preorders
Latest
Samsung has opened its virtual waiting room for Galaxy S21 preorders
It's another hint that Samsung will reveal its next handsets very soon.
Microsoft is holding Xbox Series X and S stock for launch day
Microsoft says we can expect more Xbox Series X and S stock on launch day.
Lucid opens European pre-orders for its currently unfinished EV
Last week, Lucid Motors unveiled a production model of its electric sedan the Lucid Air. The company has been struggling to bring the vehicle, which it first unveiled in 2016, to the market, and it isn't planning to unveil its customer-ready version until April. In the meantime, though, Lucid Motors is opening pre-orders in Europe, where it expects to begin deliveries in 2021.
Microsoft opens pre-orders for standard Xbox One X
Microsoft's Xbox One X is now available to pre-order. The console, touted as the most powerful ever (that claim excludes PCs, of course), will be out on November 7th worldwide. The company opened pre-orders for a special 'Project Scorpio' edition last month, but those ran out fast. In fact, Microsoft says it was "the fastest-selling Xbox pre-order ever." The regular version is basically the same, save for a tiny green Scorpio logo on the 1TB console and controller. It costs $499.99/£449.99 and is available now through the Microsoft Store, Microsoft.com and a host of local retailers.
Walmart cancels early SNES Classic Edition preorders
If you're one of the lucky folks that got a preorder in at Walmart for a Super Nintendo Classic Edition unit last week, you might want to sit down. Walmart is canceling all of the preorders, claiming that it was "mistakenly made available last Friday evening ahead of the official release date." The retailer has started notifying customers today.
Faraday Future impressed all the right people at CES
The world got its first look at the Faraday Future FF 91 SUV during a Las Vegas drag race last week. It was a fitting debut for a car that was designed and built in less than two years: It flew off the line in an event building, only to disappear out of sight a moment later. Everyone likes a good race, but for a company that's recently been hit by financial troubles and departing executives, the race it started at CES needs to be a marathon.
Razer's second OSVR devkit is now available for pre-order
If you've been looking for a lower-cost alternative to the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive that doesn't skimp on hardware, you're in luck. Razer has officially started taking pre-orders for the OSVR HDK2: its second generation Open-Source Virtual Reality hardware development kit. The company announced this upgrade last month at E3. It features a higher resolution 2,160 x 1,200 low-persistence OLED 441 PPI display, a winder, 110-degree field of view and a 90Hz refresh-rate -- specs on par with what you'll find in other commercial VR headsets.
'Hitman' blows his cover next week on PlayStation 4
The cold, calculated killer known only as Agent 47 returns to do what he does best sooner than we thought. That's assuming you have a PlayStation 4 and have pre-ordered the next game starring the cloned assassin, of course. While it might be going a different direction in terms of structure (multi-season, downloadable and episodic versus a traditional retail release), publisher Square Enix is sadly clinging to old methods of promo.
The Oculus Rift costs $599 and ships in March
Pre-orders are now open for the first Oculus Rift consumer virtual reality headset and the company finally revealed the all-important price: $599 (€699 in Europe and £499 in the UK). Oculus CEO Palmer Luckey knows that the long-term success or failure of the Rift depends a lot on that number, but he appears to have calculated well. The initial ship date was marked as March 28th, but started showing as April soon after, so it appears that the early run sold out after just 15 minutes. While $599 is a considerable chunk of change for most consumers, early adopters appear to have jumped on it, thanks no doubt to the years-long launch buildup.
The Daily Grind: Are the days of preordering MMOs fading?
In January 2007, I stood in line at a brick-and-mortar store at midnight to pick up six preorder copies of The Burning Crusade for myself, my husband, and my overseas guildies. By that point, I'd been playing MMOs for a decade already, but somehow, driving through an ice storm to stand in that line was so totally worth it. Flash-forward to 2014 and I rarely bother with preorders anymore, and it's not because "the magic is gone" or anything nostalgia-driven like that. Between shoddy or exploitative preorder bonuses, widespread digital distribution, crowdfunded founder packs, and open betas and headstarts that go on forever and ever, it just seems as if a standard preorder is becoming a relic of the past, something that's relatively easy to pass on. I'd rather just hang onto my money and buy in when there's a product and not just a promise. What about you guys? Do you still preorder MMOs or other games? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Grand Theft Auto V pre-orders ship early, Amazon UK learns crime doesn't pay
Amazon could find itself struck off Rockstar Games' Christmas card list after it delivered Grand Theft Auto V preorders to customers in the UK in advance of its September 17th release. Some customers reported receiving shipping notifications over the weekend, with additional reports suggesting the game had made it to some doorsteps as early as Saturday. Games Industry says that the company is already investigating these early sales, although we wouldn't put it past some silent, rogue type like Claude from GTA 3. Microsoft is reportedly banning Xbox Live accounts belonging to those that shared early footage of the game, so if you did receive an early copy, make sure to refrain from sharing your impressive bank heists on social media and video sites until release day.
