asda
Latest
Asda ditches the Black Friday hell it helped create
Like Father's Day, Britain has accepted another US tradition into its heart: Black Friday. By accepted, we mean coming to terms with fighting off a marauding gang of supermarket bargain hunters to get their hands on a £99 Polaroid TV. This year's shopping event is only a couple of weeks away, but already some big-name retailers are withdrawing their support. Despite helping to introduce the concept in the UK two years ago, BBC News reports that supermarket chain Asda won't be holding Black Friday sales come November 27th.
British thieves stole DVDs from a supermarket by mailing them home
Before we start, we know that crime is wrong and that theft is a serious issue. That said, the lengths some people will go to steal a few DVDs is pretty entertaining. Thieves at a Walmart-owned ASDA supermarket in Cheshire, England managed to evade security after they began packing movies and other stolen goods into envelopes. Instead of walking out with the goods, where they'd be instantly apprehended, they came up with the clever idea to send the packages to themselves using the in-store Post Office. Apparently no one told them DVDs were dead.
Xbox One Titanfall bundle now costs £349, the same as a PS4 in the UK
Next-gen console price wars have officially hit the UK, and they're getting serious. Going one better than their US counterparts, British retailers have slashed the cost of the Xbox One Titanfall edition by £50, with both Amazon and Asda currently offering the bundle for £349. For those keeping track, that means you'll get an Xbox One and its most popular game for the same price as a standard PlayStation 4. Microsoft originally charged £429 at launch, but dropped its recommended retail price to £399 around three months later. The PS4 may still have an slight lead over its rival in terms of sales, but with recent price reductions and the appearance of weaponised mechs, Microsoft will hope it can begin to reverse that trend.
Amazon UK, Asda selling Xbox One at PS4 price of £350
Amazon's UK arm and high street retailer Asda are currently offering the Titanfall Xbox One bundle at £349, the same price tag Sony UK puts on the PS4. The Xbox One originally launched at £430 in the country before Microsoft reduced its "estimated retail price" to £399 earlier this year. Amazon and Asda's pricing constitutes an almost 20 percent reduction from the Xbox One's launch price, a situation mirrored this time last year by the Wii U following its sales struggles. Last we heard, the Xbox One sold 3 million units by the close of 2013 following its launch in November; there's been no update on that figure since the turn of the year. Meanwhile, the Xbox One's regular price remains $499 in the US, although Microsoft is still selling it at $449 on its online store for a limited time. [Image: Microsoft]
Wii U no longer being stocked by UK retailer Asda
UK retailer Asda will no longer stock the Wii U, its games or accessories across its 555 locations. CVG received a follow-up statement from Asda that the retailer will continue to sell Wii U games through its online portal on a case-by-case basis. Asda had been at the forefront of price cuts to move the console out (of its stores, apparently). The company had committed two price cuts to the console during the first half of the year. Nintendo could really use some good Wii U news soon. The Asda departure comes after publishers have begun publicly addressing the lack of Wii U sales, which have forced them to delay one-time exclusives (Ubisoft), to get them on multiple consoles (Square Enix) or make rational business decisions (EA) – but there are always bizarre exceptions.
Wii U cut another £50 by UK retailer Asda [update: Amazon too]
How low can Wii U go? UK retailer Asda is looking to find out, as the company dropped the struggling console's price by another £50. This is the second cut the retailer has enacted on the Wii U, dropping its price by £50 in early March. Asda is currently selling the 8GB Basic and 32GB Premium Packs for £149 (around $232) and £199 ($310), respectively. The unofficial price cut enacted by several UK retailers in early March apparently did little to spur sales. Reports from UK retailers by the end of the month noted that it "resulted in a smaller than desired increase." The Wii U shipped around 390,000 units worldwide in the past three months. In comparison, Nintendo's last-gen darling, the Wii, outperformed Wii U shipping 460,000 (70,000 units more). There have been no official price cuts announced. Update: Amazon is price matching Asda on the Basic model, reducing its price to £149.
Medion Akoya P2004 gives the UK an understated 24-inch all-in-one for £500
Medion isn't the best-known PC badge outside of Europe, but it does have an occasional eye for sleek design. We'd say the Lenovo-backed company's new Akoya P2004 offers that kind of style UK crowd. The all-in-one fits a 23.6-inch, 1080p display into a minimalist design that's oddly charming for what's ultimately a budget machine. No one would call the P2004 feature-loaded when it's carrying a dual-core 3.2GHz Core i3, 4GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive and a DVD burner, but the price is right at a frugal £500 ($770). The catch? If you like what's on offer, you're going to have to swing by ASDA, which has the UK exclusive. Still, we wouldn't object too much to picking up a fairly tasteful Windows 8 PC alongside the groceries.
