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Pre-order your PlayStation VR core bundle at 10AM ET
Already have the camera and controllers you need to make full use of PlayStation VR? Your moment is at hand: as of 10AM Eastern Time today, March 29th, you can pre-order the PlayStation VR core system ahead of its October launch. Plunk down $400 and you'll get the headset, a demo disc and nothing else. Sony has warned that hardware is likely to sell out quickly, so you'll probably want to move fast if you're bent on trying the PlayStation 4's VR experience as quickly as possible.
Pre-order the first Ubuntu Linux tablet
If you've been talking a lot about using Ubuntu Linux away from your PC -- or using a mobile device as your PC -- you now get to put your money where your mouth is. BQ has started taking pre-orders for both the HD and full HD versions of the Aquarius M10, the first official Ubuntu tablet. Shell out a respective €259 ($289) or €299 ($335) and you'll get a 10-inch slate using Canonical's open source software, which can switch to a desktop PC mode when you attach an external display, keyboard and mouse.
You can now pre-order HTC's Vive VR headset for $799
If you passed on the Oculus Rift because you're dead set on owning HTC's Vive VR headset, your time has now come. The company has just opened pre-orders for the $799 bundle (€899 in Europe and £689 in the UK), which includes the Vive headset, two wand controllers, a couple of room scale movement sensors and three VR titles.
HTC Vive pre-orders open February 29th
If you've been jonesing to try HTC's room-focused take on virtual reality, the Vive, you won't have to wait long to plunk down some cash. Following a tease late last year, HTC has confirmed that pre-orders for its VR headset will begin on February 29th. There's still no mention of the price you'll pay when the device ships in April, although the recent Oculus Rift sticker shock is a reminder that the Vive probably won't come cheap. And we'd add that the biggest obstacle isn't necessarily the cost. For this to work, you'll need both a sufficiently beefy PC and a room large enough to wander through virtual worlds. If you have the funds and free space, though, you now have a firm date to put on your calendar.
Samsung's improved Gear VR is available for pre-order
Samsung said its improved, cheaper Gear VR would arrive sometime in November, and it's clearly making good on its promise. Best Buy has started taking pre-orders for the virtual reality headset -- plunk down $100 and you should get your Gear VR on November 20th. It's not quite as low-cost as it sounds, since you'll need one of Samsung's 2015 flagship phones (such as a Galaxy S6 variant or the Galaxy Note 5) to make it work. Still, it might be worth the investment if you've been itching to try modern VR at home.
You can now pre-order the Pebble Time smartwatch for $200
If you missed out on nabbing a Pebble Time smartwatch through the company's Kickstarter campaign, now's your chance to order one. The wearable is available for pre-order starting today for $200 through Best Buy in the US and in Pebble's online store if you live outside of the States. While the company says exact shipping dates and in-store sales are still in the works, Best Buy product pages indicate that your Time should arrive by July 20th -- if you order today, of course. The smartchwatch is available in three colors (black, white and red), and if you're looking for a certain hue, all three options are available in both stores. Still on the fence about splurging for one? Read through our full review for all the detailed info.
Pebble Time's regular pre-orders start on June 22nd
If you missed out on Pebble Time's crowdfunding campaign and won't get one of the early units shipping today, you now have a date to mark on your calendar: Pebble has revealed that it's going to start regular pre-orders for the color smartwatch on June 22nd. That'll leave you waiting quite a while before you can even buy the $199 wearable, but you'll at least get a more polished device for your trouble. Pebble is promising an update that lets iPhone users dictate replies to Gmail messages, so you'll have one less reason to pull your handset out of your pocket.
The Faraday Porteur e-bike can finally be yours for $3,500
Our very own editor-in-chief took a ride on Faraday's dapper Porteur e-bike back in 2012, and now, you can nab one of your own. The company is taking orders for its $3,500 electric bicycle that began as an award-winning concept before Kickstarter backers turned it into a real product. If you'll recall, those tubes house lithium-ion batteries powering an electric motor capable of up to 20 miles before needing a charge. The Porteur comes in your choice of British Racing Green or Classic White with small, medium and large sizes (depending on your height). If you're looking for some accessories to help with light loads, a front rack will set you back an additional $225 and the rear rack is priced at $125. Ready to commit? You can do just that right here, or if you're in the San Francisco area, you may want to schedule a test ride first.
Pre-orders for Marvel Heroes' Winter Soldier are now open
After years of being mostly notable for being supposedly dead, Bucky Barnes turns out to have actually been kept alive as an elite assassin known as the Winter Soldier. You know, as comics do. The important things to note about the character for our purposes are the fact that he's coming to Marvel Heroes and you can pre-order him right now. You can also hear David Hayter voicing him as a closely related cousin of Solid Snake in the video past the cut, but that probably shouldn't influence your purchase. The hero pack is at a 10% discount before the character is released and includes the character himself, two costumes for Bucky (comic and MCU incarnations), an extra hero-specific inventory, six Fortune cards, and a retcon token. With the discount, it's just a hair over $16; if that sounds like a bargain for playing a mildly psychotic unfrozen Hydra assassin, you can pick it up now.
