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We have already seen a wild amount of price hikes so far for streaming services in 2025. Gamers now share the frustration as Xbox announces changes to its Game Pass plans, including a whopping 50% price increase for the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier (yikes!)

Beginning this month, the cost of the Xbox Game Plan Ultimate will rise from $19.99 a month to $29.99 a month, meaning an extra $120 per year. The increase comes just over a year since the last one, when the Ultimate plan jumped from $16.99 to $19.99 in July 2024. Accompanying the price hike are several new in-game features for each tier.

Updates To Tier Plans

Xbox is rolling out three upgraded Game Pass plans: Essential (replacing Core), Premium (replacing Standard), and Ultimate. Each tier is complete with expanded game libraries, unlimited cloud gaming, in-game benefits, and revamped rewards.

Game Pass Core subscribers will automatically move to Essential, Standard subscribers to Premium, and Ultimate subscribers will remain in their current Ultimate plan. While Ultimate faced a 50% price increase, Essential and Premium will remain at $14.99 a month and $9.99 a month, respectively. The PC Game Pass increased by more than a third, bumping up to $16.49 a month.

As another added benefit, Fortnite Crew and Ubisoft+ Classics will now be included as part of the Ultimate plan for the first time ever.

If you’re looking for ways to sneak around the price hike, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.

Your best option is to stack your Game Pass membership to its max (36 months) before the change is enforced at retailers like Amazon. Currently, Amazon still has one-month codes available for $19.99 (the previous cost). They also offer three-month codes at the same rate ($59.99). The max you can fill your account with is 12, translating to $719.88 (or $239.96 a year).

With a little simple math, three years of Game Pass Ultimate at the new $29.99 rate would total $1,079.94. That’s $359.76 more than the Amazon price.

Obviously, we’re not suggesting that you drop over $700 at once for a subscription. That’s a lot of money. But if you were planning to do it anyway, stocking up now would save you a few hundred bucks in the grand scheme of things. Other retailers that have yet to match Microsoft’s price hike include GameStop, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart.

Price Breakdown Of Xbox Game Pass Tiers, As of October 2025

• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – $29.99 a month (up from $19.99 a month)
• Xbox Game Pass Premium – $14.99 a month (same as the old Standard subscription)
• Xbox Game Pass Essential – $9.99 a month (same as the old Core subscription)
• PC Game Pass – $16.49 a month (up from $11.99 a month)

The price jump goes into effect on October 1 for new subscribers and on November 4 for existing subscribers.

The post XBOX Sets 50 Percent Price Hike for Game Pass Ultimate appeared first on Nerdist.

The past few weeks have erupted in a whirlwind of protest over free speech in the media after two late-night programs were unexpectedly pulled. Late-night TV hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert appeared as guests on each other’s shows Tuesday night to exchange woes over the cancellation of their shows—temporarily for Kimmel and indefinitely for Colbert.

Jimmy Kimmel Joins The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Kimmel first joined Colbert on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS. The host was welcomed by thundering applause as he sat for his first interview since ABC temporarily suspended his show last month. “I am so honored to be here with my fellow no-talent, late-night loser,” the late-night comedian joked, referencing insults President Donald Trump has thrown at the two.

Network executives cut the show after hearing Kimmel’s opening monologue from Monday, Sept. 15. The monologue referenced the recent shooting of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk: “We hit some new lows over the weekend, with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

The Walt Disney Company deemed the comment as “ill-timed” and “insensitive,” suspending the show indefinitely. Recounting the ordeal as an “emotional rollercoaster,” Kimmel explained he was preparing for his next show when he got the call.

“They say, listen, we want to take the temperature down. We’re concerned about what you’re going to say tonight, and we decided that the best route is to take the show off the air,” Kimmel told Colbert. “I thought, that’s it. It’s over, it’s over. I was like, I’m never coming back on the air.”

The decision sparked national outrage over the stifling of free speech and attacks made by the Trump administration. Thousands upon thousands threatened to cancel their Disney+ subscriptions, costing the company billions of dollars. ABC and its affiliates reversed the decision last week, and Kimmel returned to air this past Tuesday.

Late Night with Stephen Colbert Cancelled For Good

Kimmel welcomed his late-night colleague to Jimmy Kimmel Live! next. Met with roaring cheers from the crowd, Colbert sat down to discuss the permanent cancellation of his show. The long-time host said his manager informed him about the decision after he returned from vacation. He broke the news to the audience after his show that day.

“I was so nervous about doing it right, cause there was nothing in the (tele)prompter, I was just speaking off the cuff,” Colbert told Kimmel. “They started going, ‘You can, come on Stephen, you can do it,’ because I always messed up on the sentence that told them what was happening. And then I got to the sentence that actually told them what’s happening, and they didn’t laugh.”

CBS announced the decision back in July, saying the show would end for good in May 2026. The network claimed the show was cut for purely financial reasons, though fans are skeptical. Coincidentally, the plug was pulled just days after Colbert criticized CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, for settling a 16 million dollar lawsuit with President Trump. Unlike Kimmel, Colbert’s show will end indefinitely.

