Reed Hastings, Co-Founder and CEO of Netflix recently unveiled some pretty big changes coming to the massively popular video streaming service. In addition to apologizing for the new pricing scheme that upset many of their customers, Hastings unveiled a new mail-based service called Qwikster that will take the place Netflix’s DVD mail service and include video games.
Since streaming has become so popular for the company, Netflix proper will become a streaming-only service, while Qwikster will serve as the company’s new mail-based option. Video games will be integrated much like Blu-ray movies; for a premium price, rentals for games on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii will all be available.
For a full explanation and apology for the price hike, check out the video below:
[youtube width=”560″ height=”349″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8Tn8n5CIPk&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
While the name is pretty lousy and the fragmentation is bound to confuse a number of customers, having video games included in the service is a huge win for gamers. Up until now, GameFly has pretty much dominated this market, so it’ll be nice to see a bit more competition in the area.
[Source]
