VIDEO GAMES: More Vita news from CES!

Well there's more good news for Vita purchasers today and that is that the system will come equipped with fully functional Netflix on day one. Now personally I don't think this is good news as much as it's a no brainer. I mean the 3DS came with Netflix and it's hard to find a device in the world these days that doesn't have the feature so I can't say I'm surprised. The bigger news would have been if they announced that it wouldn't have Netflix. Anyways, just one more reason to think about purchasing a Vita if you're on the fence. Although by the time you purchase the system, memory card, games and perhaps a data plan you're likely to be over $500 in the hole...yikes.

TELEVISION: Another step in the right direction.

It's no secret that the last few months have been hell for Netflix. First they changed their prices by like $3 which apparently pissed everyone off (guess what, it's still an absolutely incredible deal), then a few months later they announced this new Qwikster feature but weeks later quickly withdrew the idea after heavy backlash. Stock has absolutely plummeted and suddenly the future of Netflix suddenly doesn't look so certain. However today they announced something that will keep me a subscriber until at least 2013. The Bluths are coming to Netflix. Yup, the new season of Arrested Development that was confirmed a few weeks ago will be aired on Netflix in 2013! If any of you are Arrested Development fans then I'm sure you're as excited for the show as I am. But this also leads into many other questions for Netflix. How much more original programming will they get? Will they have "exclusive rights" for Arrested Development? If so, for how long? It's all up in the air for now but at least they're being proactive at keeping their subscribers happy. Now get season 4 of Breaking Bad on there!!!

ENTERTAINMENT: Netflix needs to get it together.

So a couple of weeks ago, in the wake of customer backlash due to increased prices, Netflix announced via their blog that they would no longer increase prices of their services. Oh and also that their whole DVD delivery service would be renamed Qwikster and would include video games. Well people weren't too happy with that, although I'm not sure why, and now Netflix is backpedaling once more. Today, on the same Netflix blog, CEO Reed Hastings has announced that they will not actually pursue Qwikster and Netflix will stay as it is. Now I think the biggest deal about this is that Netflix seems weak. Every time they announce a change, if people get pissed they simply undo that change. They need to be doing preliminary research to anticipate how people will react to things before they actually do them. Netflix is in a precarious state right now and I think people are a little uneasy about its future. They need to be careful over the next couple of months.

VIDEO GAMES: Netflix joins the game game.

According to the Netflix blog a couple of changes are on the horizon for the company. The first is to rename their DVD delivery system "Qwikster." Why? Why not. Keep in mind this only applies to the DVD delivery service, the direct downloading service will still be Netflix. Another big announcement is that Netflix is going to soon offer a video game upgrade to memberships! For those who enjoy the DVD delivery service from Netflix this may be an appealing addition to the service. It also looks like Netflix isn't content with putting Blockbuster and Hollywood Video out of business, they have set their sites on Game Fly. I'm not sure what the price point will be for the game delivery service but I'm sure it will be competitive with Game Fly's. The only question remaining is who will have the best titles available and whether or not one will jump into the direct downloading game. Time will tell.

Check out the full post on the Netflix Blog HERE!

This is the first image on Google images when I entered "Qwikster"

FUNNY: Learn how you can help those suffering from the Netflix price increase.

In an awesomely awesome video Jason Alexander tells us how we can help the less fortunate. Particularly those who are now coping with the higher prices being enforced by Netflix.

Here's the video via Funny or Die:

Netflix Relief Fund with Jason Alexander from Jason Alexander