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Deal of the day: New round of PSP price drops at Play-Asia
Play-Asia sure has been on a roll this week. First it was Gitaroo Man Lives for only $20, and now they've recently slashed prices on even more games. Aedeus Memories Shinten Makai Generation of Chaos V (Asia) – $14.90 Boku no Natsuyasumi Portable (Asia) – $12.90 Bomberman Blast Squadron Bomberman (Asia) – $16.90 Jukugon (Japan) – $12.90 King's Field Additional I (Asia) – $12.90 Koukyou Shihen Eureka Seven (Japan) – $16.90 Magna Carta Portable (Asia) – $16.90 Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner (Asia) – $16.90 Myst (Japan) – $14.90 Portable Island: Tenohira Resort (Asia) – 12.90 Simple 2500 Series Portable Vol. 4: The Mind Mapping Exercise (Asia) – $10.90 I'm not too sure how import friendly any of these games are, and quite frankly, there are a few of them on the list I'm not familiar with at all. However, with the incredibly cheap prices of King's Field and Myst, it looks like I may have to pull the trigger.Click here for the full page of recenly discounted games across all platforms.(Via Play-Asia)
Deal of the day: Gitaroo Man Live import for $20
I realize there haven't been a whole lot of PSP deals the last week, but I have a real doozy for you today. The Asian import version of Gitaroo Man Lives, a rythm-based game, is available for a measly $20 from Play-Asia. And to make it even sweeter, the it's only $3.10 for world-wide shipping. If you've never heard of the game, it received an 8.8 from IGN, and they said it's "one of the finest games the genre has ever produced." Ya hear that? The game is awesome, folks, so hurry and pick it up before they're all gone!(Via Cheapassgamer.com - Registration required)
Save $50 on a 360 at CompUSA
CompUSA is selling 360 Platinum Packages for $349.99 after $50 mail-in rebate, plus free shipping, until September 16. This offer is online only. They're also having a fire sale on the older games.Can anybody who know tell me the percentage of people who actually mail in the rebates from these big box stores because I don't think I've ever remembered to send one in?[Thanks Muppet]
StoryZOT
MacZOT is back with more ambiguity in the form of a special edition triple-Xtreme MysteryZOT they're calling StoryZOT. Three mustery developers talk about their pasts, how they came to write software, and their philosophies on various issues. One application out of each of the developer's software offerings will be included in the StoryZOT bundle, valued at around 70 bucks, but selling for only $6. Until now, no one, not even the over 1000 people who have already shelled out the cash for the package, knew what they were getting. I however, using my stealth, cunning, and l33t hax0r skillz, have been able to pry from an inside source the fact that one of the apps in the bundle will be KIT from Reinvented Software.
Last chance to get a 360 for $352
Overstock.com has 360s back in stock. Today is the last day you can take advantage of a 12% off coupon that lets you snag a Premium System for $80 off retail.[Thanks Fargo]
Get Edge in the U.S. cheap(er)
Among video game magazines, Britain's Edge stands head and shoulders above all competitors. The magazine's intelligent editorial voice, interesting features, and excellent layout/presentation made it well worth tracking down every month at your local bookstore. Subscribing was never really in the cards for us Yanks, though, as the exorbitant international direct subscription price of roughly $118 (62.02 pounds) per year was actually more expensive than the roughly $9/issue they charge on the U.S. newsstands (Amazon is charging an even more ridiculous $153.05 for a year-long subscription).American fans of good game journalism can rest easy, though, as Edge has now set up a new subscription system especially for the U.S., complete with a lower subscription price of $75 per year. That's still a bit steep (especially considering mags like EGM practically give their subscriptions away) but at least now there's a pricing incentive to reserve a year's worth of issues (getting two years for $135 is an even better deal). All this and subscribers get a free T-shirt! Score!Read - Edge Magazine Special Offer
Madden 07 for $47.99
CircuitCity.com is letting Madden 07 go for $47.99. If only they'd throw in a jockstrap.[Thanks Corey]
Another win for TiVo: Cox partnership pans out
We love it when a plan comes together. You may remember how a few months back we reported that Cox Communications sent a questionnaire to its (non-cable) customers asking them if a TiVo-powered DVR service would convince them to make the switch from satellite; well apparently the response must have been a resounding "yes!", as the two companies have officially announced a partnership that will enable Cox subscribers to gain all of that TiVo goodness with little to no effort on their part. Beginning sometime in the first half of next year, Cox digital cable customers with DVR service will have the option of downloading TiVo software directly to their existing set-top boxes -- no aggravating service calls required. It seems like everything is going right for TiVo these days: they've got Comcast and Cox under their belts, the Series 3 box almost out the door, a shiny new Emmy to flaunt, and a courtroom victory against Echostar that (assuming it holds up) will make investors very happy. TiVo Deathwatch, be gone, and let the TiVo House Party commence!
