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Target devoting more shelf space to Blu-ray
Been in a Target lately? According to VideoBusiness, since upping Blu-ray displays back in May, the retailer's upped BD facings again, from 90 to 150 titles. With several Blu-ray standalone players on sale -- including the store-exclusive Olevia box -- it looks like someone's feeling bullish about its potential. Reports also indicate some stores have installed a second Blu-ray demo area, with spokesman Joshua Thomas saying it is committed to creating a "fun, intuitive shopping environment", but we'd settle for a BOGO, or perhaps some more fully featured value-priced hardware before we officially add Target to the Friends of Blu list.
MSI's 10-inch Wind winds up in Best Buy
We knew it would be going down, but the formal announcement has finally been made: MSI's Wind will soon be gracing store shelves at Best Buy. As early as "right now" if you're lucky enough, the 10-inch netbook can be procured at your local BB (no word on Future Shop), and we're told that it'll pack a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, Windows XP Home Edition, a 10-inch WSVGA (1,024 x 600) display, GMA950 graphics set, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 120GB hard drive, 3-cell battery (sigh...) and a black or white motif. You might expect to just snag one real quick like for $399, but don't expect to leave without being hassled for one of those Product Replacement Plans. Fun, fun! Full release is after the break.
Amazon offering release date delivery for big-name games
For gamers, there's usually a push-and-pull battle involved in deciding to order a new game from an online retailer. On the plus side, ordering online means not having to deal with clueless game store employees, not fighting off the harsh rays of the sun and, most importantly, not leaving the comfort of the couch! On the downside, though, those online delivery people will sometimes arrive days after a game is available in stores, losing you precious time you could be spending pwning n00bs.Amazon is looking to get rid of that major online ordering negative with their Release Date Delivery program for some of the season's biggest games. Shoppers that pay an extra $5.98 can get Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Fable 2 and Gears of War 2 delivered to their doors the same day they're available in stores (you may remember Amazon tested the program last month with Soul Calibur IV). Amazon Prime members can get this service for free, but it's only currently available in the continental U.S., so residents of foreign lands (not to mention the freak states) should be prepared to hoof it to their nearest brick and mortar game retailers.Source - Press ReleaseSource - More Details
Best Buy offering DTV converter box refunds for sales tax oversight
Chances are, you feel pretty strongly that you give enough of your hard-earned money to your state as it is, but if you're a resident of California, Connecticut, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Texas or Wisconsin who purchased a DTV converter box from Best Buy, you may have donated a little extra. Reportedly, some Best Buy locations accidentally overcharged for sales tax when deducting the $40 government voucher from the purchase price of DTV boxes, and now the retailer is looking to right the ship by doling out refunds. If you paid with a credit card, sit tight -- your check is in the mail; if you used greenbacks, don't even bother spending $5 per gallon to retrieve your $2.50.[Thanks, Matthew]
DS Daily: Hitting the streets
My aversion to communicating face-to-face with other people means that I've rarely seen the inside of a bricks 'n mortar videogame store since ... well, since I worked in one last year! I also have a keenness to keep as much of my money as possible -- we all know that shopping online can guarantee excellent bargains.On the other hand, I occasionally miss the days of rooting around in GAME's bargain bin and finding F-Zero X incorrectly priced at £0.99. I used to find some enjoyment in collecting loyalty points, of scooping neat pre-order bonuses that were exclusive to high street stores, and of having new stuff in my hands instantly.Do any of you fine folk still prefer shopping at your local games emporium? If so, what are the perks for you? Are there perhaps specific products you will only buy at said stores? And a broader question: what do you think high street retailers could do to combat the growing threat from their online rivals?
