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How tech is changing the world of sports memorabilia
The story of Super Bowl 51 should have been all about one of the most remarkable comebacks in football history. Despite trailing by 16 points with about eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the New England Patriots rallied to take the game to overtime and then basically stole the championship from the Atlanta Falcons. Most of this feat was thanks to none other than Tom Brady, the superstar quarterback who now has five Super Bowl rings to his name. What Brady didn't have after that game, however, was the jersey he wore that day, which was later reported stolen -- a crime that turned the football world upside down.
Rare US N64 disk-drive retail prototype found in Seattle
If you subscribed to Nintendo Power in the 90's, you probably remember reading about the Nintendo 64DD, a console disk-drive add-on design to bring higher storage capacity, a real-time clock and internet connectivity to the Nintendo 64. You may also remember that it flopped in Japan, badly. The N64DD never made it to the US market -- but it may have come closer to hitting store shelves than we previously thought. A collector in Seattle has stumbled upon a working US Nintendo 64DD prototype.
Who in their right mind would pay $9,000 for an iPod autographed by Steve Jobs?
How much is an old, dirty, used 30GB iPod worth? What about an old, dirty, used 30GB iPod with a somewhat questionable Steve Jobs signature on the back? According to eBay, it's worth about US$9,000. Well, at least that's how much the seller is asking for what appears to be a fifth-generation iPod with a bit of purple Sharpie marker on the back. The seller -- who has a 100 percent feedback rating over 2,836 transactions -- offers no proof that the signature is the real deal, other than writing "AUTHENTIC" in all-caps in the item description. The auction is open for offers as well, though the five prices that have been proposed thus far have been shot down. If you're looking for a gift for the Apple fan who has everything, this might do the trick, though figuring out whether the Apple co-founder ever actually touched the device is probably more trouble than it's worth.
Shadow Era physical cards now being shipped to retail stores
Shadow Era is an iOS app that came out a long time ago -- it successfully combines a collectible card game (fairly similar to the World of Warcraft card game, if you've ever played that one) with a freemium business model, a plan that has worked out very well for developer Kyle Pool. So well, in fact, that he announced a little while ago that Shadow Era would be getting physical cards to go along with the iOS title, and indeed, the company has announced that Call of the Crystals, the first physical version of the original iOS title, is now headed to a game retail store near you. You can see unboxing videos floating around already -- this is a full, high quality collectible card game that originally began only on Apple's iOS platform. That's great. Apple usually brags about how much software it has seen released on its iOS, but when you look at things like all of those Angry Birds collectibles and then a game like this, that has gone from an indie developer's idea to a full franchise, it's really fascinating to see just how popular and powerful this App Store has become.
Datamining hints at Mists of Pandaria Collector's edition mount
A new round of datamining has uncovered an interesting string and spell in the new code pushed with recent updates to the beta -- specifically, a reference to a placeholder for a Mists of Pandaria collector's edition mount. Here's the string/spell change, courtesy of MMO-Champion: [PH] MoP CE Mount - [PH] Summons and dismisses a ???. This mount changes depending on your Riding skill and location. Traditionally, collector's editions of World of Warcraft expansions included a pet, usually a whelp that resembles a key figure or theme of the expansion. The original collector's edition of WoW included three pets, the Zergling, the panda cub, and the mini Diablo. No collector's edition has ever shipped with a mount before. Here's the kicker: There is also a string and spell in the new build for a collector's edition pet as well, which means more stuff packed in to this next release's premium package. Does upping the ante on cool in-game stuff, from pets to mounts, put the collector's edition of Mists of Pandaria closer to your shelf? As a consummate purchaser of Blizzard collector's editions, I will be shelling out the cash notwithstanding. However, it would be nice to see a bevy of new rewards in the collector's editions other than just the whelps. They will, however, be excellent editions to my Pet Battle Army. What do you think the collector's edition mount could be? It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
Apple eMate 300 prototype pops up on eBay, buy it now for $8,500
At this point we kind of just expect vintage Apple machines to surface on eBay: just last month we came across a WALT prototype, followed by a Macintosh 128k a few days ago. Now, the fresh face at eBay's auction party is Apple's eMate 300, which is said to be in "good working order" and showing no signs of wear. There's no bidding war going on at the moment, but there is a "Buy it now" option that's got the laptop priced at a whopping $8,500. Of course, you're likely to get your money's worth, with a 25MHz ARM 710a RISC processor, a 480 x 320 display and an almighty stylus pen -- all while being powered by Cupertino's Newton OS. Think this is worth adding to your fancy collector's shelf? We'll let you chew on that while you pore over the sell-off page.
