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Microsoft's UK Store will now sell you a Windows Phone
It's weird to think that before Microsoft spent a few billion euros to acquire Nokia's smartphone division, it didn't sell Windows Phone handsets directly on its online UK store. Now that Nokia is officially part of the mothership, Redmond has begun getting its house in order and has made three Nokia smartphones available to buy direct. This means you can order the Windows Phone 8.1-powered Lumia 630 for £129, the Lumia 1320 for £329 and Nokia's current flagship, the Lumia 1520, for £549. A quick shop around might let you pick up the two older smartphones for less, but if you're looking to get a new Windows Phone direct from the source, Microsoft's got you covered.
Buy 2 Xbox One games, get 1 free in Memorial Day sale
If you live in the States and your boss, professor or authoritative role loves you, you've got Memorial Day off! The Microsoft Store is observing the holiday with a buy two, get one free sale on Xbox One games, and while you probably won't receive your order in time to relax with them on Monday, you'll at least be set for whenever you find some more leisurely time. The selection for purchasable games includes Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Titanfall, Call of Duty: Ghosts, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, NBA 2K14, Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes and others, with individual prices ranging from $59.99 to $29.99. The offered choices of free games differ a bit, with Need for Speed: Rivals joining Titanfall, CoD: Ghosts, LEGO Marvel and others as still-in-stock options at the time of this writing. [Image: Microsoft]
Pre-orders for the Surface 2 with LTE are now open in the UK
Microsoft's LTE-equipped Surface 2 has only been available in limited markets since it was formally announced, but today the company has said it's opening pre-orders in the UK. As per the company's usual sales approach, the 4G tablet is already live on the Microsoft Store for £539, with shipments making their way to doorsteps by May 8th. From that date, Microsoft says customers can also pick up the Surface 2 (4G) from a number of high-street retailers, including Dixons, complete with 200GB of free OneDrive storage for two years and a year of unlimited Skype WiFi calling and landline calls.
Microsoft's Surface Pro 2 'Geek' bundle includes free Xbox controller and games
If you've considered the Surface Pro 2 to be more than just a portable workstation, then Microsoft's latest tablet bundle might pique your interest. In collaboration with online culture show Geek & Sundry, the company has quietly pushed live a new gaming deal on its virtual store in the US and Canada that throws in $105 worth of free games and accessories. For $899, the price of the base 64GB Surface Pro 2 model that's already included, you'll also get a wireless Xbox 360 controller and two games: Farming Simulator 2013 and a premium pack for free-to-play WWII flying simulator War Thunder. To be clear, neither title will vie for any upcoming gaming awards, but you can't argue with free, right? Microsoft intends to run the offer until May 1st or until stocks run out, whichever comes sooner, so if you've been waiting for the right opportunity to grab yourself a Surface Pro 2, now might be the time to click in.
Other retailers follow suit with $450 Titanfall Xbox One bundle
Other outlets including the Microsoft Store are following Walmart's lead by reducing the Titanfall Xbox One bundle to $450. Target, Microsoft and Amazon (with the promo code XIAMAZON) are all offering the Titanfall bundle with the $50 discount, and both Target and Microsoft have the same price on the Standard bundle that includes a Forza 5 code. The Microsoft Store denotes the bundles as "limited time discounts," so don't expect the reduced price to hang around for long, even if the console got a permanent price drop in the UK. On a side note, our pals at Engadget spotted Amazon getting a bit overexcited this morning after the retailer briefly marked down the Forza Xbox One bundle to $400 with the XIAMAZON code applied. It looks like it was an accident, though, since the bundle is back up to $499 and the code no longer works with it. [Image: Microsoft]
Microsoft Store offers $100 credit for PS3, Xbox 360 trade-in
Hoping to make an upgrade to the Xbox One that much more tempting, Microsoft has unveiled a new promotion that offers Microsoft Store visitors a $100 credit in exchange for their PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. Before you rush out to hand over your gaming device, keep in mind that there are a few caveats to this deal. First, Microsoft isn't accepting just any old Xbox 360. If you plan to trade yours in, it will have to be either an Xbox 360 Elite or the more recent Xbox 360 Slim. Owners of the original Xbox 360 model are out of luck, though the Microsoft Store will accept any variation of PlayStation 3. Additionally, the fine print attached to this promotion notes that you don't necessarily need to use this $100 store credit toward an Xbox One, but that if you aren't trading in your old console towards Microsoft's newest gaming device you may not receive the full $100. "To receive maximum trade in value, you must purchase an Xbox One at the same time," reads a notice on the Microsoft Store website. "Any appraised value will be determined at trade in and provided as store credit, subject to Microsoft's discretion and approval." The final caveat is that this deal is only available in select Microsoft Store locations. To see if your local store is participating, visit the Microsoft Store site, then click the "Your Store" link at the top of the page. If available, you should see the $100 credit advertised front and center. [Thanks Viet] [Image: Wikimedia Commons]
Microsoft Store Black Friday deals spotlight Grand Theft Auto 5, Call of Duty: Ghosts
Microsoft's online store launches its Black Friday sale early this year, serving up deals on Xbox 360 bundles and Gears of War: Judgment in advance of a larger round of price drops later this week. Judgment is currently available for $19.99, while select 360 bundles are up for $50 off of MSRP. The Xbox 360 Holiday Value Bundle, which includes copies of Halo 4 and Tomb Raider, is up for grabs at $249.99. The two-game, 4GB Kinect Holiday Bundle is also available for $250, while an alternate Kinect bundle that adds a 250GB hard drive and a copy of Forza Horizon is priced at $349.99. Black Friday itself will host an array of steep price drops, offering up the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto 5 for $33.99, along with Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag for $33.99 and Battlefield 4 for $38.99. Activision's Skylanders Swap Force Starter Pack will hit the bargain price of $38.99 on Black Friday, while the Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions of Call of Duty: Ghosts will also see sizable discounts. A full list of upcoming Microsoft Store Black Friday deals, courtesy Cheap Ass Gamer, is after the break below.