Gran Turismo 6 pre-order extras, GameStop-exclusive 15th Anniversary Edition detailed
As part of what it calls "the most extensive and robust pre-order offer" the Gran Turismo series has ever seen, SCEA has announced pre-orders for Gran Turismo 6 in North America will add four new vehicles to the game's roster: BMW Z4 GT3 '11, Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 '13, Tesla Model S Signature Performance '13 and Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (C7) '14. GameStop pre-order customers will be updated to the retailer's exclusive "15th Anniversary" edition of Gran Turismo 6 at no additional cost, featuring a total of 20 new rides (including those mentioned above), PlayStation Blog US reports. The 15th Anniversary Edition also features customized paint chips, a race suit, helmet, PSN avatar and Beyond the Apex 2 – the next evolution of the Blu-ray exclusive GT5 Prologue Beyond the Apex experience. Amazon pre-orders will net $1 million in in-game credit, plus the aforementioned four-car pack. In Europe, the Anniversary Edition will be offered through select retailers – full details are over on PlayStation Blog Europe. Gran Turismo 6 is slated to launch this holiday season and Sony has said it is confident there will be no delay. %Gallery-191367%
Diablo III PS3 preorders available now
Rumors of Diablo III coming to consoles have been around since before the game ever launched, and not long ago it was confirmed that the ever-polarizing action RPG would be making its way to the PlayStation 3. Well, the time has almost come for console players to set foot in the treacherous lands of Sanctuary. Blizzard announced on its official site today that preorders for the PS3 edition of Diablo III are officially open. Players who preorder the game will be given a gift in the form of the PS3-exclusive Infernal Helm. Each character created on the PS3 version will start with this stylish chapeau that grants its wearer a bonus to experience gained. There's still no official release date for the PS3 edition of the game, however, and the studio states that it will announce the game's release date as launch draws nearer (in case that wasn't blindingly obvious). In the meantime, Diablo devotees can go ahead and lay down their preorders.
Wikipad delayed on launch day, 'refined and upgraded bundles' to be announced soon
The upcoming Android gaming tablet Wikipad was set to launch today, but the company's representatives have sent along a statement from the development team (which you can read in full after the break) saying that the launch has been delayed. According to the statement, the device's release was moved in order to take advantage of a "last minute opportunity" to "ensure our first customers are completely satisfied with the Wikipad." Unfortunately, no new launch date has been set yet.The team says that it's working with GameStop on dealing with current pre-orders, and that anyone who's already pre-ordered the product will not only get the "refined and upgraded" bundle when it's eventually released, but "a special bonus gift" as well. Again, there's no indication when that might happen, so we'll just have to wait and see what Wikipad's plans are going forward.
Neo Geo X is still super boss, now comes in Limited Edition with an extra game
Nintendo's Wii U isn't the only gaming console launching this holiday -- portable Neo Geo hardware is arriving on December 6, and it's called the Neo Geo X. The somewhat pricey handheld is now available for pre-order, and incentivizing that pre-order is the promise of an extra game (ADK-developed fighting game Ninja Master), bringing the total of pre-loaded game software to 21 titles. This "limited edition" version still costs the same $200 that the normal version does, and it still comes with the same variety of supplementary hardware we've seen before (that $130 standalone remains date-less, sadly). For the full list of games in the LE, head past the break (spoilers: it's all the previously revealed 20 games, plus Ninja Master).
