Bargains
Latest
Lost Planet for $39.99 at Best Buy
Best Buy is currently offering copies of Lost Planet for the reasonable price of $49.99. However, if you're a stickler for a good bargain, and we imagine you are, you can knock off an additional $10 with a special coupon in the latest issue of GamePro. The coupon specifies that copies will not be accepted, but we've heard tales of folks printing off high resolution copies and redeeming them with no trouble -- not that we condone that kind of behavior. In fact, a little sleuthing after the "read" link might just point you to the aforementioned high resolution coupons. You might even find out a few strategies for getting your coupon accepted.Lost Planet for $39.99? Not a bad deal if you ask us.
UK: 360 premium pack for 45 less
According to the Inquirer.net, UK wholesaler, Makro, is selling the Xbox 360 premium pack for the same price as the core pack (£199). Our friends at DCEmu inform us that the Inquirer neglected to mention that Makro lists its prices without including VAT (that's a tax, for non-UK readers), so the real price is £235. Considering the premium pack normally costs £279, it's still a considerable savings. You must have a membership card to shop at Makro, but if you've got one (or have a friend who does) you could do much worse than a £45 discount.The Inquirer goes so far as to suggest that Makro's price reduction could be indicative of an overall price drop for the Xbox 360 (as hinted at recently by Steve "Developers!" Ballmer). Sure, it's possible, but we'd be surprised if we see an overall price cut before the holidays.
Free Halo faceplate with Crackdown purchase
If you are going to be purchasing Crackdown this Tuesday, then you may want to head over to your local Circuit City. Since Crackdown comes with the Halo 3 beta invite, Circuit City is offering a free Halo faceplate (a $20 value) with the purchase of Crackdown. Free stuff always makes us happy, especially free Halo merchandise. And speaking of which, shouldn't it be a mandate that every new Xbox 360 game release has to include a free faceplate? It's a great idea and something we'll be pitching to Microsoft and their lovely marketing team.
Micro Center: $20 wireless controller and more
President's Day is Monday and that means one thing ... great shopping deals! To kickstart the sales Micro Center is offering a few nice Xbox 360 deals including a wireless controller for $19.99, a HD-DVD drive for $169.99 and a $50 gift card with the purchase of a Xbox 360 premium bundle. And stay away from that Intercooler guys. Be forewarned though, this offer is only good in-store and only on Monday, February 19th. See, we always knew there was a good reason to celebrate President's Day.[Thanks, Jason]
25% off used games at GameStop
GameStop.com is running a pretty nice promotion this week. Using the coupon code "25U360" at checkout will grant 25% off the purchase of up to 3 used Xbox 360 titles. Want Oblivion, Dead Rising, or Saints Row for $37? Done. Call of Duty 2, Table Tennis, or Condemned for $18? No problem. The sale supposedly ends next week and it only applies to items that are in stock, so you'd best grab the good games while the gettin's good. You know you can't resist. Those Gamerscore points are calling you with their siren song.As always, be sure to let us know about any deals you encounter. Please, try and keep these deals related to the 360 (unless you're talking about crock pots, of course).[Thanks, NuAngel]
iLamps galore at Target
Last night, I took my eldest daughter and headed over to Target to replace our dying handvac. While there, we did our usual end-cap promenade to see what items had received the red-tag blessing of clearance. I was surprised to find several dozen iLamps marked down by 75%, apparently left over from the Christmas rush. Other than the iLamps and a number of extremely ugly iPod cases, there were not a lot of iPod-related bargains to be found and the main (non-clearance) iPod section had been picked clean. Those of you who take pleasure in such things will be tickled to note that the Zune section remained in almost pristine pre-Christmas condition. If you're in need of an iLamp (and at that price, who isn't?), you may want to call ahead to check availability at your local store before you rush-on over to experience red sticker madness.
$39 wireless controller at Circuit City
Circuit City is having a sale on Xbox 360 wireless controllers. Right now you can bag one for the reasonable price of $39.99, 10 whole dollars off the typical retail price. Granted, it's not the greatest bargain in the whole wide world, but it's better than nothing, especially considering that shipping is free. If you've got some holiday money burning a whole in your pocket and you need another controller, you might as well pick one up.Anyone spot any other post-holiday deals out there?[Thanks, von551]
Save 10% - iTunes $50 gift card for $45 at Costco
Christopher Breen at Playlist's iPod blog found a great little deal on iTunes gift cards. Costco.com is offering the $50 gift card for $45 while supplies last. Breen mentions that local Costcos brick and mortar retail outlets may have a limited supply available for sale as well. This is a great price for a last-second gift. I'd hardly call a $45 item a stocking stuffer, but it would fit very nicely into most people's small-sized gift needs.
Christmas Bargains
The Kansas City Star points out that prices have dropped on many consumer electronics this shopping season. Case in point? The updated and redesigned iPod Nano is selling for far under Christmas 2005 prices. Take the 4G model. In 2005, you'd spend $249. This year? $199. That's a 20% price drop right there. Willing to buy a refurb? $149 and free shipping--at least for now. Refurb iPods are flying out of the Apple store as fast as they're being posted. If you're looking for a refurb, be vigilant. Keep checking the inventory on a daily (or even hourly) basis. The Star article states that American consumers may spend as much as $21 billion on gadgets during the end-of-the-year shopping season.
Acer's 32-inch AT3205-DTV LCD reviewed
We know there are a ton of Brits anxiously waiting to hear whether Acer's 32-inch AT3205-DTV LCD, at only $1,888 dollars, is really such a bargain, so we won't keep you in suspense: according to Trusted Reviews, it most certainly is. Truth be told, the picture actually sounds like it leaves something to be desired -- black levels and fine detail aren't the best -- but they seem to fall in the acceptable range, and the 1366 x 768 screen apparently delivers vibrant colors and good brightness levels. Other plusses include the built-in Freeview tuner (no CI slot for adding subscription content, though), powerful-for-a-flat-panel sound system, and a plethora of connection options, including HDMI and DVI, component, three SCART ports, and digital audio out. So, if you can deal with some slightly gray blacks and a bit of a, um, bold design, then fear not, British friends, because your quid will be well spent on the Acer.
