Circuit City
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Circuit City relaunches in Second Life
Circuit City originally opened in Second Life as a part of the IBM subcontinent. The build there was comparatively modest and not heavily trafficked, but it was successful enough for Circuit City to make a much larger commitment to the virtual world, in the form of four sims, forming an extra-large island, with the help and expertise of IBM. The island features an orientation area (though a registration portal is still in the works), and some helpful signage. A Circuit City HUD enables you to summon assistance from a staff member, and has a built-in flight assister as a bonus. What might really grab your attention though are prizes!
Best Buy, others offer trade-in program through Dealtree.com
Although a tip we received was specifically about Best Buy's trade-in program, it appears the service is actually provided by a company called Dealtree.com, which seeks to offer "fair value" for old electronics. For example, the trade-in price for a Gamecube in good condition is $25; if that seems acceptable all the customer has to do is print out the pre-paid shipping label, send it to the company and in seven business days it'll send a Best Buy gift card for the value of the trade-in.Dealtree.com apparently provides its services to a variety of retailers. It appears trade-in values are universal as a very quick check using the same parameters on the Circuit City version yielded the same trade-in value as with Best Buy. A sterile alternative to eBay or Craigslist for those looking to unload old consoles. [Thanks Michael]
Sunday Deals: H3, BioShock, Lost Planet and more
Hey, it's Sunday and that means its time to surf the internets, open those newspapers and look for the best gaming deals this week. But we've already done the work for you, so please, allow us to share ... This week, Best Buy has two decent offers, one being that you can get a free $10 gift card with the purchase of Turning Point: Fall of Liberty and the other being $10 off Call of Duty 4. Heading North to our Canadian Best Buy friends, not only can you grab Kameo for $15, but they're also offering BioShock for free with the purchase of an Xbox 360. And remember, Xbox 360 prices in Canada recently dropped (Pro: $349, Elite: $449 and Arcade: $279), so that's a very juicy offer. Next up, Circuit City. They've heavily discounted Lost Planet to $20, cut the price of Conflict: DO to $40 and have taken 20% off the price of BlackSite, Kane & Lynch, Turok, Halo 3 and BioShock dropping their price to $48 each. Finally, this week at Target stores, they're selling PGR4 for $30, Scene It? for $50 and The Orange Box or NFS: ProStreet for a cool $40. That's all the deals we could spot this week, but feel free to share with your fellow fanboys any other offers you spot while out and about this week. Happy shopping and stay safe.
So it begins: Toshiba's HD-A3 falls to $99 at Circuit City, comes with 7 free HD DVDs
It's not like there has been any shortage of deals on HD DVD hardware over the past few months or anything, but now that Toshiba (and almost everyone else on the planet) has officially yanked support for the format, prices are beginning to plummet en masse. First on the docket is the HD-A3 at Circuit City, which now sits at just $99.99 and comes with seven free titles, two of which are 300 and Bourne Identity. So yeah, if you've been waiting for this moment to snap up the failed format for cheap, hop on in -- but if we were betting souls, we'd say holding out just a wee bit longer would actually be in your wallet's best interest.[Thanks, Dustin]
Retailers already forgetting HD DVD
Even without an official announcement, it appears the world is moving on without HD DVD. At the Fifth Avenue Best Buy, HD DVD hardware is already special order only, while its disappeared entirely from this week's Circuit City advertisement. The only people still picking up HD DVD players seem to be value shoppers looking for to deep discounts when retailers clear out movies. Red put up a good fight, but with retail support rapidly following the studios, its clear what time it is.
Paramount's Transformers showing up in Blu-ray attire?
Per usual, we'd recommend not getting too riled up over this until it's proven definitively true or false, but considering that pallbearers actually hoisted up HD DVD's casket already this morning, maybe there's not too much sense in doubting. Nevertheless, an eagle-eyed Circuit City employee has apparently located Transformers in its internal database completely doused in Blu. You heard right -- a Blu-ray 2-disc edition of the Michael Bay flick is reportedly showing up with a UPC code different than the HD DVD version. 'Course, this really isn't quite as surprising today as it would've been yesterday -- you know, considering that BD and HD VMD are really the only options left for studios to run to -- but feel free to make of it what you will.[Thanks luvincharity and Kyle] %Gallery-16204%
Circuit City to expand used game sales program
Following an apparently successful ten-store test program started nearly a year ago, Circuit City has decided to broaden its used game sales, according to SmartMoney. No word on how many new stores will be adding a used games section or how quickly the expansion will roll out, but Circuit City Vice President Irynne MacKay said the company wants to be "competitive on pricing." That's a relief. We were worried they wanted to gouge us.High margin used game sales could help the struggling electronics retailer, whose sales fell 11 percent last year in the face of competition from Best Buy (which, incidentally, was also testing out used game sales at one point). The company is also toying with gaming tournaments, a 10% off "Gamer Savings Club" (with a $20 annual fee) and a new store layout that prominently features gaming kiosks. That all sounds well and good, but we'd recommend caution with the placement of those Wii kiosks. There's nothing worse than an overzealous Wii Sports player knocking over an innocent customer looking at big screen TVs.