Can I resell Blizzard promotional ampm cups?
Pop law abounds in The Lawbringer, your weekly dose of WoW, the law, video games and the MMO genre. Mathew McCurley takes you through the world running parallel to the games we love and enjoy, full of rules, regulations, and esoteroic topics that slip through the cracks. Regional advertising campaigns are both the scourge of the collector's market and a financial boon to the lucky residents of said region targeted. The most recent ad campaign for World of Warcraft features four collector's cups from ampm stores as well as the ampm sweepstakes, promising some pretty cool prizes for those lucky few. Here's the thought that's the most fun to think about: Which of these is more ad-worthy -- someone seeing a World of Warcraft cup and being convinced to play, or the mass scramble to create a nationwide cup network for collectors and WoW fans, fueling more ad presence? It's a fun game, advertising. At some point in our lives, we were convinced that fandom and collectors could be the same consumer as the guy who bought stuff because the cup looked cool. At some point, we became complacent with advertisement as collectable, and that's fine. In fact, if anyone wants to send me a Kil'jaeden cup, let's talk.
15 Minutes of Fame: Come one, come all to the astounding Traveling Museum of Debris
From Hollywood celebrities to the guy next door, millions of people have made World of Warcraft a part of their lives. How do you play WoW? We're giving each approach its own 15 Minutes of Fame. Back in October, we profiled triple-threat collector Drrum's coordinated armor, pet, and mount collections, meticulously assembled and screenshot in complementary in-game settings. Last week, we chatted with collector Moonjade of Twisting Nether (US-A), who focuses on items somehow linked to game lore. This week, we complete our trifecta of collectors with an interview with a player who's assembled an actual in-game museum -- yup, curator-led tours and all -- of unusual gray items and assorted oddities. Now, we get crazy emails all the time here at WoW Insider about all sorts of weird things that've been found in game ... but man, I've never even heard of some of this stuff! Pestle, who's also GM of Infinite Asylum on The Scryers (US-A), manages the massive, multi-bank collection via Riplington E. Winchester III, the museum's intrepid gnomish curator character. The list of random items that she sent me is so long that there's literally no reader-friendly way to display it here (let alone the fact that it would take days to slap Wowhead links on all of it); we'll stream it for you in paragraph form just after the jump. For a visual idea of the scope of this massive collection, click through the gallery below before joining us to chat with its curator after the break. %Gallery-129232%
WoW Armory now displaying mounts and pets
The World of Warcraft Armory/community site has been updated with a useful new feature showing players the mounts and companion pets they have collected so far. You'll be able to see where each pet or mount comes from or who drops them, a picture of each, and even a listing of not-yet-collected pets and mounts, making it easier to be an achievement hunter or collector. The armory has changed drastically from its original interpretation and implementation, adding features over time that give players a more cohesive out-of-game experience. What is most interesting are the potential tie-ins later on with the previously announced WoW APIs coming down the pipe in the near future; we are still unsure of the amount of data that developers will be able to access from the WoW armory. I would not be surprised to see collected pet and mount data also being part of that package. We've got a pretty full-featured armory at this point. What other types of data do you think the armory could or should provide? Perhaps next we'll see a tabard and title tab, showing players' collected tabards and a scroll list of titles earned. The sky is the limit, apparently.
Trion details RIFT collector's edition
Start salivating, RIFT fans, as Trion has taken the wraps off its collector's edition plans for the upcoming fantasy MMORPG. The limited packaging will feature the requisite in-game items including a level 20 turtle mount, a satchel that boosts inventory space, and a Bogling Wastrel pet. If you opt to purchase the retail box version of the collector's edition, you'll get the aforementioned items plus the Telara Chronicles graphic novel hardcover, a RIFT-emblazoned gaming mouse, the official game soundtrack, and an 8GB USB drive featuring the RIFT logo. Pre-order customers will be able to select one of three unique pets, and depending on their pre-order retailer of choice, they'll also receive exclusive weapon enhancements. Full details are available via the official RIFT website.