Philips reportedly finds buyer for semiconductor unit
After announcing late last year that it was planning to either sell or spin-off its semiconductor division, Royal Philips Electronics has finally found a buyer for the profitable business, according the Wall Street Journal. A private equity consortium composed of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Silver Lake Partners will apparently pay Philips about 8 billion euros ($10.3 billion) for the semiconductor unit, whose second quarter profits of $152 million were quadruple those of the same period a year ago. The same consortium also snatched up another chip manufacturer last year -- Agilent Technologies -- before renaming it Avago and spinning off its printer semiconductor business to a company called Marvell Technology. Although the Philips division accounts for a sixth of the Dutch electronics giant's revenue, apparently fears of a downswing in the semiconductor industry convinced the company to get out while the getting was still good, leaving it to focus on its core businesses of medical equipment financing, LCD manufacturing, and digital rights management. The deal will supposedly be officially announced within the next week, according to inside sources, with a new name for the division coming shortly thereafter.
Kodak digital cameras to be manufactured by Flextronics
In a move probably intended to placate investors after a disastrous second quarter -- recently-reported net losses of $282 million were even higher than expected -- Kodak has announced that it will shift the manufacturing of its digital cameras over to Singapore-based Flextronics International. Although Kodak will continue to "develop the high-level system design, product look and feel, and user experience" of the cameras, Flextronics will acquire most of the company's Digital Product Center in Japan, and will be responsible for the assembly, production, and testing of the entire lineup. As part of the deal -- which Kodak hopes will help bring products to market more quickly as well as control costs -- about 550 of its employees will be transplanted to Flextronics facilities in China. While Kodak is currently the number one seller of digital cameras in the US, it's been difficult for the company to make the transition from film, with 100,000 workers having lost their jobs since 1988. Assuming that the requisite conditions are met and regulators give the thumbs up, the two companies plan to seal the deal before the end of the current quarter.[Via LetsGoDigital]
Shopping tips from Dave & Buster's hero
Reader DCFC Fan likes "sticking it to the man" so much, he paid for his 360 by earning 85,000 Dave & Buster's tickets -- thereby earning the respect of fanboys everywhere. It turns out he also has a few shopping tips that don't involve skee ball:Xbox Live Gold subscription cards for 12+1 months are available for $35.82 [from Wal-mart.com] (and have been for a couple of weeks). While it's a great deal, $6.99 for basic shipping takes the fun out of it.The solution? Print out the Walmart ad and take it to Circuit City for their generous price match. Thirteen months of XBL Gold for $35.82. Nice.Secondly, while I liked to keep this lesser known tip under my hat, screw Best Buy. They will probably change this eventually, so let's stick it to them while we can.The trick to getting 1600 MS Points for $14.99? The BBY GGC or Best Buy Gamer Gift Card. These gift cards are near the check out, in cd jewel case type packaging. The bonus here is that there is a $5.00 off any game accessory $19.99 and up coupon in the packaging. Buy gift card, putting $5 or $10 on it, then go back through with your gift card, $5 coupon and 1600 MS Points.Not a bad way to pay for Cloning Clyde and Streetfigher 2.
Dell-AMD partnership is supposedly official
Ever since Dell began relaxing its anti-AMD policy by incorporating Opteron processors in its server line and selling Athlon chips through its online store -- not to mention that little Alienware purchase -- there have been rumors that consumer desktops and laptops would also be outfitted with non-Intel CPUs for the first time, and now The Inquirer is reporting that a final agreement has been reached that will bring these very products to life. At a meeting which apparently took place at Michael Dell's Texas residence, the two camps reportedly concluded their courtship and began planning a series of AMD-powered machines --to be advertised as "Windows Vista Premium Ready" -- that will be available in time for the Back-to-School sales events. nVidia is said to be the manufacturer of choice for the upcoming Athlon boxes, while ATI will continue supplying graphics solutions for Intel-powered configurations and some AMD notebooks. One theory behind the deal says that even though Intel is in the midst of introducing a new architecture, most of the first-run Merom (mobile Core 2 Duo) chips have already been committed to Apple and Lenovo, so Dell needed a way to ensure that consumers wouldn't be kept waiting endlessly for back-ordered products. We're not sure about any of that, but we do know that we like having as many choices as possible when it comes to PCs, so we're sure hoping that The Inq's source is on the money here.
