If you’re a Netflix or Disney+ subscriber, there are a couple of new things for you to consider. For the gamers among you Netflixers, you’re getting a new app that will turn your phone into a game controller.
The company is clearly into app development, having made apps an integral part of each of its updated plan tiers just last month.
Such an app would qualify as a game changer if Netflix could pull this off and make it completely cloud-based. It would give the company a joystick up on home-anchored consoles like the Xbox or Playstation and force all of its peers to play catch-up.
But the cat may have been let out of the bag a little too soon. TechCrunch reports that while “Netflix Game Controller” has made an appearance in the Apple App Store (but not Google Play), there are no dots to connect on which of Netflix’s games will be coming out or when, leaving “Coming soon to Netflix” as the only indicator.
Another conundrum is how it works. Supposedly, the app is pretty straightforward and allows gamers to play Netflix's games using their phone as a controller after pairing it with their TV. However…
“I tried the app on our iPhone 14 Pro Max review unit. It works, but it doesn’t do anything beyond asking that you choose a game on your TV,” wrote a frustrated Florence Ion at Gizmodo.
“There’s no other information beyond that, and there doesn’t seem to be a compatible game out right now. It’s also unclear how the phone connects to your TV—will it connect via wifi, or will it rely on a compatible set-top box with Bluetooth accessory connectivity?”
Both Gizmodo and TechCrunch asked Netflix to share additional details about its plans or timeline, but heard nothing back.
Disney takes a hit, raises prices
The third quarter of 2023 gave Disney+ quite a slap. The Walt Disney Co. reports that the streaming service ended the quarter down 5.4 million subs worldwide with 300k of those in North America.
The company is okay with that, apparently. It said the rate hike and a decrease in marketing costs that it had made earlier actually led to a revenue improvement. So, 300,000 fewer customers? Not a deal breaker. Yet.
But, a boardroom full of giddy beancounters has decided that the company could make more. And make consumers pay more.
The company announced that starting October 12, it will increase the cost of its beloved ad-free Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ bundle from $19.99 to $24.99 a month.
Subscribers of its ad-supported bundle can expect their price to increase, too – $2 to $14.99. Disney+ and Hulu will offer a ad-free “Duo Premium” option starting Sept. 6. There will be no change to the $9.99 price of the “Duo Basic” package with ads.
The standalone Disney+ and Hulu without ads bundle is also going up – to $13.99 and $17.99. However, the ad-supported option is staying put at $7.99 a month.