Speaking of charity auctions, it took us a little while to tabulate the results of our Gears of Peace charity gaming contest, but we've finally got some stats for you. But first, the players:

Joseph Alminawi (winner)
Bushslap (friend)
jedite (friend)
Neologism82 (friend)
Over1 (friend)
Conrad Quilty-Harper (Engadget)
Paul Miller (Engadget)
Peter Rojas (Engadget)
Ryan Block (Engadget)
Chris Grant (Joystiq)
Ludwig Kietzmann (Joystiq)
and our guest of honor, Major Nelson (Microsoft)

That's obviously more than the 8 that Gears of War needs for a complete match, so please keep in mind that some players swapped in and out. In other words, the players that played the longest stood the best chance at ranking highly. Big ups to Joseph for his generous donation to Save Darfur! Good game! Stats after the break.

Just a reminder to everybody, our first seasonal charity auction, Gears of Peace, is over today -- bidding ends at about 10:00AM PST / 1:00PM EST. We know you might feel a little silly about plunking down a few hundies to play some Gears with Engadget and Major Nelson, but if you split it up between a few friends it won't seem as bad. Plus it's 100% deductible and 100% of the proceeds go to Save Darfur, so let the bidding begin!

P.S. -To those who bid but don't win -- don't let that stop you from donating to the charity of your choice this holiday season.

Ah c'mon, we all knew this day would come, but the sooner the better, right? While an Xbox 360 price cut has likely been in the works for some time now, it's no surprise that it hasn't happened quite yet. With Sony's latest gig coming in well over what Microsoft is asking, there's been no reason (yet) for Microsoft to take an even bigger loss (at launch, at least) on each console sale. Nevertheless, it seems the time is drawing nigh, as Microsoft's own Robbie Bach has stated that bringing down the costs associated with the console is "the first order of business." He also boasts about the 360's "larger installed base," and claims that its "fundamentally easier to manage on costs," insinuating that those price reductions would soon be passed onto the consumer as the Xbox 360 hits its second holiday season in full stride. This latest round of price yapping comes on the heels of European stores slashing bundle prices (history repeats itself?), offering the Premium console and Gears of War for an "unprecedented" £269.99 ($520). Although we aren't certain as to when Gates and company will indeed chop prices on its next-generation machine, we'd suggest holding off just a bit longer if you're already leaning this direction.

[Via MCV]

Just a reminder to everybody, our first seasonal charity auction, Gears of Peace, is over this Wednesday. We know you might feel a little silly about plunking down a few hundies to play some Gears with Engadget and Major Nelson, but if you split it up between a few friends it won't seem as bad. Plus it's 100% deductible and 100% of the proceeds go to Save Darfur, so let the bidding begin!

P.S. -To those who bid but don't win -- don't let that stop you from donating to the charity of your choice this holiday season.

Love Engadget? Want to game with us to help Save Darfur? Hate Engadget? Want to get a tax writeoff for the privilege of curb stomping us in Gears of War? Well, now's your chance. In part one of this year's Engadget charity festivities, we're auctioning two hours of game time with Major Nelson and the editors of Engadget. You and your pals can choose to play with (or against) as many of us as you want -- just as long as you don't skip out on the charity end of business. Some details:

• Real bids only people, this is for charity!
• One week auction, no reserve.
• Game will be held Saturday, the 2nd (or Saturday the 9th, if necessary).
• Payment will go directly to Save Darfur, and will be expected to be made within two days of the auction's close.
• BYO Xbox 360, Live account(s), and Gears of War.
• Plan on us posting the final scoreboards on Engadget when the dust settles, even if we're humiliated pathetically.

100% deductible and 100% of the proceeds go to Save Darfur, so, what do you say? Let the bidding begin!

P.S. -No, the irony of a Safe Darfur charity Gears of War deathmatch isn't lost on us (hence the name). All we can say is, you guys picked the charity, we already planned out the event.