NEC reportedly mulling offer for Packard Bell BV
Some of our older readers may remember using Packard Bell gear all the way back when the consumer electronics industry consisted of just radios and TV sets, and even the younger crowd probably played on a PB or two after the name was sold to a budget computer manufacturer in the mid-80's. Well even though the company withdrew from the US market back in 2000 after being plagued with quality and compatibility issues, it has actually been quite successful overseas under the guidance of NEC as Packard Bell Europe, where it's consistently been one of the top-selling PC manufacturers and even begun branching out to other product lines. Still, NEC seems to think that the tide has turned on old Packard Bell once again, as sources in Asia indicate that the Japanese corporation is looking to sell the Dutch Packard Bell BV PC subsidiary, and that eMachines founder Lap Shun Hui is looking to buy. Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun is claiming that Hui offered around $87 million for the division, probably hoping that he can use his skills to transform the 'Bell into the same type of property that convinced Gateway to shell out over $200 million worth of cash and stock for eMachines a few years back.
DirecTV Titanium: the ultimate couch potato package
So if you like watching TV -- and we mean really, really like watching TV -- then DirecTV has a new offer that will fill your set with more content in a week than you could hope to watch in a lifetime -- but it's just a little bit more expensive than the company's regular service packages. For an eye-popping $7,500-a-year (that's about $625/month, or at least six times what you're currently paying), the company is offering membership into the so-called DirecTV Titanium club, which basically gives the wealthy couch potato access to every single bit the satellite provider streams down from up above. That's right, instead of picking up a new KIA, you could be watching every DirecTV channel (including all of the HD stations), every broadcast sporting event, and every Pay-Per-View movie -- even all the dirty ones -- not to mention the fact that you get up to ten HD DVRs to situate around your mansion and 24/7 concierge service (that means they send someone to your house to operate the remote for you). While this package certainly isn't for everyone, if you're already getting all the DirecTV content anyway (read: you're a pirate using illegal access cards), soon you'll have a better way to do it (ETA: June 28th) that won't result in a hefty fine and an embarrassing summons showing up at your door.[Via HDBeat]
Nokia, Siemens merging phone equipment units
Big news in the wireless industry: the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Nokia, the world's number one handset manufacturer, is planning on merging its phone equipment unit with that of Germany's Siemens AG to create a company worth an estimated $31.5 billion. Even though both parties will have equal ownership on paper, it is clear that Nokia will exert more influence on the new entity, as it will be based in Finland, led by Nokia executive Simon Beresford-Wylie, and have a board controlled by Nokia-picked members. Besides the $1.58 billion in annual savings that both companies will realize in eliminating duplicate R&D operations, the real benefit of the merger will be the stronger market position held by the combined units in the face of growing competition from Asian manufacturers. According to the Journal (subscription required, as usual), the two companies will formally announce their plans tomorrow.[Thanks, John]
MS first party titles for $29.99
According their latest Sunday circular (helpfully scanned by Xboxic) electronics retailer FYE is letting aging launch titles PGR3, PDZ and Kameo go for the low, low price of $29.99. The offer doesn't appear to be available on their website, so consider it an old-fashioned brick and mortar sale, complete with fine print (no rainchecks, two per customer). Circuit City will likely match the price if you bring in the ad.
Sony offering trade-in credit for your old laptop
While not quite as sweet a deal as getting a free computer for your rusty and bloodied old gun, Sony has still managed to one-up rival Apple's PC recycling program by actually offering you a cash incentive to bring in your used, non-Mac notebook when you go to purchase a new one from the Japanese electronics giant. Depending on your machine's capabilities, the company will give you anywhere from $23 (for a Pentium II-powered lappy) all they way up to $318 (for a Pentium 4 rig) as a trade-in credit towards a new Vaio, with Sony-brand laptops unsurprisingly fetching more loot than products from other manufacturers. Consumers interested in this deal can either bring their old gear to a Sony retail store or simply mail it in when they order online; as for us, we'll still be paying full price for our Sony products, because the CSR we spoke with just laughed and hung up when we asked how much they'd give us for our still-working Osborne.
Cox Communications mulling partnership with TiVo?
It's been over a year since we launched the TiVo Deathwatch, and not only is the company still alive and kicking, a new survey being conducted by Cox Communications may indicate that TiVo is about to enter into a partnership with the nation's third largest cable company. Thomas Hawk reports that users on on the TiVo Community Forum are buzzing about a questionnaire that was sent to Cox Enterprises customers who currently subscribe to one or more of the company's other services, but get their TV via satellite. Among a slew of questions about DVRs in general and TiVo specifically, is one which reads in part, "If Cox were to offer digital cable service with a TiVo branded DVR for about the same price as you are currently paying for satellite service each month, how likely would you be to switch from satellite TV to Cox cable that featured this TiVo branded DVR service?" Take this for what you will, but these questions would seem to indicate that the two companies are, at the very least, involved in backroom talks of some sort, and possibly even in the planning stages of building co-branded equipment. Combined with TiVo's recent courtroom victory over EchoStar, their current partnership with Comcast, and a surprising renewal of their service contract with DirecTV, a deal with Cox may be just the ammo we need to put the Deathwatch down for good.
