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Heads Up, Malaysian Gamers: Xbox Game Pass Price Increase Announced

Hold onto your controllers, Malaysian gamers! Microsoft has recently announced a price increase for the PC version of Xbox Game Pass in Malaysia. This news comes just a few months after the service launched locally in 2022, offering a “Netflix for games” experience at a competitive price point.

PC Game Pass Xbox

Previously, the monthly subscription fee for Xbox PC Game Pass stood at RM15. This budget-friendly price point was a major selling factor for Malaysian gamers, especially compared to individual game purchases. However, starting from July 10th, 2024, new subscribers will be charged a revised price of RM20 per month. Existing subscribers will see the price hike reflected in their subscriptions starting from September 12th, 2024. This increase seems to be affecting markets worldwide.

Unfortunately, Microsoft hasn’t provided any official reasons for the price increase specific to the Malaysian market. However, on a global scale, Xbox has been steadily adding high-profile titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 to its Game Pass library, potentially contributing to rising content acquisition costs.

Despite the price bump, Xbox Game Pass still offers a compelling value proposition for many gamers. With access to a vast library of downloadable titles, including day-one releases from Microsoft Studios, the service remains a cost-effective way to explore a wide variety of games. Additionally, Game Pass includes perks like online multiplayer access and discounts on in-game purchases for select titles.

While Xbox Game Pass remains a leader in the subscription service space, Malaysian gamers do have other options. Competitors like PlayStation Now offer similar libraries, although their availability in Malaysia might be limited. Additionally, some publishers like Electronic Arts have their own subscription services, granting access to specific game catalogs.

The price increase for Xbox Game Pass in Malaysia might sting a bit, but the service still offers good value for gamers who enjoy variety and the convenience of a large downloadable library. However, it’s worth considering your gaming preferences and comparing options before making a decision. Keep in mind, that existing subscribers have a two-month grace period before the new price kicks in. So, this might be a good time to re-evaluate your gaming needs and decide if Xbox Game Pass continues to be the right fit for your budget.

Apple Subscriptions Get a Price Hike

Apple users, get ready for a minor change in your monthly fees. As a result of Apple’s recent price review, the company has raised the prices of Apple TV Plus, Apple Arcade, Apple News Plus, and the Apple One packages. This change is in keeping with the industry-wide pattern of rising subscription costs.

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Photo by PhotoMIX Company on Pexels.com

For international Apple users, prices are increased between USD$2 and USD$3. Moving forward, the prices will be:

SubscriptionOriginal Price (USD)New Price (USD)Increase (USD)
Apple TV+USD$6.99USD$9.99USD$3.00
Apple ArcadeUSD$4.99USD$6.99USD$2.00
Apple News+USD$9.99USD$12.99USD$3.00

This price hike also affects the Apple One packages, which bundles several of Apple’s services. Apple One has three tiers which all have been subjected to price raises as well.

SubscriptionBundled ServicesOriginal Price (USD)New Price (USD)Increase (USD)
IndividualiCloud+ (50GB)
Apple TV+
Apple Music
Apple Arcade
USD$16.95USD$19.95USD$3.00
Family
(5-users)
iCloud+ (200GB)
Apple TV+
Apple Music
Apple Arcade
USD$22.95USD$25.95USD$3.00
PremiumiCloud+ (2TB)
Apple TV+
Apple Music
Apple Arcade
Apple Fitness+
Apple News+
USD$32.95USD$37.95USD$5.00

However, even with all the current price hikes, it is of note that other Apple services like Apple Music, Fitness+, and iCloud+ memberships are unchanged as of now.

The recent price hikes also affect Malaysian Apple users particularly those who use the Apple One subscriptions.  Apple One members in Malaysia will see a small rise in the monthly fee for the service.

SubscriptionBundled ServicesOriginal Price (MYR)New Price (MYR)Increase (MYR)
IndividualiCloud+ (50GB)
Apple TV+
Apple Music
Apple Arcade
MYR29.90MYR34.90MYR5.00
Family
(5-users)
iCloud+ (200GB)
Apple TV+
Apple Music
Apple Arcade
MYR39.90MYR44.90MYR5.00
PremiumiCloud+ (2TB)
Apple TV+
Apple Music
Apple Arcade
Apple Fitness+
Apple News+
MYR78.90MYR84.90MYR6.00

Other well-known subscriptions like Netflix have also seen a price hike which is becoming a recent trend among other subscriptions too.  These price hikes are unfortunately necessary to cover the ever-increasing price of delivering excellent content and services to users.

[Update] OnlyFans is Going SFW! Yes, Really It Is!

Update: OnlyFans has reversed their decision on banning sexually explicit content. The originally cited pressure from banks has apparently be worked out. OnlyFans has only said that they have secured financial assurances to support their content creators and as much creative freedom as before.

We haven’t spoke about OnlyFans much. That is because, as novel as the platform’s visions are, it inevitably became exploited to a little more than that. The platform quickly gained popularity as a sort of “Patreon for Porn” since its boom in 2020. It became popular for all sorts of wrong reasons.

You might think that OnlyFans is mostly about paying for explicit contents, and you can be forgiven for that. Since the platform came under limelight, its most popular contents are mostly what can only be described as porn in all kinds of form. At the very least, you can pay your way to getting photos of naked people on the platform.

The thing is, if you try to download OnlyFans for Android (OFTV) on the Google Play Store, you will find an app that is strictly SFW (safe for work). You cannot be accessing contents with naked people from the Android app at all. You can thank Google’s Play Store policies for that, Google does not want porn in their app store ecosystem.

As we have stated before, the idea behind the content subscription service is a novel one. On the OFTV app, the platform pushes differing content creators that reflects the novel idea of OnlyFans. It pushes content creators that dabbles in soft skills like cooking, crafting, and even photography for its users. That was the main idea of OnlyFans though.

Of course, OnlyFans garnered plenty of attention since it allows content creators the freedom to bring any form of contents into the platform, including sexually explicit ones. To be fair, the porn industry, in today’s day and age, is one of the most lucrative in the world. At the same time, the nature of the pandemic since 2020 has pushed the industry way forward with digital availability and demand skyrocketing.

It did not just gather the attention of users though. The platform got plenty of attention from authorities and drew plenty of criticism from everywhere. Investigators started scouring the platform for illicit contents. Critics say that the platform gives its creators too much freedom in infringing the platform’s own content guidelines.

Today is a big step for OnlyFans though since they have announced that they are no longer allowing sexually explicit contents on the platform from the 1st of October 2021 onward. The move as reportedly due to the rising pressures from OnlyFans’ bankers and investors in its recent bid to secure funding to hit US$ 1 billion in valuation. This is not the end of nudity on the platform though as OnlyFans has stated that it would allow its content to post nude contents if it complies with their content guidelines.

Of course, not all of the platform’s users would be happy with the announcement. Plenty of content creators who have kept themselves sustainable on the platform will be majorly affected by the changes that is to come October 2021 onward. On the bright side, OnlyFans could keep its lofty ideas of creating a reliable platform for its content creators to live off their contents without relying on brand sponsors or ads.

Source: Bloomberg