Circuit City offers 20% off 'all' DS games
When our colleagues over as DS Fanboy first reported on Circuity City's 20% off DS game sale, they claimed the sale prices only applied to in-store purchases. Turns out they were wrong, as the sale evidently applies to CircuityCity.com as well, with plenty of great games dropping in price by as much as 10 bucks.Oddly enough, the sale affects almost every DS title on the site, though skips over a random few like Planet Puzzle League and Nintendogs. Despite this, plenty of other great games are available at reduced price, including The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Final Fantasy III, and even the recently released Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles.To top it off, Circuit City offers free shipping for orders over $24, meaning the majority of these titles can be shipped for nothing more than the discounted price plus tax. Of course, the sales are only as good as the supplies last. We recommend doing as we have done, and ordering sooner rather than later; we expect stocks will dwindle quickly once word gets out.[Via DS Fanboy]
No, Circuit City's not shoving HD DVD out the door
While news was running rampant last week about Circuit City's inexplicable price cuts on some of the more popular HD DVD players, we had a hunch it wasn't exactly a sign of disownment. Sure enough, it's now being reported that a Circuit City representative has informed Punch Jump that the clearance prices were "inadvertent." To be fair, we're a bit hesitant to believe that's entirely factual, either, but nevertheless, the same rep also mentioned that HD DVD sales have been "strong" and that the big box retailer would remain "platform agnostic" for the time being.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Free $10 gift card with DMC4 or Turok purchase
Last week, we mentioned that if you pre-ordered either Turok or Devil May Cry 4 at Circuit City you could score a $10 gift card. Well, it looks like they've extended the offer to anyone who purchases either game this week, pre-order or not. From Tuesday through Sunday, Circuit City is offering a $10 gift card to Turok, DMC4 or DMC4 CE purchasers and (for those who like their guides) is also taking $10 off the DMC4 strategy guide's price tag. No too bad of a deal, especially if you've recently put yourself in the DMC4 or Turok market after playing the game demos.
Get 80% of a DS game at Circuit City
We aren't exactly sure why you would only want to buy 80% of a game, or why Circuit City would go to the trouble of chopping 20% off. It's extra work for their employees, and there's a chance the game wouldn't work! Unless they're just slicing 20% off of the box, in which case they could miss the card entirely. Oh, the price. We get it now. Well, that's actually quite nice.The retailer's weekly ad quite unequivocally states that all DS games are 20% off, but the online store only shows adjusted prices for the six games shown on the page. We're guessing, then, that this is an in-store-only sale with a few games marked down online as a kind of bonus, rather than just a really misleading ad. Go check your local store before the only deal available also has "Or No Deal" in the title![Via CAG]
Halo 3 for $38 and free gift card w/DMC4 pre-order
If you're currently in the market for a fresh copy of Halo 3 then you're in luck, because this week Best Buy is offering Master Chief for the cheap. Through Sunday, they're selling standard edition copies of Halo 3 for the gotta have it price of $38. We are also hearing that some Best Buy stores are super clearancing out leftover Legendary Edition copies for as low as $79, but your mileage will vary on that. This week we also spotted a solid pre-order deal over at Circuit City where you can score a free $10 gift card when you pre-order either Devil May Cry 4 or Turok. Finally, on the hardware side of things, Circuit City has taken $10 off their entire lineup of 360 wireless controllers (including pink and black) and our friends at Best Buy Canada are offering an Xbox 360 Pro bundle (which comes bundled with GRAW2 and RSV) for $399. That's about it for crazy exciting deals this week. Remember to spend wisely and make sure there's food in the pantry before spending this week's entire paycheck on video game goods.[Thanks, Trekster_Gamer]
$10 gift card with Brawl preorders at Circuit City
In addition to advertising that stores will soon have Wiis in stock (Minimum 5 per store), this Sunday's Circuit City circular has a $10 gift card offer for Super Smash Bros. Brawl preorders. It isn't as great or cheap as the Wal-Mart "deal," but since you're going to buy the game anyway, you might as well pick up something extra with it.Don't feel like driving to a store to put down your $5 reservation? You can take advantage of the offer online right now, and it comes complete with free shipping![Thanks, Bob!]
Retail CEO's react to Warner's Blu-ray shift
We are now in day five of the post-Warner Bros. announcement era and CNet has word from several retailers on their response (or lack thereof) to the newly-shifted HD landscape. The CEO's of Best Buy, Circuit City and "not any more or less Blu-ray exclusive than they have ever been despite what some executives might think" Target agree that its a step towards the end of the format war, but seem reluctant to call things over by any shot, or commit to changes in the way they deal HDM. Until further changes do -- or don't -- happen, the electronics aisle will remain divided.