Best Buy offers up free electronics recycling in 117 stores
Best Buy already gladly accepts cellphones, batteries, ink cartridges and other items for recycling, but it looks like you can now offload some of your larger, unwanted electronics gear free of charge as well -- if you near one of the 117 stores in the Baltimore, San Francisco, and Minnesota areas that are participating in the company's new test program, that is. According to the company, those stores will now accepting up to two items per day, per household, including televisions and monitors up to 32-inches, computers, cameras and other devices not including microwaves, air conditioners. or appliances. There's no word on any future plans for expansion of the program just yet, with Best Buy only going so far as to say that it'll "evaluate the success of the test and determine options for scaling it across the U.S." Of course, there's also plenty of other recycling options available if you don't want to wait for Best Buy to make up its mind.
HD DVDs vanishing from Best Buy stores
With a few HD DVDs still left to be released, you can go ahead and mark Best Buy off of your list of places to pick 'em up. According to swarms of e-mails from folks around the US, the retailer everyone loves to hate has decided to rid its stores of films on the red format. We've heard some reports that the discs are simply being shipped back to studios, but nevertheless, it seems that the 30-percent-off sale has reached an abrupt halt. Truthfully, we can only imagine that the other big box retailers will follow suit in short order, but it is somewhat interesting to see such a notable store purging its shelves before the format has zero titles on deck.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in][Image courtesy of Aaron S.]
Best Buy hacking 30% off all HD DVDs
We knew retailers were washing their hands of HD DVD as quickly as possible, but it seems as if Best Buy is opting to initiate what we can only assume is the first wave of a fire sale by taking 30-percent off every HD DVD in its stores. At least, that's what we've confirmed for a number of locations. As of now, there's no word on whether the HD DVD players themselves will see equally steep price cuts, but feel free to drop by your local Best Buy at lunch and stock up if you so choose. 'Course, we've got a sneaking suspicions this 30-percent will grow to 50-percent and beyond in the not-too-distant future, but alas, the selection will probably be quite poor by that time.[Thanks, Tim and Vince][Image courtesy of Aaron S.]
Edion does the unthinkable: allows swapping of HD DVD players for Blu-ray decks
Shortly after hearing that the relatively unknown studio HDScape cranked up a HD DVD / Blu-ray exchange program, along comes Edion to show the world how this ordeal should really be handled. Said firm owns several chains of electronics stores in Japan, and reportedly, it's allowing customers who purchased one of seven HD DVD players to return them for Blu-ray decks. Apparently, it's allowing them to put the purchase price of the HD DVD unit towards the Blu-ray player, and if their player was somehow more expensive than the BD player they're eying, a refund for the difference will actually be doled out. We'll be honest -- this does seem a bit too good to be true, but we are hearing that the courtesy expires at the end of March. 'Tis a shame this will never happen on this side of the world. [Warning: PDF / Japanese read link][Via Tech.co.uk, thanks Soven A.]
German retailer discounting Sony BDP-S300 for HD DVD player trade-in
We're not exactly sure what German retailer Saturn plans to do with any HD DVD players that are surrendered as folks waltz in to take advantage of its latest offer, but we suppose the refurbished section could receive a boost in inventory if nothing else. Judging by a recent flier from the store, it's offering consumers a €150 ($221) discount on Sony's BDP-S300 -- which is overpriced at €499 ($734) -- if they trade their HD DVD player in at the time of purchase. Also of note, we can't seem to find if there's any fine print about what HD DVD players are acceptable, but it is certain that this deal is only available overseas at the moment. Not a bad idea to get customers to jump ship, though.[Via Blu-ray, thanks Bhargav N.]
Apple's 10 year comeback
9rules' Apple blog has an interesting look at the last ten years of the company that makes the Mac. In 1997, everyone from Wired to BusinessWeek was proclaiming the death of Apple, rumoring that they'd get out of hardware completely, or that they'd merge with Sony or even Nintendo (those rumors are still floating around, I think). Then, in 1998, Apple introduced that Bondi Blue iMac, and the rest is history. They became a company known for making simple, beautiful and iconic computer products, and in 2001, the deal was sealed with the iPod and in 2003, iTunes.And now, ten years later, it's 2007, the iPhone has been released, iTunes is the biggest online music store in the world, and bumping shoulders with even traditional retailers. Apple's not quite on top of the world (let's not forget that while they dominate the categories they choose to dominate, they're still a fraction of the overall market), but there is no question that Apple as a company is going gangbusters. Amazing to see the difference between where the company was just 10 years ago, and where Apple is headed in 2008 and beyond.