UK retailers Asda, ShopTo drop Wii U below £200
UK retailers ShopTo and Asda are selling the Wii U Basic Pack at sub-£200 prices, taking more than 20 percent off the launch price just three months after the console's release.Walmart-owned supermarket chain Asda chops £50 off the launch prices of both the 8GB Basic and 32GB Premium Packs on its online store, taking them down to £199 (around $300) and £249 ($375) respectively. Meanwhile, online retailer ShopTo goes one better, selling the Basic Pack at £189.85. The 8GB packs in question don't come with additional games, while the 32GB Premium Pack includes Nintendo Land.While other UK retailers are selling at the launch price or close to it, the emergence of sharp cuts so soon must be concerning for Nintendo. Earlier this year, the company cut the Wii U's life-to-date projections for the end of March 2013 by 1.5 million, down to 4M units, while a report suggests it sold "well under" 100,000 units across January in North America.Nintendo will be hoping March, which sees a number of Wii U releases including Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Lego City Undercover, The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, and Need for Speed: Most Wanted, will spur a strong performance for the console.
Open beta starts tomorrow for Asda 2
Open betas are a magical time, a time when players can all take part in a new game before release without having to actually pay to get in. Of course, potential players of Asda 2 are already in the boat of not having to pay, as the game is an upcoming free-to-play title. But the game's open beta begins tomorrow regardless, and to help entice more players into the testing phase, the staff is running a number of promotions. Players who log in throughout the open beta or advance their Soul Mate bonds the fastest will be eligible to win some Campus Cash (the microtransaction currency for the game). Lucky Monster tokens can also be collected throughout the beta, giving players a chance to win iPods, a 3DS, and other prizes. If Asda 2's anime-style artwork and relationship system seem like the sort of thing you'd enjoy, be sure to check out the beta starting tomorrow.
Asda 2 closed beta starts tomorrow
If getting married, fishing, or fighting over mining rights sounds like a pleasant diversion from your typical MMO fare, then you may want to check out Asda 2. The PvP-centric sequel to Asda Story is going into closed beta tomorrow, May 5th, until Monday the 9th. During this five-day period, testers can experience Asda 2's signature Avatar system to control their characters' look and style. If a friend tags along for the ride, then the game's Soul Mate feature will allow the pair of you to level faster, gain access to new skills, and increase in power when playing together. GamesCampus' Uyen Ton Nu hopes that Asda fever catches on: "There is already so much anticipation for Asda 2 that we are really looking forward to player feedback as we introduce them to this new title in the Asda franchise." You can sign up for the limited closed beta period over at Asda 2, and don't forget to check out the trailer for the game after the jump!
Elusive Xbox 360 802.11n wireless adapter appears in the UK
Microsoft might be playing cat-and-mouse with the Xbox 360 802.11n adapter, but it looks like the jig is up in the UK -- we just got this shot of it sitting on an ASDA store shelf. Still no word on Stateside availability, but surely we can't all keep on like this forever, can we? [Thanks, Daniel]
Walmart expands Durabrand DVD player recall to 4.2 million
You know what they say about getting what you pay for? Well, the adage has turned out to be truer than normal in this case. Walmart, which sold some uber-cheap (like, $18 - $29 cheap) Durabrand DVD players in the US and the UK, recently issued a recall in the US for 1.5 million of the units due to 12 reported cases of overheating. The malfunctions caused various degrees of property damage, but no injuries, and now, as a result of several more reported cases of the same issue, the recall has been upped to cover 4.2 million devices. The recall, which originally covered only the silver units sold, has now been expanded to cover both the pink and purple DVD players which were sold between January 2006 and July 2009 exclusively at Walmart stores in the US and Walmart-owned ASDA stores in the UK -- Wallmart reached out to let us know that the players sold in the UK were actually a different spec, and thus not a part of the recall. Seriously, this just leaves us wondering: how many of these bad boys did they sell?
Walmart recalls 1.5 million flammable Durabrand DVD players
Remember those amazingly cheap doovde players Walmart was so proud of a couple years back? Well, they ain't so amazing anymore, unless that's what you'd call a device capable of spontaneously bursting into flames. Sold between January 2006 and July 2009 exclusively at Walmart stores in the US and ASDA supermarkets in the UK, the explosive Durabrand units are being called back due to 12 reported instances of overheating, including five that caused fires. You have to love the irony of skimping on a doovde player purchase, only to pay for it later with "enhanced" insurance premiums. We reached out to Walmart for comment, but they didn't know what a doovde was. Nevertheless, we captured the conversation after the break. Update: While we haven't yet got clear confirmation that ASDA is following suit, we'd be very surprised to not see the product pulled and returns honored in the UK in the same fashion as in the US. [Via CNN Money; Thanks, Keith]
What ho, Brits! Fifty Boxing Day deals to savor
Didn't think we'd forget about our lovable Brit readers, did you? No way, Jose! Numerous UK outlets have kicked off their post-holiday sales, and there are some worthwhile bargains to be had for those with gift money to burn.We've scoured the 'net for the best deals we could find on everything from new games (Disaster, Sonic Unleashed, Animal Crossing: Let's Go to the City) to older games (Zack & Wiki, No More Heroes) to not-games (Wii Wheels, Nunchuks, Wii Points). Make the jump for the best fifty (and links to each!).
