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Playtime credit for some EU realms
Apparently there was some extra downtime (7 hours!) for some of the European realms on Wednseday. To compensate, Blizzard is giving a one-day playtime credit to anyone with an active character in the affected battlegroups: Crueldad, Hinterhalt, Némésis, and Nightfall. That's one of the things I like about Blizz -- they may mess up, but when they do, they try to fix it (except when it comes to Life Tap).In case you're not sure what battlegroup you're in, here's the realm listings. If you have an active character on any of these European realms, you will be credited a day of playtime. Crueldad: C'Thun, Dun Modr, Los Errantes, Minahonda, Shen'dralar, Tyrande, Uldum, Zul'Jin Hinterhalt: Arygos, Der Mithrilorden, Dethecus, Forscherliga, Norgannon, Teldrassil, Todeswache, Un'Goro Némésis: Arak-arahm, Confrérie du Thorium, Eitrigg, Garona, La Croisade écarlate, Medivh, Uldaman, Vol'jin Nightfall: Alonsus, Anachronos, Bronze Dragonflight, Burning Steppes, Darkmoon FaireDarkspear, Kor'gall, Lightbringer, Molten Core So are all the Spanish realms really in that one battlegroup? The things you learn researching blog posts...
Hello Kitty mini-ATM for your penny counting kids
Alright, so it's not a real hole-in-the-wall, but just in case your eight year-old did need some training in how to operate one, here's the Hello Kitty ATM Bank. Its pink, it's got HK on it, and it looks vaguely like those machines you find in 7-Elevens: fortunately, it won't give your kids cash on credit. They've gotta put some pennies in first. It comes with a Hello Kitty cash card for withdrawals, which should help your child transition to the Hello Kitty Consolidated Bank account you've set up -- yes, they're real. No word on how much this monstrosity is, but you can probably guess which country they're available in.[Via Crave]
Manhunt 2 credits neglect Vienna team
Oops, looks like some people didn't get credit where credit was deserved in the sweeping epic of love, lust, loss, betrayal and murder known as Manhunt 2. Former producer Jurie Horneman writes on his blog that the names of 55 people, who worked on the game at Rockstar Vienna before it was closed in May of 2006, are missing from the game's credits. He lists the names as best he can remember, with the exception of one person who did not wish to be named.Horneman says, "I am disappointed and outraged that Rockstar Games tries to pretend that Rockstar Vienna and the work we did on Manhunt 2 never happened - the work of over 50 people, who put years of their lives into the project, trying to make the best game they could. I am proud to have been a part of that team." Development teams switch up all the time -- it's a wonder we don't hear about stuff like this more often. [Via Develop]
Apple not just refusing cash, also refusing Apple Gift Cards for iPhones
You can chalk this one up to our bad in assuming best intentions, but when Apple said no cash for iPhones, they damn well meant it -- enough to extend the policy out to no cash for anything that could in turn purchase an iPhone. Turns out you can't even use your Apple bucks to buy an iPhone anymore, not even if someone bought you an Apple Gift Card with their credit card. Ok, for a lot of you this isn't a big deal, but who gets hit hardest? Try all those teenage Apple fanboys begging various family members for small denomination gift cards that will add up to the iPhone they've been after. We've never heard any company being so adamant about keeping non-paper trail for every single damned purchase, but now we're just left wondering how long until someone (or some state) sour from this bitter pill decides to challenge Apple on that whole US dollar bills being "legal tender for all debts, public and private" thing. P.S. -No we're not lawyers, but yes, we're aware that it's probably completely legal for Apple to do. But that doesn't make it right, nor does that mean it will go unchallenged, you feel us?[Thanks, Kevin]
Apple refusing to accept cash for iPhone, limits 'em to two per person
Coincidence or not, Apple has stiffened up the requirements to pick up a new iPhone shortly after announcing that 250,000 or so of the 1.4 million it sold in Q4 went to unlockers. In an admittedly intriguing move, Apple has decided that it will "no longer accept cash for iPhone purchases," and moreover, each individual will only be allowed to buy two (on plastic, of course) in an effort to "stop people from reselling them." More specifically, spokeswoman Natalie Kerris stated that the company is "requiring a credit or debit card for payment to discourage unauthorized resellers," so don't even bother bringing the greenbacks if you're lookin' to grab an iPhone from Apple.[Image courtesy of PCWorld]
How will you spend your Apple Store credit?