During both shows on Tuesday night, Kimmel and Colbert talked about their friendship. The late-night crossover also featured guest appearances by late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, John Oliver, and Seth Meyers. The duo left us with a toast to “good friends, great jobs, and late-night TV.”

The post Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert Swap Woes on One Another’s Shows appeared first on Nerdist.

When the power goes out, it’s not just the lights that go off—it’s your fridge, freezer, and the safety of your perishable items that come into question. Whether you’re dealing with a power outage from a summer thunderstorm, winter ice event, or grid failure, knowing how long food and medicine stay safe can help you avoid illness, reduce waste, and protect your household.

In this guide, Shipley Energy breaks down Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture studies about how long refrigerators and freezers can keep items cold, how quickly meat starts to thaw, when insulin becomes unsafe, and then we’ll help you know what you can do to stay prepared.

How Long Can a Refrigerator Stay Cold Without Power?

Your refrigerator can keep food cold for up to 4 hours—as long as you keep the door closed. Once the interior temperature rises above 40°F, bacteria can grow quickly, making many items unsafe to eat.

Surveys show that the typical American household keeps between $250 and $500 worth of food in their refrigerator and freezer at any given time. Refrigerated medication can easily cost hundreds or thousands of dollars to replace if it expires before power is restored.

Tips to extend cooling time:

• Keep the fridge door closed as much as possible.
• Place ice packs or frozen water bottles in the fridge during an outage.
• Use an appliance thermometer to monitor temperature.

Key takeaway: If power is out for more than four hours and the temperature rises above 40°F, most perishable foods should be thrown away.

Perishable Foods: What Spoils First?

Foods that spoil quickly at room temperature include:

• Dairy (milk, yogurt, soft cheeses): Spoils in 2–4 hours above 40°F
• Seafood and poultry: Especially high-risk for bacterial growth
• Leftovers and prepared meals: Unsafe after 2 hours above 40°F
• Fruits and vegetables: Most are safe longer, but leafy greens wilt quickly

Warning signs: sour smells, color changes, slimy texture—but remember, you can’t always see or smell spoilage. When in doubt, throw it out.

How to Tell If Food Is Still Safe

To determine if food is safe during or after an outage:

• Use appliance thermometers in your fridge and freezer.
• Check that the fridge stayed below 40°F and the freezer stayed below 0°F.
• Look for signs of refreezing, like ice crystals or firmness.
• Avoid tasting food to check for spoilage—bacteria can be present without noticeable changes.

Freezer Safety: When Does Meat Start to Thaw?

A freezer’s insulation gives you a bigger window of time. Here’s how long food will typically stay frozen:

• Full freezer: up to 48 hours unopened
• Half-full freezer: around 24 hours

Meat will begin to thaw once temperatures climb above 32°F and should be cooked or discarded if it rises above 40°F for more than 2 hours.

Pro Tip: Group frozen items together to help them stay colder longer.

How Quickly Does Insulin Go Bad Without Refrigeration?

Insulin is temperature-sensitive, and its effectiveness can degrade if not stored properly. According to the FDA most insulin types in their original packaging are safe for 28 days at room temperature, but this varies by brand and formulation.

Important considerations:

• Do not freeze insulin—this can destroy its effectiveness.
• Store in a cooler with an ice pack during outages.
• Check the manufacturer’s guidelines for specific temperature tolerances.

If you rely on insulin or other temperature-sensitive medications, it’s smart to invest in a backup power source or a portable medical cooler.

Preventing Spoilage: Prep Tips Before a Storm

You can’t always predict when a power outage will hit, but a little preparation goes a long way:

• Freeze containers of water to create makeshift ice packs.
• Group frozen food together to retain cold longer.
• Keep a cooler handy for medications or essential items.
• Make a fridge inventory so you’re not opening doors to check.
• Have a backup plan—including where to go or how to store food and insulin safely.

Why a Generator Is a Game-Changer for Food and Medicine Safety

A standby or portable generator can keep your fridge, freezer, and medical devices running through the worst outages. That means:

• No tossing hundreds of dollars in spoiled food
• No risking medication effectiveness
• No stress during storms or extreme weather events

If outages are common in your area, investing in a generator can protect your family’s health and reduce costly waste.

Final Thoughts: Stay Safe, Stay Prepared

Knowing how long food and medications remain safe during a power outage is essential for protecting your health. Remember:

• Refrigerators stay cold up to 4 hours
• Freezers can last 24–48 hours
• Insulin typically lasts 28 days at room temp (but not during high heat)
• Most perishables are unsafe above 40°F for more than 2 hours

This story was produced by Shipley Energy and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.

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In recent months, Elon Musk has confused many regarding his political affiliations by switching from a Trump supporter to a hater to a supporter again.

But one thing that has remained constant through that journey is his ability to spew hatred by targeting vulnerable individuals and groups whose ideals he does not align with. On October 4, 2025, the businessman took to X (formerly Twitter) to write a somewhat philosophical post using big words like “corrupted” and “propaganda”, often linked to the party he vehemently supports, with some restrictions. He wrote: