Fully Charged: Star Wars Battlefront open beta is live, and Netflix raises U.S. fees

Star Wars Battlefront beta is live

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Just a friendly reminder that, as promised, the Star Wars Battlefront open multiplayer beta test is now live on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. While some players have had access for a couple days now, it just opened up wide for everyone else yesterday. Grab the launcher from the Xbox Games Store or PlayStation Store, or from EA’s Origin portal on PC.

The beta includes the 40-player Walker Assault on Hoth battle that we’ve seen time and again in demo videos (like the one above), as well as the new Drop Zone mode and a Tatooine survival mission. The beta runs through 12 October on all platforms, so get in on it while you can!

Netflix raises U.S. fees

Netflix might be hugely, hugely successful, but as the streaming service continues funneling money into original productions and acquiring popular films and shows, the company is slowly passing those expenses onto users. And customers in the U.S. just got word of an increase yesterday, following hints over the summer.

Starting immediately, new subscribers will pay an extra dollar a month for a new rate of US$10/per; however, existing users won’t see the increase until October 2016. That’s for the HD stream for up to two simultaneous devices, but there’s a standard-definition, single-stream option available for just US$8. Still seems like a steal for everything you get, but don’t be surprised if international rates rise before long, as well.

[Source: The Verge]

HBO Now hits Roku

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Speaking of streaming… got a current-gen Roku box or stick, or planning on grabbing the Roku 4? Good news: HBO Now, the standalone service for cord-cutters, is now available on the service. It’s still not available in the UK, sadly – but at least North American folks can benefit.

[Source: Roku]

Enhanced Harry Potter on iBooks

Planning to revisit the boy wizard’s (written) adventures? Good news: all seven of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books have been re-released to Apple’s iBooks in enhanced versions, now featuring annotations from the author and new, animated artwork within. They’re available within iBooks for both iOS and Mac.

[Source: Apple]