Xbox One online games store is live
Microsoft's web store for Xbox One is now open for business. The store offers players a means of buying Xbox One games through their PC, which will then download to their console, much like Microsoft's online store in the past. The store features screens and videos for games, a "related games" recommendation system and star-based ratings guide, with a simple listing that spotlights those ratings with each game's cover art. Microsoft's Xbox One web store doesn't outwardly discern between retail and download-only games, though the former retains the same price as their boxed counterparts, $59.99. The Xbox One launches tomorrow, and our review and ongoing coverage should keep you busy while you stand in line for your console tonight.
Play Xbox One early at a few Microsoft Stores
Microsoft's Major Nelson is embarking upon a tour of the United States and Canada, opening new Microsoft Stores and visiting existing ones in order to show off the Xbox One to the general public. Obviously we're too scared to go outside too cool for large groups, but if you live in Massachusetts, Florida or Alberta, you'll get the opportunity to play Forza 5 and Killer Instinct about a month ahead of launch. The first two events take place on September 19 and 20 at Microsoft Stores in Burlington and Boston MA, respectively. Nearly a month later, Nelson and his entourage pop into Orlando, FL on October 23 before heading up to Edmonton, Alberta on October 27. A fifth event is also planned for Scottsdale, AZ, although that won't take place until December 6. Nelson says that more locations/dates will be added to the list in the coming weeks – complete location information can be found here.
Microsoft Store also offering 360-to-Xbox One game upgrades for $10
The Microsoft Store is offering select Xbox One games for $10 when players trade in their Xbox 360 copies. Similar to deals available through Best Buy and Amazon, the list of Xbox 360 titles eligible for the offer includes Madden NFL 25, Battlefield 4, Need for Speed: Rivals, Call of Duty: Ghosts, NBA 2K14, FIFA 14 or Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. Players will need to bring their games in to a Microsoft Store to receive the respective Xbox One copy of the game for $10. Unlike the deals offered by the other retailers, Ubisoft's Watch Dogs isn't listed. The offer is valid through the end of the year.
GTA 5 pre-orders at Microsoft Store get $20 XBL credit
Pre-ordering Rockstar's latest sandbox crime game, Grand Theft Auto 5 ,on Xbox 360 through the Microsoft Store will nab you some Xbox Live Marketplace credit: 1,600 MS Points worth, or $20 in real-world money. Microsoft issued an update converting MS Points to real currency on Xbox 360 yesterday. This coupon code, despite being in the old MS Points currency, is still valid after this update. Grand Theft Auto 5 is set to launch on Xbox 360 and PS3 on September 17. Rockstar parent company Take-Two expects the game will generate $600 million in revenue – and maybe you'll spend that bonus $20 on the inevitable DLC.
Get a glimpse of Xbox One at your local Microsoft Store
Unless you've been fortunate enough to attend E3 or Gamescom, you probably haven't seen an Xbox One all up close and personal-like. If you can get to a Microsoft Store, you may remedy that situation right now. The Xbox One is behind glass at your local Microsoft Store, so unfortunately you will not be able to get your hands on that improved controller or let your fingertips slide along the console's "liquid black" surface. You also won't be able to touch the new Kinect's camera lenses (frankly, we don't know why you'd even want to do that, you monster) but you can at least see the console and estimate how much shelf space you're going to need when the Xbox One launches later this year.
Xbox One controllers, headsets available for pre-order
The Xbox One controller is available for pre-order on the Microsoft Store for $59.99. The store is also offering the controller with a Play and Charge kit for $74.99, with the kit priced at $24.99 on its own. Lastly, Microsoft's Store lists its "must-have" wired headset for $24.99. Amazon also has the Xbox One controller available for pre-order, listed for a Wednesday, November 27 release, just one day before Thanksgiving. The Microsoft Store still has the "Day One" edition of the Xbox One console listed as being available in November. Whether Amazon's date holds up remains to be seen, but the controller is also available for pre-order at GameStop and Best Buy. Sony's DualShock 4 controller for the PlayStation 4 is also available for pre-order, and is also around $60. [Thanks, Eoin!]