Grand Theft Auto 5 pre-orders go live with free game offer
Pre-order the digital version of Grand Theft Auto 5 for PC via Rockstar starting today and get some free goodies – GTA$500,000 to spend in the game's Story Mode and GTA$500,000 to spend in Grand Theft Auto Online. Plus, through February 1, get an extra GTA$300,000 for Online, plus a free game from a list including Max Payne 3, LA Noire, Bully, and Grand Theft Auto 4, 3, San Andreas, Vice City and Liberty City. Here's how pre-orders and that free-game deal work out: "Upon checkout, a non-refundable 15 percent deposit will be charged and the free game code will be immediately provided. Once Grand Theft Auto 5 is released, the remaining amount will be charged and the activation code for Grand Theft Auto 5 on PC will be provided via email." Grand Theft Auto 5 is due out on PC on March 24, a delay from its initial January release date. See PC requirements here. [Image: Take-Two]
Fourth Evolve monster granted with pre-orders or separate purchase
Turtle Rock Studios' four-versus-one multiplayer shooter Evolve will receive a number of add-ons following the game's launch in February. For $25, the game's Hunting Season Pass will introduce four new playable hunters this spring, one for each class in the game. Each hunter will also be available for purchase for $7.49 each. Season pass holders will also get exclusive access to three monster skins at Evolve's launch: Magma Goliath, Magma Kraken and Magma Wraith. Turtle Rock Studios also revealed the Behemoth, a fourth playable "tank of a monster" that transforms into a rolling boulder, available this spring for $15. The Behemoth will also be part of the Monster Expansion Pack, a bonus for those that pre-order or pre-purchase Evolve. That expansion pack itself features a free Savage Goliath skin at the game's launch. Additionally, the developer revealed two special edition versions of the game today, each available for pre-purchase. Evolve's Digital Deluxe Edition features the monster-slaying game, its season pass and the Monster Expansion Pack for $80, available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. PC players get a special collector's edition to themselves as well: Evolve's $100 PC Monster Race Edition features the same goodies as the Digital Deluxe Edition as well as a fifth monster, two hunters and four monster skins that will be exclusive to PC Monster Race Edition players for 30 days. Evolve will launch on February 10 and is available to pre-download starting today on Xbox One. While you can find a new trailer for the game to showcase the Behemoth after the break, stay tuned to Joystiq Streams at 4:00 p.m. ET today for a livestream of Evolve in action. [Image: 2K Games]
Halo 5 kicks off multiplayer beta today
Halo 5: Guardians launched its multiplayer beta program today, Microsoft announced. The beta phase was originally planned to arrive a few days ago, but is now scheduled to run through January 18. The program was announced during the publisher's E3 2014 press conference in June and is open to those that purchased Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Additionally, Microsoft unveiled the bonuses goodies coming to those that pre-order one of the various editions of Halo 5 starting today. The $60 standard version of the game includes an exclusive poster, whereas the $100 Limited Edition includes the poster and adds "exclusive items" in a steel book case as well as bonus digital content for the game. Halo 5's Limited Collector's Edition features everything in the other two versions and adds in commemorative statue signed by 343 Industries. Halo 5 is slated to launch in fall 2015. Those missing out on the beta program can watch our archived stream of the game from earlier this month. [Image: Microsoft]
Toys R Us: Lucario amiibo pre-orders not being canceled
Numerous Toys R Us customers received emails from the retailer this morning, seemingly canceling their pre-orders for the Lucario amiibo figure. As a Toys R Us spokesperson told Joystiq in a phone conversation today, the emails were part of a "technical issue," and pre-orders for the figure will not be canceled. Toys R Us added via email, "we apologize for any inconvenience that may have been caused pertaining to customers' amiibo pre-orders. Please know that we are working on an email communication to all customers effected, which will provide instructions on how we plan to fulfill their order." The Lucario amiibo was revealed in November as a Toys R Us-exclusive figure, though the retailer's listing for the figure is currently missing from its storefront. Toys R Us was unable to offer specific inventory data for amiibo, but assured that the issue was unrelated to its supply of the figures.
