Free-to-Play Star Trek Online launching January 17

By Jeff Hughes November 11, 2011

Mark your calendars Trekkies, Star Trek Online has gotten an official date for its free-to-play conversion. Cryptic Studios announced the F2P model will be launching on January 17, 2012. Become a captain and travel to all the iconic locations you love from the Star Trek franchise like the Academy or the First City of Qo’noS; all without spending a dime.

Players will be split into Silver and Gold members; Silver being those who opt for the free experience, and Gold being those who subscribe or continue a subscription. Silver players will be able to experience the majority of the STO universe for free: All sectors and missions, PVP access, weekly episodes, classes, joining guilds, playable species and Klingon play.

Of course, free will have its limitations. Silver players will have to put up with advertisements in their in-game Vivox voice chat. Also, perks such as extra character slots, inventory and Captain Retrain Tokens will need to be purchased.

Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming

Gold players will be given these perks with their subscription, and will automatically start with certain features which Silver will need to unlock such as standard ships. Gold will have unlimited access to forums and in-game chat, along with no advertisements.

Certain features will only be available in Gold such as priority login, as well as a stipend that bestows 400 free Cryptic Points to subscribers each month as a thank you for their loyalty (a $5 value). The Gold member stipend benefit will begin December 1.

Star Trek Online is the latest in the trend of MMOs going free-to-play, following DC Universe and Cryptic’s other game Champions Online. Perfect World, a Chinese firm that recently purchased Cryptic Studies, believes that the new model will have bigger potential in both the U.S. and China markets.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

I'm a SF Bay Area-based writer/ninja that loves anything geek, tech, comic, social media or gaming-related.

Gaming

Ubisoft confirms Assassin’s Creed remakes are in the works

Basim perched on a ledge overlooking Baghdad

In a company interview with CEO Yves Guillemot posted on the Ubisoft website Thursday, the executive reveals that there are remakes of Assassin's Creed games in the works, although he doesn't specify which ones.

"Players can be excited about some remakes, which will allow us to revisit some of the games we've created in the past and modernize them," he says, implying that it could pertain to games made before Odyssey. "There are worlds in some of our older Assassin's Creed games that are still extremely rich."

Gaming

Surfaced patent shows what an Xbox streaming console would’ve looked like

An Xbox Series X sits next to both Series S models.

There have been a few Xbox devices that have never come to fruition, one of which was Keystone, a prototype for an affordable game streaming device you could hook up to your TV or monitor. Thanks to a surfaced patent, we've gotten an even closer look at what it would've potentially looked like.

The patent, first spotted by Windows Central, gives us a more complete view of the device. We've previously seen the Keystone in the flesh. Microsoft Gaming head Phil Spencer is known for hiding teases and interesting collectibles on the shelf in his office. In a 2022 X (formerly Twitter) post congratulating Bethesda on Fallout's 25th anniversary, you can see a small white device on the top shelf that's actually a Keystone prototype. Xbox told Digital Trends that it was a version of the device made before it decided to "refocus our efforts on a new approach.”

Gaming

Wordle Today: Wordle answer and hints for June 28

Someone playing Wordle on a smartphone.

We have the solution to Wordle on June 28, as well as some helpful hints to help you figure out the answer yourself, right here. We've placed the answer at the bottom of the page, so we don't ruin the surprise before you've had a chance to work through the clues. So let's dive in, starting with a reminder of yesterday's answer.
Yesterday's Wordle answer
Let's start by first reminding ourselves of yesterday's Wordle answer for those new to the game or who don't play it daily, which was "ORDER." So we can say that the Wordle answer today definitely isn't that. Now, with that in mind, perhaps take another stab at it using one of these Wordle starting words and circle back if you have no luck.
Hints for today's Wordle
Still can't figure it out? We have today's Wordle answer right here, below. But first, one more thing: Let's take a look at three hints that could help you find the solution, without giving it away, so there's no need to feel guilty about keeping your streak alive -- you put in some work, after all! Or just keep scrolling for the answer.

Today’s Wordle includes the letter D.
Today’s Wordle uses two vowels.
Today's Wordle can refer to a large number of animals, particularly livestock like cattle or sheep, that are moving together in a group.