Circuit City holding massive sale, every game you ever wanted on list
If you are missing out on a DS game or GBA game and don't feel like paying retail, know that Circuit City is having a huge sale right now. The problem so far has been that an entire list of the games on sale had not been available anywhere online. That is, until now. Selling select games such as Final Fantasy IV Advance and Mario Tennis: Power Tour on the GBA, along with DS titles such as Elite Beat Agents and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (get a loved one involved) for $8.96 a piece, we're wondering if this is perhaps the biggest sale we've seen yet. So, get down to your local Circuit City and get to the stock while it still lasts. [Via QJ]
Cheap UMD movies at Circuit City this week
Believe it or not, major retailers are still carrying UMD movies, but Circuit City is most definitely the place to go to add to your collection this week. Through Sunday, the retail chain is offering several great titles for only $7 a piece. Here's the full line-up: Spider-Man 2 Spider-man XXX Men In Black Big Daddy Bad Boys Underworld S.W.A.T. Hitch Click If you'd like our personal picks, we'd have to go with Men in Black and Underworld. Both take interesting twists to their respective genres and are damn entertaining. While you're there, look for Mortal Kombat: Unchained, because it's on sale for $14.
Best of the best: Sunday's retail ads
If you're like us and got some much-needed time off during the holidays, you were probably able to catch up on a lot of gaming. And now that you've played all your games and have all those gift cards from Christmas, what is a gamer to do? Well, thanks to CheapyD and speedy1961 at Cheapass Gamer, you'll be able to restock your backlog of games as they've compiled the best deals from this past Sunday's ads.Best Buy Rainbow Six: Vegas - $40 Resistance: Fall Of Man - $40 Need For Speed: Pro Street - $40 Circuit City Assassin's Creed - $45 Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 - $45 This is pretty much the cheapest we've seen several of these games, and we're still surprised at how well Resistance has been able to keep its market value despite it being a launch title. Keep in mind, these deals are good for online and in-store, but you'll have to pay for shipping, which can ruin the good deal.
Holiday deals: $10 APF 2K8, $8 Monster Madness
This week we're going about things a bit differently with our Sunday ad deals. Instead of rattling off numerous games, deals and links in the main blog post (this section), we've posted them in a handy list after the break. Each offer broken down by store (Best Buy, Circuit City and Target) and in alphabetical order. Convenient, ain't it? So, since we're listing all the deals after the break we'll simply highlight the best offers right here. And this week we've got a few oldies being offered dirt cheap including Call of Juarez for $8 at CC, Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia for $8 at CC and All-Pro Football 2K8 for $10 at BB. Also, HD DVD fanboys will enjoy Best Buy's HD DVD BOGO offer that is running this week on select new'ish release movies. Each title is around $30, so it's like getting each for $15. Not too shab.Take a look at all of this week's retail offers, browse a bit, share your own and tell us what you think about the new information layout we're trying. Happy holidays, there's only one shopping weekend left until X-mas arrives.
Slew of retailers to carry TV converter boxes; coupon requests open in 2008
Yeah, we pretty much expected every big box retailer known to man to carry these things, but just in case you were worried about locating a TV converter box in preparation for the upcoming cutover, here's some comforting news. Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City, Kmart, RadioShack, Target, Sears and Sam's Club are all on the list to carry equipment necessary for analog TV owners to receive OTA programming after February 2009, and just in case one of the aforementioned giants aren't anywhere near you, around 100 more smaller retailers have been certified to stock 'em. Also of note, you can start the new year off right by reminding your great grandparents (or other family members, too) that they can go on and apply for up to two coupons -- which should arrive around six weeks later -- worth $40 apiece to purchase the required boxes. Or, of course, you could just pick them up a new television this holiday season and be done with it.[Via BroadcastingCable]
Panasonic to bundle Blu-ray players with plasmas at $500 discount -- 2 new players in January
Although coy with any detail, Panasonic just put the industry on notice with its Blu-ray plans for the US. In a move to double its Stateside market share, Panny will begin bundling Blu-ray players with their plasma TVs next week. The move specifically targets Circuit City and Best Buy among other big-box retailers and "may" result in a discount. This according to Masayuki Kozuka, a general manager in charge of the company's storage device strategy. We'll take that as a confirmed discount. After all, without a price drop, why bother -- it's not like profile 1.1 support will be the cause for that huge upsurge in sales. A Panasonic spokesman also said that they would release two new "higher-end" (read: more expensive) Blu-ray players in January. We'll likely hear more on that little nugget at CES.Update: Well, here you have it: Best Buy's offering a $500 discount off their 50- or 42-inch plasmas when purchasing the DMP-BD30K.[Thanks, Travis]