Warhammer Quest announced for Steam, arrives in January
Warhammer Quest will receive a PC, Mac and Linux version early next year, Rodeo Games announced. The strategy game based on Game Workshop's original 1995 board game will launch on Steam on January 7, 2015. The video game adaptation of Warhammer Quest was introduced in May 2013 on iPhone and iPad, where it is still available for $5. Set in the popular Warhammer universe the game features turn-based tactical RPG action with dungeon exploration. The Steam version will be available at two different pricing tiers: The standard edition begins at $15 (£11 / €15) and features three areas in the game as well as the "Vampire and Zombie" content pack. Players can also opt for the Deluxe edition for $30 (£20 / €28), which includes all the goodies from the standard edition plus "more than $27 (£19 / €25) of additional extras." Those that purchase Warhammer Quest on Steam before January 7 will get a 20 percent discount ($12, $24 for the Deluxe edition). [Image: Rodeo Games]
We're paying for broken games, and it's unacceptable
There was a time when you bought a game, pulled it out of the box, popped it into your device of choice, and that was it. In today's video game industry, however, a single game isn't even the end product. Now we have downloadable content and expansion packs – and don't forget to buy the season pass so you get it all for a nominal discount. Never mind just pre-ordering your games either, now we can pre-load them, guaranteeing access the very second a game becomes available. And the pre-order bonuses, bestowing us with trivial costumes or weapons, or maybe even some extra levels that will inevitably be sold after launch, despite being billed as pre-order "exclusives." Even without these premium additions, the game you bring home isn't the static creative work it once was. Developers and publishers are free to update their games now, patching out unforeseen problems or even adding fan-requested improvements. It's good that issues can be resolved, but the darker side of this is the now infamous "Day 1 Patch." These crucial updates are applied on launch day, providing fixes so last-minute that they couldn't make it onto the discs before they were pressed (or even onto the downloadable code, for that matter). The implication of the Day 1 Patch, of course, is that the game in the box, or sitting in your Steam download queue, isn't actually finished. The troubling part, as 2014 has proven, is that even after you've applied that patch, you can still wind up with a broken game. Not only that, but if the marketing has done its job, you have a broken game for which you have already purchased additional content. Maybe you paid a little extra for a special edition. You're a savvy shopper, so you saved five bucks on future DLC with a season pass. In today's climate, it's easy to plunk down $100 on a game before you've played a single minute of it. If said game doesn't work, all you've got is a fancy SteelBook case, a useless download token for DLC and maybe a plastic tchotchke for your desk. And that's assuming you didn't pre-order digitally, in which case all you have is a broken game and no hope of a refund.
Pre-orders for 20th anniversary limited edition PS4 now live [Update: It's gone]
You can now pre-order Sony's limited edition PlayStation 4 designed to celebrate the PlayStation brand's 20th anniversary by heading to Sony's online store and throwing down $500. Better hurry though, as there are only 12,300 of these special gray consoles to be purchased, and we imagine enthusiasm for such an item will run high. Update: Well, that didn't take long. Less than 12 hours after pre-orders went live, the entirety of the 20th Anniversary Edition PS4 stock has been claimed. [Image: Sony]
The curious case of the disappearing Nexus 6
For a moment the page changes, the default "out of stock" message replaced by an estimated shipping date. Quickly, you move your cursor across the screen and hit the order button, only to discover the device is no longer available. You close the tab. Better to try again later. This is the frustration many Brits have experienced trying to order a Nexus 6 from the Google Play store. One model (32GB, Midnight Blue) has been available there for just a few fleeting moments, allowing only the most eagle-eyed customers to complete a reservation. The rest have had to wait, or consider buying a unit from elsewhere.
Google's Nexus 6 is now available to pre-order in the UK
It's been a little over a month since the Nexus 6 was unveiled, and now the super-sized Android smartphone is nearly ready to make its UK debut. The 32GB 'Midnight Blue' model is now available to pre-order from Amazon, or you can reserve one through Vodafone on new contracts starting at £39.50 per month. (The carrier is also throwing in a free Moto 360 with the first 500 orders, so act fast and you might be able to snag a matching timepiece.) Alternatively, you can pre-order the smartphone on Carphone Warehouse's site for £499 (32GB) or £550 (64GB) off-contract, or with a new monthly plan with Vodafone, O2 and EE.
Blackberry fans line up here: pre-orders for the new Classic are open
Platform loyal BBM addicts have a new device to consider -- other than the Passport -- now that Blackberry is taking pre-orders for its upcoming phone. The Classic (aka Q20) brings the design, keyboard and trackpad users are used to, plus a large square touch screen, the latest version of BlackBerry OS and support for Android apps. Currently only a GSM version is available (no Verizon, Sprint or US Cellular support here) in the US for $450 and shipments are expected to start in mid-December. Oddly, BlackBerry hasn't revealed more details or specs about the phone, but those should be revealed closer to its release. Our best look at the phone came from this leak, feel free to take a look back before deciding to whether to place an order.
Super Smash Bros. pre-loads on Wii U next Tuesday
As announced in late October, digital pre-loading on Wii U will start with the home console version of Super Smash Bros. Nintendo recently elaborated on how the pre-loading service will work for the upcoming fighting game. Starting on Tuesday, November 18, Nintendo will send a download code to those that pre-ordered the game through its online store. Redeeming the code will allow players to download most of Super Smash Bros. to their Wii U systems right away. Starting at 12:00 a.m. ET on the day of its official launch, Friday, November 21, a small update will be available to download that unlocks the game. Alternatively, players will be able to complete the same process by purchasing Super Smash Bros. for Wii U from the system's eShop directly, or by obtaining a download code from another retailer. Pre-orders for Super Smash Bros. surpassed that of Mario Kart 8 according to Nintendo, which expects "the impact on hardware will be similarly dramatic" to that of Smash. [Image: Nintendo]