Attention, reckless fanboys with no will power or self control early iPhone adopters. You've certainly heard by now that your $100US Apple Store credit is available. Now that you've got it, the question is, what will you do with it? We're guessing that most customers will use the credit towards something that costs more that a hundred bucks (softening the financial blow for Apple - if you could even call it that).What's your decision? iPod nano? Slick new keyboard? Maxed out Mac Pro and cinema display? The comments are open.While we're on the subject, remember that the deadline for the full $200 claim is 9/19.
iPhone's $100 Apple Store Credit program goes live
Call 'em suckers or Apple faithful, early adopters or cutting edge, any way you slice it those who shelled out for a full-priced iPhone before August 22 can now enter their digits and get a $100 Apple Store Credit for use online or at an Apple Retail Store, just like Jobs promised. The process couldn't be easier, and you don't need a receipt, just enter your phone number and serial number, the latter which can be found on the back of your iPhone, and Apple will SMS you an access code. Once you enter that you're home free, and can finally go on that iPod accessory shopping spree you've always dreamed of -- or if you're a true fanboy, put the credit towards an iPod touch just to see what all this "iPhone without the phone" fuss is about.Update: A couple of interesting things to note about the program so far. First off, and most disappointingly, the program doesn't work with iPhones that haven't been activated on AT&T. Second, and slightly more far-fetched, is that we're hearing reports of people scoring the credit with their post price-drop iPhones. It seems like any way you slice it it's worth tossing your digits into the thing and see what comes out, before Apple tightens things up, and we'll keep an eye out for recourse for those who haven't activated their phones with AT&T like good little consumers.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Garanti Bank issues PayPass-enabled wristwatch in Turkey
Apparently, even swipeless credit cards are too much of an inconvenience to carry around in Turkey, or else Garanti Bank and MasterCard are just doing a fine job of whispering PayPass into those ears that are now tuned in. Gimmick or not, the two firms have partnered up to dole out a few limited edition timepieces that not only sport embedded PayPass modules to skip the painful John Hancock procedure altogether on basic, low-dollar purchases, but also feature a flashy and surprisingly tawdry motif. The bright orange watch rocks a few soccer balls, er, footballs on the face, and also includes a handy date feature to keep you on track. No word on exactly how one would go about procuring one of these contactless payment watches, but if your Garanti account is pushing six or seven figures, we'd say you've got some leverage.[Via TechDigest]
Beware the game funding credit trap
As game journalists, we here at Joystiq get a lot of press releases. As Americans over the age of 18, we get a lot of credit card offers disguised as once-in-a-lifetime deals. Rarely do we get both at the same time.Enter PeachDirect, a direct marketer that today issued a press release pimping out the PS3 for the relatively affordable price of $20 per month. "This is the machine that everyone wants, and for such a low monthly price, it has never been so affordable," says PeachDirect Executive VP Gary Bale.So affordable? Not really. First of all, PeachDirect inflates the price of the 60 GB model to $649, and that's before the $49 shipping charge. So, already, you're $99 in the hole compared to going to your local game shop. A small price to pay for such a flexible payment structure, right? Not really. That generous $20/month plan comes with 22.98 percent APR strings attached, meaning it would take 55 months and over $466 in interest to pay off that PS3 at the minimum monthly rate.We don't mean to pick on the PS3 here -- PeachDirect also offers the Xbox 360 and PSP at similarly "affordable" rates. The point is, no game system is worth going into debt over. Best to save up that $20 a month and endure the wait with a clean conscience and credit rating.
A word on thievery
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but blatant copying is the work of a jerk. We try to service the PSP and gaming fan community and if other game sites or message boards post or discuss what we've put up on this site, that's incredibly cool, so long as they link to us, or at least give us credit. An IGN poster however decided to copy and paste one of my articles and pretend it was entirely his words and topic idea. While I appreciate the conversation it spawned, I don't care for the thievery. Andrew and I work hard to try and make this the ultimate site for PSP owners and if you read the site and like the posts enough to post or discuss them elsewhere, please give us the deserved credit. And while you're at it, give a hoot and don't pollute. [Via IGN boards]
Gamecube for Wii credit, and tomorrow's chaos
Perhaps some of you are reading this article via your smartphone, waiting in bitter cold weather because you're sick and tired of not having a precious Nintendo Wii. We understand. Tomorrow's deluge of Wii's, which should be occurring at many nation-wide outlets (Best Buy, Target, and Circuit City all seem to be proper candidates), may make many people quite happy. It may make many people really, really pissed off.While you might be willing to spend whatever it takes, we have a bit of thrifty advice. First off, EB Games is taking your soon-to-be-completely-worthless Gamecube as fifty dollars of trade-in credit for a Wii. Normally, they only give twenty-five. While EBG and Gamestop have not been officially confirmed as having units available for tomorrow, it's worth a phone call (why would they advertise such a deal if it were impossible to use?). Also, it seems Tower Records is having a massive sale, with 25% off of pretty much everything, including games. Pick 'em up cheap! And good luck, troopers.[Thanks, Dave and Vincent!]
Downtime Compensation for Select Realms
If you've been on the forums at all lately, you understand that a number of realms - including two brand new realms - have been offline recently due to hardware failure. While the servers are now online and functioning, uptime has been spotty since Wednesday afternoon. As compensation for the downtime, however, Blizzard is crediting all players with accounts on these servers with an extra day's play-time. So if you have characters on any of the following realms, expect a credit on your account: Aerie Peak, Altar of Storms, Anvilmar, Blackwing Lair, Deathwing, Demon Soul, Doomhammer, Gnomeregan, Icecrown, Jaedenar, Kel'Thuzad, Lethon, Onyxia, Sentinels, Uldaman, and Venture Co.