ASUS TAICHI 21 and VivoBook X202 go up for US pre-orders, spoil the party a bit early (update: VivoTab RT, too)
Just because ASUS has planned a grand October 23rd event to outline its US Windows 8 lineup doesn't mean we can't get an advance peek. Pre-orders have officially kicked off for at least two touchscreen PCs that also give us a very good feeling for the hardware we'll see at our doors. The dual-screened TAICHI 21 is naturally the star of the show, but it will cost you: a base version of the 11.6-inch hybrid with a 1.7GHz Core i5, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD starts at $1,300, while an uprated model with a 1.9GHz Core i7 and a 256GB SSD will set early adopters back by $1,600. We'd say the VivoBook X202 is more likely to get some purchases sight-unseen at $600 for an entry laptop with an 11.6-inch touchscreen, a 1.8GHz Core i3, 4GB of RAM and a conventional 500GB hard drive. Both of the systems should arrive in tandem with Windows 8's October 26th launch and compound the traffic jams for couriers and retailers on what could be a very busy day. [Thanks, Donny] Update: As Computerworld noticed, Newegg also has a pre-order listing for the VivoTab RT, which costs $599 in its lone 32GB configuration. It ships the same day as its bigger cousins.
Elon Musk says Tesla will be 'cash flow positive' soon, announces early repayment of DOE loan
After Tesla Motors' recent SEC filing painted a picture of production delays, revenue shortfalls and stock sales to raise cash, CEO Elon Musk has gone on the record to say everything's a-okay. The omnipresent executive said that "if the calendar were simply shifted a few weeks to the right" Tesla would have actually exceeded its vehicle delivery targets for the quarter, and said that the share release was merely held to mitigate risk from suppliers. He also claimed that the Department of Energy's request for early repayment was not a poor reflection of the EV maker's financial state, but actually a hearty endorsement -- the government branch expects Tesla to make loads of cash, and wants it to repay the loan early rather than hoarding it. As such, Musk announced the Model S builder had initiated its first early payment today and would pay off the principal loan prior to its March 2013 due date. We'll have to see if that's enough to keep the automaker's name out of any future presidential debates. [Image credit: Tesla Motors]
Tesla behind on Model S production goals, aims for extra cash with stock sale
Sure, topping off a Model S in 30 minutes with a Supercharger is awfully handy, but production delays of the sedan will keep some future owners away from quick charge times -- and most importantly -- their cars for a little while longer. In a freshly published filing with the US Securities Exchange and Commission, Tesla revealed that it hasn't reached its goal of producing 400 Model S vehicles a week, which places them four to five weeks behind their 2012 delivery expectations. To date, just 255 of the autos have rolled off the assembly line, 132 of which have made their way to new homes. According to the Palo Alto-based outfit, ramping up production has been slower than expected for a number of reasons, including supplier delays and taking a deliberately measured pace for quality assurance purposes. Before the year draws to a close, Musk and Co. anticipate meeting their goal of churning out 400 cars each week, and a total of 20,000 by the end of 2013. Currently, the automaker has racked up around 13,000 reservations and thinks it'll be working to fulfill even more throughout 2013. As a result of the manufacturing lag, the firm has slashed its revenue forecast by as much as $200 million, estimating it'll rake in anywhere from $400 million to $440 million this year. In an effort to add cash to its coffers, the company is putting up roughly 5 million shares of stock for sale. Who's buying, you say? Tesla mentioned its CEO Elon Musk is interested in putting down a cool million bucks.
Nintendo Wii U now available to pre-order in the UK from Amazon
People here in the US of A have been able to pre-order Nintendo's latest gaming console since shortly after the Japanese company wrapped up its NYC event yesterday, and now it's time for UK folks to do the same -- at least through Amazon. The online retail giant's now offering both the Basic and Premium units on its site for £249 and £299, respectively, or there is also a top-of-the-line bundle which includes ZombieU that's priced at £329. Regardless of the Wii U route you choose to take, be sure to mark November 30th on your calendar as the date to expect that trademark brown box to show up at your doorstep.
PSA: iPhone 5 pre-orders kick off on September 14th at 3:01AM ET
Ready to hop on the iPhone 5 bandwagon after tuning into yesterday's unveiling? Keep an eye on the clock and pull out a credit card, because Apple, AT&T, Sprint and Verizon will kick off online pre-orders tomorrow at 3:01AM (or at 12:01AM PT for folks on the West Coast). Sixth generation iPhones begin shipping on September 21st and start at $199.99 for 16GB models bound to two-year contracts. Those who relish a healthy dose of suspense can always test the hand of fate -- and retail availability -- by visiting Apple's brick-and-mortar establishments at 8AM on launch day.