Cataclysm Collector's Editions available at Amazon with release date delivery
For those of you not able to snag a collector's edition of Cataclysm or who've put off the purchase, Amazon now has collector's editions in stock. In addition, the explicit option for release day delivery exists, if you pre-order now with the option selected. Your shipping cost may vary, but when I plugged in my information, delivery only cost $0.99. Jump on this now, before it all goes the way of Old Azeroth. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it; nothing will be the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion (available Dec. 7, 2010), from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite collector's edition?
While many of you prefer digital downloads to retail packaging judging by a recent Daily Grind, collector's edition boxes continue to roll out of MMO studios for virtually every major release. Whether you've pre-ordered the Cataclysm or DC Universe packages, or you've recently picked up a sealed gem from the Amazon.com bargain bin, there's no shortage of MMORPG art books, figurines, maps, soundtracks, and in-game items to be had on the open market. Quality varies widely along with quantity, from the sublime (Age of Conan's stunning 128-page art book and Final Fantasy XIV's leather-bound diary) to the sub-par (Lord of the Ring's Online's somewhat flimsy cardboard sleeve). The question of the day, dear readers, is which of these packages is your favorite? Is it due to the packaging/contents itself or the in-game bonuses? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
15 Minutes of Fame: A rare and beautiful collection
From Hollywood celebrities to the guy next door, millions of people have made World of Warcraft a part of their lives. How do you play WoW? We're giving each approach its own 15 Minutes of Fame. Among the ranks of in-game item collectors (would a goblin call those players "acquisitionists"?), you'll find plenty of hardcore vanity pet fans. You'll find mount collectors. You'll find those poor, inventory-challenged souls who collect armor and dungeon sets. And then there is this collector, who's managed to collect all three -- and sweeps it together with a uniquely stylish twist. Meet Michelle, aka Drrum of Stormrage (US-A). If you were to ask vanity pet connoisseur Brian of WarcraftPets (aka Breanni, immortalized as Dalaran's cutie-pie pet supplies vendor and previously profiled here on 15 Minutes of Fame) for the name of a player who exemplifies the spirit of in-game collecting, Drrum's name pops out without a moment's hesitation. Once you take a look at the incredible gallery below, featuring Drrum with her pets (augmented with Papa Hummel's Old Fashioned Pet Biscuits), wearing coordinating armor and clothing sets and posing in appropriate locales -- well, there's no doubt you'll want to join us after the break to hear how Drrum puts all these collections together. %Gallery-104231%
A look at the new WoW figures at SDCC 2010
Last weekend saw one of the greatest comic book conventions in North America, the San Diego Comic Con, come and go. One of our own WoW.com crew attended the great event and came back with photos of DC Unlimited's newest (and some older) World of Warcraft action figures. These displays featured many from the Premium Series 2 and 3, along with the regular series 6 and 7. I personally have a few of these around my apartment. They're of superb quality, and the regular series usually costs around or under $20. The larger premium series goes for quite a bit more (usually hovering around the $50 mark) but is undoubtedly worth it. You can actually preorder some of these (including those not show, like the Lich King) right from DC Unlimited's website. Check out the full gallery below! %Gallery-98354%
Analyzing resale prices of franchise games
Video Game Price Charts has posted an article detailing how older entries in game franchises tend to go up in price as a new sequel nears release. For example, the average resale price of the original Resident Evil for Playstation saw a marked increase in the months leading up to the release of Resident Evil 5. The same holds true for other series, though the article notes it isn't always the case. For instance, the average price of Super Smash Bros. Melee quickly began to decrease after the release of Brawl.Given the usual trend in resale price, the article notes that it's best to sell franchise titles within a month of a new sequel release. Collectors looking to buy a franchise title will find lower prices a few months before any sequels release.Frugal collectors should also check out the VGPC Price Tool, a Firefox add-on that calculates the average price -- and links to the best price -- for games across Amazon, eBay and Half.com.
