First off, there has been no price announcement for the Premium membership of Call of Duty Elite. Details regarding the Premium services are still mum - as many are integrated within Modern Warfare 3 and will not be talked about until the game is closer to release. Small reveals will be made here and there as the November debut edges closer and closer.
Elite will be accessible through the web, iPhone, iPad, Android OS, and most smartphones. So when you’re out and about (and wanting to impress a lady at a bar with your K/D ratio), you’ll be able to pull out your phone and showcase your stats.
The beta sign up is happening now at the official Call of Duty Elite website for those interested in getting in on the ground floor - and seeing what the service has to offer. Black Ops players will be able to use some of the features that will be present in the final Elite product - but not all features will be present because, again, many are heavily tied into Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer.
That said, concerned fans can take comfort that gamers will NOT have to pay an additional monthly fee to play Call of Duty multiplayer - an Xbox LIVE or PSN account will suffice. Players will also be able to buy map packs standalone - without having a subscription to the Premium service. However, if players have a Premium service subscription, they will have access to ALL Call of Duty DLC that gets released.
In general, if you don’t want to be a part of the Premium Elite service, you won’t have to but, even players who aren’t interested in ponying up some extra dough will have access to certain Call of Duty Elite features - listed below:
In addition to those free features, non-subscribers will enjoy other on-going benefits - i.e. Elite also hinders cheaters to a larger degree.
Communicate any way you want across mobile, console and the web with your friends.
Track and share thousands of stats with friends — k/d ratios, score-per-minute, win % and loads more, all represented in easy to understand charts and infographics.
Create your own custom leaderboards to track friendly rivalries — who is moving up and down in your group of friends?
Analyze advanced heat maps detailing your match-by-match performance — where you killed or got killed, when it happened, and more.
Analyze your weapons performance — which weapons you are best with in which situations.
Upload and share videos of your greatest moments through our exclusive theater mode with the touch of a button.
After you analyze your performance to your heart’s content - Customize your loadout — search through all the weapons, attachments and perks, and push them directly into the game menu from the web or your mobile device with the touch of a button.
Join dozens of groups and find other players with common interests to play with and compete against — find people who make the game the most fun for you — TDM, Lakers’ fans, Weekend Warriors?
Create a private Clan with players who share your interests and skill level.
Bring your Facebook friends right into the game, easily taking your existing network into the Call of Duty experience.
Seamlessly be placed into matches into Groups who share your affinities and interests based on your Facebook profile to elevate your in-game experience.
Career? Start tracking your Call of Duty career — everything you wanted to know about your performance across the franchise starting with Black Ops.
There’s little doubt that fans will appreciate the extensive stat tracking, especially if it’s to shove it in your friends’ faces. Elite could almost be likened to a social network for Call of Duty fans - perhaps it could even be compared to a console version of the popular PC social network of Raptr? Though, time will tell how the service plays-out and evolves to meet the needs of consumers.
Judging how popular Bungie.NET was for Halo players, it stands to reason that Call of Duty Elite might be just as satisfying and popular.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Call of Duty Elite will be releasing November 8, 2011 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.