Wal-Mart aims for RFID in every North American store
Although Wal-Mart is traditionally viewed as a logistics leader and a pioneer in RFID adoption, only 975 of its stores currently utilize the technology. Frustrated by losing sales due to misplaced inventory, the firm is now dead set on rolling out RFID gear into every single North American store, and soon. When complete, over 4,000 locales will be fitted with the equipment, which could net Wally World over $287 million in extra sales by simply having the technology in place to quickly track down wares before a customer heads elsewhere. Of course, it seems but a matter of time before these tags actually make it beyond the crate and onto individual items / shelves, but hey, it's not like you actually expected Wal-Mart to turn away Big Brother, right?[Image courtesy of Weka]
Target to only sell Blu-ray players in stores
Everyone's favorite wasteful format war took another strange twist today, with the AP reporting that Target will only stock Blu-ray players in its retail stores -- specifically, Sony's $499 BDP-S300. The decision, which Target and Sony are due to announce tomorrow, doesn't include Target's website, Xbox 360 HD DVD drive, or HD DVD movies, so it's not a particularly huge win for Blu-ray, with even Target saying things like "We are not proclaiming one format vs. the other as the preferred consumer technology." Still, coupled with Blockbuster's decision to only stock Blu-ray discs, it looks like the format war might be fought and won at the retailer level, not by consumers.[Thanks, Keith]
Retailers seek to promote HD DVD / Blu-ray titles equally
My, how things have changed in just a few short months. While we once groused over retailers not devoting enough attention to high-definition film, it wasn't too long before the SACD and DVD-A kiosks were canned (hey, it's our best guess, anyway) and HD DVD / Blu-ray titles received expanded exposure. Now that both formats are still holding (relatively) strong, it looks like the major players are seeking to provide an equal amount of promotion for each "until customers tell them they shouldn't." Jim Litwak, president and CEO at Trans World, was even quoted as saying that while Blu-ray sales were currently trumping HD DVD, "the customer is still saying that they want HD DVD." Firms such as Amazon, Best Buy, and Virgin Metastores were all noted as companies unwilling to "snub" one format while the war raged on, and that sits just fine with us.
Circuit City guarantees Super Paper Mario, puts money where mouth is
Of the many scandalous practices that game shops often subject us to without fear of reprisal, pre-order harassment is one of the worst. Not only will you be sneered at and interrogated for not reserving a new release, you'll be castigated in front of your friends and family, your manhood and the chasteness of your mother called into question. We are told that someone will also sneak under you and tie your shoelaces together so that you'll trip when you try to walk away. This is the reality of video game retailers around the country.Buying from electronics superstores like Best Buy or Fry's cuts down on the unchecked tomfoolery that governs mall-based game shops, but Circuit City is taking an extra step to satisfy its customers. As marked in last Sunday's advertisements, if you're not able to find a copy of Super Paper Mario at Circuit City tomorrow after 2 PM, the store will compensate you with a $20 gift card.A guarantee and good will gesture like that puts Circuit City at the top of our list of places to buy Super Paper Mario and other games from. We'll just have to make sure that we wear our velcro strap shoes when we go to cancel our pre-orders. [Via Opposable Thumbs]
LG's BH100 HD DVD / Blu-ray player officially hits stores
After the world's first HD DVD / Blu-ray hybrid player has been talked about forever, showcased at CES, rumored around a bit more, received a price tag, hit a potential production snag, shown up in stores anyway, withstood a review, and smiled real pretty for the camera, what else is there to do? Ah, yes, we must make things official. Nearly three weeks after LG's BH100 went on sale in a variety of big box retailers, the player is just now becoming an item that's "officially on sale," and should be taking over the DVD player section of your nearest Best Buy, Circuit City, and CompUSA locations. No, it's not receiving any kind of price cut just yet, and it still doesn't rock the official HD DVD seal of approval, but now you can pick up a two-in-one player of your very own with LG's belated acknowledgement.