Breakfast topic: Boast your titles
A lot of WoW folks seem to be collectors: Pets, Mounts, even hats. Collecting titles is the next big thing. It's kind of fun to display some hard earned achievement proudly to other players. Rágnaros of Duskwood asked in general chat. He's interested in knowing which titles are most popular and most rare. It also adds some flavor to the game. Several responders reported having five or six titles.I'm not much of a title hunter. A friend of mine was running UBRS for the Jenkins title so I was happy to come along. It was relatively easy to get with a handful of 70s and was fun to get. My job was to sprint about and aggro as many dragons as I could, then I dropped a Hurricane to join in quick AOE attack which easily killed at least fifty of them instantly.
Beckett releases an in-depth WoW guide
Beckett Media is a company normally known for their collectible magazines -- they cover things like baseball cards, Yu-Gi-Oh, toys, and all of that other junk most people don't bother with (ok, ok, I kid, collectors, but I don't get the point of buying toys you don't take out of the box). Apparently, a little while back, Beckett started to get into another field where most of what you do is collecting: massively multiplayer online games, and they started a magazine called Beckett Massive Online Gamer. And now, they've started publishing a series of biannual guides for various online games, starting with our very own World of Warcraft.We haven't seen the guide, but their sales page promises "tips for conquering dungeons, guides for leveling to 70," and "perfecting WoW endgame classes," all for only $9.99. To tell the truth, it sounds pretty lame (not to mention that you can get exactly the same stuff right here for the low, low price of free), but at least there's another print competitor to the official Brady Guides -- if you absolutely need your WoW news in print form, you've got at least two choices now.Anyone seen one of these yet? Next time you're at the collectibles store, see if they've got one sitting on the magazine shelf and let us know what it looks like.
Warner planning to release "book-like" Blu-ray sets for collectors
Now that all studios can focus their efforts on cranking out titles for a single format (well, almost), it's no surprise to hear that Warner is already planning a few special sets for the hordes of collectors out there. Early reports are suggesting that the aforementioned firm will debut a series of "book-like" Blu-ray packages on March 25th with the unveiling of Bonnie & Clyde. Apparently, at least nine other films will follow suit, offering movie buffs a "handsomely bound volume containing rare and never-before-seen archival material." As for exact titles, we're hearing that Dirty Harry, Woodstock, Gone with the Wind and North by Northwest could be among those chosen (no Matrix?), but Warner could re-release hits such as Blade Runner and certain Harry Potter selections as well. Interestingly, it seems as if HD DVD followers will also get the chance to indulge with the red release of Bonnie & Clyde, but there's been nothing said officially either way just yet.[Via The Leaky Cauldron, thanks Kellan]Read - Warner Plans Ten Blu-ray "Book" Releases for 2008Read - Warner to Bow "Ultimate" Dirty Harry
Unreal Tournament 3 gets PC collector's edition
This November PC gamers will have a choice to make: settle for the regular edition of Unreal Tournament 3 ($50), or fork over just a bit more for the newly announced collector's edition, which comes in an obligatory tin case. For an extra $10, Midway is packing in an art book detailing the game's vehicles, characters, weapons and environments, as well as a bonus DVD featuring "in depth" Unreal Engine 3 Toolkit video tutorials, an Unreal Tournament retrospective, and a look behind the scenes at the making of UT3.This special edition is expected to be available in the US on November 19 alongside the regular, non-tin version, while Midway adds that both will also be released in the UK, Europe, South Africa, Russia, Australia and "most other territories."
Amazon still has Burning Crusade CE in stock
In case you really wanted it, the Burning Crusade Collector's Edition apparently isn't all that collected-- it's still in stock at Amazon for $74.99, a few bucks off the original price. The original Collector's Edition is a little harder to find-- it's been out of stock for a while, and copies are going for around $200. eBay is the same story-- you can buy the BC:CE for as little as $50, while the original CE is going for much, much more.My guess is that it's the old laws of supply and demand-- by the time Burning Crusade dropped, everyone knew it would be a hit, so Blizzard made a bunch, while the original CE probably had a lot fewer copies made. But the noncombat pets might be a draw as well-- the original CE had Diablo, Zerg, and Panda pets, while the Burning Crusade only had a pretty unimpressive Netherwhelp pet.And the other interesting question is what will happen when the next expansion drops. Being that WotLK is much more integral to the Warcraft that everyone knows and loves (while BC was much more involved with the ancient history of Warcraft), will people who've skipped Burning Crusade so far be more inclined to pick it up when Wrath releases? Maybe the BC:CE will get rarer as we get closer to Northrend.[ via WoW Ladies ]