Xbox One pre-orders, info lists live via Game, Amazon, Microsoft Store
We don't know when it's coming out, but the Xbox One is available for pre-order at European retailers Game and Zavvi. It's also up for "pre-order notifications" on Amazon, the Microsoft Store, GameStop and Best Buy. Best Buy's ad lists the Xbox One with a "holiday 2013" release window, though all we know officially is that it's coming "later this year." Game lists a pre-order holding price of £20 for the Xbox One, while Zavvi's pre-order down payment is £400. Zavvi also has a lineup of Xbox One games for £50, including Call of Duty: Ghosts and four EA Sports games.
Microsoft Store Xbox 360 game pre-orders net free 1600 MSP
Microsoft Store has a very decent offer going on some of 2013's biggest names. If you pre-order one of the selected Xbox 360 games, you get 1600 Microsoft Points for free. That's $20 of Xbox Live content with a $60 pre-order, and by our maths that's worth a gander.The 10 games included in the deal are Grand Theft Auto 5, BioShock Infinite, Tomb Raider, Lost Planet 3, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Crysis 3, Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14, Dead Space 3, and South Park: The Stick of Truth.The offer is valid until April 6, or when a game is released - as it's no longer a pre-order then, silly. In case you're about to break open the piggy bank, you should know there's a three-per-customer limit,
Daily Update for November 26, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Apple store vs Microsoft store on Black Friday
Philip Elmer-Dewitt pointed out an interesting "survey" conducted by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster this past Black Friday that compared sales at the Apple store in the Mall of America to sales of the Microsoft store directly across the hall. Given the wild popularity of Apple products, the following stats might not surprise many people: The Microsoft store had 47 percent less foot-traffic than the Apple store. Shoppers bought 17.2 items per hour at the Apple store versus 3.5 items per hour at the Microsoft store -- with all but two of the MS purchased being Xbox games. Shoppers at the Apple store bought an average of 11 iPads per hour versus zero Surface tablets per hour at the Microsoft store. By all accounts, these stats to seem to show a bad picture for Microsoft's holiday prospects -- and its Surface tablet. However, it's important to point out that, though this is an interesting anecdotal story, it's not very scientific for a few reasons. First, it only looked at one of each store in one mall in the country. Second, while Munster's crew spent eight hours counting heads and sales in the Apple store, they only spent two hours counting heads and sales in the Microsoft store – hardly a balanced survey. Still, given the popularity of Apple's products, the greater number of products in its consumer product line, and the lackluster consumer response to the Surface, it's not a stretch to imagine that the results of this survey could be playing out at more Apple and Microsoft stores across the country.
Forza Horizon crashes to $14.99 on Microsoft Store [update: other offers too!]
Time to be thankful for the Microsoft Store, which is now offering Forza Horizon for a measly $14.99. Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios' racer released just under a month ago, so 75 percent off its regular price is brimming with Black Friday goodness.Jordan got revved up for Forza Horizon in his review, speeding all the way to four out of five stars. He said that, while there are a lot of "little, annoying things" about it, Forza Horizon is "a massive toy chest full of hyper-accurate hot wheels."Update: As commenter JoshHandrich notes, Microsoft Store has a few other handsome Black Friday offers, the lot neatly collected here. Standouts include Dance Central 3 ($14.99), Borderlands 2 ($24.99), NFS: Most Wanted ($24.99), and Dishonored ($24.99).
Pinball FX 2 ricochets onto Windows 8
Windows and free pinball games go together like computer labs and bored high-school students, and Microsoft's shiny new Windows 8 platform will be no exception to that rule, as Zen Studios has launched Pinball FX 2 on the new OS' Microsoft Store app repository.The free download includes one table ("Mars," specifically), with 18 other tables available for $2.99 each, including Marvel-branded jams such as "Thor," "The Infinity Gauntlet" and "Marvel's The Avengers." Zen plans to support the Windows 8 version with new DLC just as it has the XBLA version, though no amount of DLC will complete that essay on Uncle Tom's Cabin that you're supposed to be working on.
Microsoft's first international store set to open this fall in Canada
Living it up in the True North and wishing there was a Microsoft Store near you to take advantage of that subsidized Xbox 360 deal? Or, you know, give Windows Phone a run for its money? Well, if all goes according to plan, you might be able to do just that pretty soon -- this fall, to be exact. According to Canadian Reviewer, Redmond's own Tedd Ladd has told the site his company's about to open up one of its decorated retail shops in Canada later this year, with Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto being chosen as the place to help kick things off internationally. Currently, all of Microsoft's 20 B&M stores are in the US of A, so this would mark the outfit's first outside of the States -- and surprisingly enough, Ladd also mentioned this will be the 31st when it opens, perhaps hinting that there's some more on the way.