Rumor: GameStop Corp to absorb Rhino
Over on the Cheap Ass Gamer forums panic has begun to take hold. Poster 'FSUEagles' claims that in no less than ten days Rhino Video Games will be officially converted to a GameStop property. While it's hard to imagine the transition would occur that quickly (especially when store managers are allegedly being told today), the acquisition would not be unprecedented.Aside from the GameStop brand, the corporate umbrella encompasses EB Games, FuncoLand, and Software Etc., and governs 4,592 retail stores throughout the U.S. Adding Rhino, which has fewer than 100 locations, is small potatoes -- the move would be similar to GameStop's 2002 Gamesworld buyout in Ireland -- but still an important step in controlling the used game market. Rhino currently promotes a popular 2-for-1 deal, whereby patrons can trade two qualifying used titles for any one game priced under $50 (a difference must be paid on games that exceed the price restriction). If GameStop does acquire Rhino from Blockbuster then expect trade-in values to diminish overnight.
Best Buy Mobile opens up shop in New York
While Best Buy's been selling mobiles (and holding out on Wii hopefuls) for some time now, the big blue retailer is diverting a bit more fundage towards the cause. Aside from continuing to offer phones and plans in typical stores, Best Buy is opening up a smattering of New York-based Mobile stores to handle your cellular needs (and probably hassle you for an extended warranty as well). While details about the store layout and initial offerings are a bit scant at this point, we do know that nine locales will be opening up in the Big Apple alone, with a red (as in, not black) PRODUCT (RED) RAZR being their "exclusive" offering. The stores will partner with Verizon Wireless, Amp'd Mobile, Sprint-Nextel, and Cingular, and should have a plethora of promotional goodies surrounding each and every door to snag your attention.
Are you Wii-less? We can help [update 1]
[Update 1: Our apologies; we had simply assumed the service was free. Thanks to our trusty commenters, we found a better one! For free! WiiSearcher.com!]All right, well, maybe not us. We're too busy having way too much fun slamming our parents into the ground in Wii Tennis (except for Nikki, of course). The internet is a vast place, however, and the local denizens are sure to help you find your way if you ask nicely enough.Welcome to NintendoFinder.com WiiSearcher.com, a wonderful place that uses voodoo and sorcery to immediately discern availability of the Wii at pretty much every retailer ever. As soon as a store restocks, torrents of E-mail are sent to any and all subscribers to the system, letting them know to get their click on. It's a great tool for those of you worried about getting a system before Christmas, and we recommend you tell your parents (nudge nudge) to check it out. You know. So they can let Santa know, too.(Santa is a universally understood figure used for the purposes of a substandard joke. Please, no religious quarreling.)[Thanks, Matt, for shamelessly plugging your own site! ^^]
PS3 launch shipments restricted to top 5 retailers?
According to a memo obtained by GameDaily BIZ from smaller video game chain Rhino Video Games, Sony has "decided to limit the supply of hardware (systems and accessories) to its top five volume retailers (Wal-Mart, Target, etc.)" on the November 17 launch day. However, we know of at least seven major retailers receiving PlayStation 3 units on launch day. In addition to Target and Wal-Mart, we know GameStop / EB Games, Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears and Toys 'R' Us are having PS3s on launch day. We know supplies will be very limited and GameStop won't be fulfilling all of its PS3 pre-orders (already conservative figures).That smaller retail chains will not have PS3s on launch day is not that surprising, but only the "top five retailers" is wrong and makes the memo a bit suspect. Rhino Video Games will not be getting PS3s on launch day -- a fact reaffirmed on its website -- the rest is not true. Rest assured, there will be PS3s for sale at all retailers by the end of 2007. We hope.
