games, and music get so expensive?

Cable used to be the only game in town for wide entertainment. Sure, if you wanted to subscribe to a game like EverQuest or World of Warcraft, you could (and well, guess the rest of us were never seeing you again). But for variety, cable is what you had—and it wasn’t cheap. So when streaming services came along, they seemed like an answer to everyone’s budget prayers. These days there’s a digital subscription available for most interests, including gaming. And individually, they’re affordable. Or at least, they were. Xbox Game Pass just went up in cost. (Even if you use the conversion hack to get it cheaper.) So did PlayStation Plus. GeForce Now so far is exempt, but PC gamers haven’t been able to sit assured about much these days. Meanwhile, on the TV and movies side of things, Netflix is rumored to be raising prices yet again. Disney+ and Discovery+ have already announced hikes. And in an extremely annoying variation of shrinkflation, Amazon Prime Video and multiple services are adding adverts to their basic streaming plans (or have already done so). As for music, Spotify also got more expensive, sending notice to subscribers with little fanfare. Streaming was great when you were paying less than $25 per month for all the content you could want. But now subscribing to even three services ad-free runs almost $50 per month. Let’s say you want regular access to Game Pass, Netflix, and Disney Plus—that’s already $40 to start with, if you’re only a PC... Continue reading at 'PC World'

[ PC World | 2023-10-04 14:10:27 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Oof, when did streaming movies, games, and music get so expensive?"


Amazon Prime Day 2024: Everything we know about Amazon's sale in July

Amazon Prime Day 2024 is coming soon, and if history is any indication, it will bring a swath of discounts on everything from gadgets to clothes to household necessities. If you’re a Prime member, you’ll have access to all of the Amazon Prime Day deals, which is great in theory, but it will... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-06-06 19:28:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Easy Ways to Support Your Public Library Right Now

Which of these easy ways to support our libraries are you knocking off the list first? Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-06-05 11:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Arm CEO: Apple ‘woke up the industry on the art of the possible’

As Qualcomm-powered Windows on Arm PCs begin appearing here at Computex, ushering in a generation of AI-infused Copilot+ laptops, it seemed appropriate to interview a major player in the push. No, not Qualcomm. (We’ve already spoken to them.) Instead, I mean Arm, the semiconductor... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2024-06-03 18:35:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Amazon Prime Day 2024: Everything to know about the big sale in July

Amazon Prime Day 2024 is coming soon, now's the time to start thinking about the things you’ll want to look for once the deals arrive. Everything from gadgets to clothes to household necessities will be on sale during the shopping event, and if you’re a Prime member, you’ll have access to all of... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-06-02 14:27:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Why it’s so hard to lend a book to a friend, according to the internet.

I spent a few days in DC over the long weekend for a wedding. Walking around leafy and well-appointed Capital Hill, I overheard a conversation between two older folks, as their dogs warily sniffed each other, about how people were taking and selling books from the little free libraries around... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-05-30 18:46:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Morning After: Sony apologizes for fabricated ‘interview’ with Last of Us studio head

Last week, Sony published a seemingly innocuous round of interviews that centered the company’s nebulous “creative entertainment vision”. Neil Druckmann, head of the Sony-owned game studio Naughty Dog, was one of those — but his interview wasn’t quite what it seemed. Druckmann, who headed the... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-05-30 11:15:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Amazon Prime Day 2024: Everything you need to know about the upcoming sale in July

Amazon Prime Day 2024 is coming soon, so it’s a good time to start thinking about the things you’ll want to look for once the deal wave hits. Everything from gadgets to clothes to household necessities will be on sale during the event, and if you’re a Prime member, you’ll have access to all of... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-05-30 11:00:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Getting started with Microsoft 365: Everything you need to know

For many years, Microsoft sold its productivity software Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and so on in a bundle called Microsoft Office. In 2013, the company saw where the software industry was heading and began a transition to a subscription-based model. The suite of applications and a growing... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2024-05-30 10:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Arm’s new Cortex X925 takes on AI, and could land in PCs

Arm has confirmed that it will be offering its next-gen Arm compute platform, called Arm CSS for Client, at Android smartphones. Executives also mentioned that they could be used for PCs as well. The announcement follows an earlier report that indicated that Arm might expand its... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2024-05-29 22:44:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Internet Archive has been fending off DDoS attacks for days

If you couldn't access the Internet Archive and its Wayback Machine over the past few days, that's because the website has been under attack. In fact, the nonprofit organization has announced that it's currently in its "third day of warding off an intermittent DDoS cyber-attack" in a blog post.... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-05-29 03:59:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Real Story of Why Disney+ Changed Its Logo: A ‘Different Time of Night’

Disney's logo and branding are a tale as old as time--but even classic stories need a new chapter every now and again. In March, Disney+ unveiled its full Hulu integration for bundle subscribers, combining the Disney+ and Hulu libraries in one application. This came with... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2024-05-28 10:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Morning After: AI-generated emoji could soon come to the iPhone

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that AI-generated emojis may be one of the new features Apple shows off at WWDC next month. If the current emoji library weren’t overwhelming enough (let alone my increasingly growing sticker collection both on Messages and WhatsApp), Gurman writes that the... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-05-27 11:15:26 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Libraries rule, cops drool: Today’s the birthday of both NYC’s libraries and police.

Today is a double anniversary in New York City. On May 23, 1845, the New York Police Department was founded, and 50 years later on May 23, 1895, the New York Public Library was established. Today, over a century and a half later, these two city institutions are not getting equal slices of their... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-05-23 16:59:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Surface VP sitdown: How is AI going to change Microsoft’s PCs?

Microsoft Surface was the brand of devices Microsoft launched to lead the way into the PC market, showing its PC partners what could work in new categories of devices. Now it’s evolving into a new generation, led by AI and Copilot+ laptops. So what does this mean for Microsoft, Surface,... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2024-05-23 14:14:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Bill Protecting Libraries, Librarians Passes Illinois House, Heads for Senate

House Bill 4567 expands protections for libraries and library workers by making those threaten libraries with violence subject to the same enhanced penalties as individuals who threaten schools. The measure also creates a grant program to support improved library security. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Read a poem written by America’s best young poets.

Want to know what the best youth poets in America are thinking? Literary Hub is pleased to exclusively share a poem, collaboratively written by Scholastic’s 2023 National Student Poets, along with new data from the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™ that underscores the importance of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-05-21 14:00:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this


An Idaho Public Library Will Become Adults-Only July 1, 2024

Donnelly Public Library will be for adults only beginning July 1, as a result of a bill in the state that would allow parents to sue libraries with "inappropriate material." Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-05-20 15:07:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this


ChatGPT and the like will co-pilot coders to new heights of creativity | John Naughton

Far from making programmers an endangered species, AI will release them from the grunt work that stifles innovationWhen digital computers were invented, the first task was to instruct them to do what we wanted. The problem was that the machines didn’t understand English – they only knew ones and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-05-11 15:00:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How To Prepare for Pride Month in Libraries 2024: Book Censorship News, May 10, 2024

How to prepare for Pride month in the library, both as library workers and library lovers. That, plus this week's book censorship news roundup. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-05-10 11:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Week in Libraries: May 10, 2024

Among the headlines this week: John Oliver weighs in on book bans and libraries (and so do his viewers); more library drama in Alabama; and how to prepare for Pride month. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this