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Sell your soul to pre-order a British PS3
U.K. online retailer Play.com has made the PS3 available for pre-order in a bundle with three games, pushing the price up to £549.99 which, for a game console, is very near the "I'd have to sell my soul to get one" boundary. The real cheek is that the company doesn't guarantee that they'll be able to ship the console to you before Christmas "due to an expected European shortage of the PS3." On top of that, the three game bundle of Formula One '06, Warhawk and Singstar "may be changed, subject to availability." We realize that these kind of bundles and disclaimers are the norm with console pre-orders, but if you convert this figure to dollars ($1,019.73) and compare it to similar deals for the Xbox 360 that we previously considered outrageous ($1,200 got you an Xbox 360 with 11 games and several accessories not too long ago), you get a good perspective on the difficult situation that Sony has put itself into by setting such a high sticker price. If the first pre-order bundle in the UK comes in at over half a grand, what can we expect from retailers in the weeks before the launch? I really don't want to be forced to sell my little sister's soul too.[Via T3]
BestBuy.com is selling PS3 games also
BestBuy.com isn't just offering Wii titles for an unconfirmed price with unconfirmed release dates. Nope, they've set up shop offering nine PS3 titles for pre-order. The purported launch titles include: Devil May Cry IV, Final Fantasy VII, Indiana Jones, Killzone 2, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Medal of Honor: Airborne, Resident Evil 5, Tekken 6, and WWE Smackdown! Vs. Raw 2007.Now, we don't have to remind you that retailers are a notoriously unreliable source of accurate information regarding launch dates and prices. Some of their Wii titles have already been confirmed as not being launch titles, but there they are. That said, what can we extract from this list: $60 prices, in line with the Xbox 360 and higher than Nintendo's status quo $50 price; $60 for Sony-published titles like Killzone 2, unlike Microsoft's lower $50 price; and Final Fantasy VII?! That wasn't just a tech-demo?At least with BestBuy.com, they're not going after the nice interest-free loan most retailers do. According to their pre-order FAQ:Q: When will I be charged?A: You will not be charged at the time you place the pre-order. Only when your item ships will your credit card be charged. If you order additional items along with your pre-order, you will be charged for each item as it ships.Still not sure why you'd want to pre-order software months before we know anything, but it's your future-money. Pre-order madness:PS3 titles listed for Oct. 1st and ready for pre-orderMore Revolution pre-release madness from GameStopZelda Revolution: wishful thinking or calculated scam?Halo 3 on pre-sale[Via Engadget]
Best Buy also has PS3 games for pre-order
What, you thought Best Buy liked Nintendo better than Sony? Never one to play favorites (except to customers who buy those shady warranties), the big-box retail giant has also put some tantalizing PS3 titles up for pre-order to join the Wii games we saw the other day. Like the Wii listings, the PS3 titles also cite December 1st as a release date -- probably just a placeholder -- although the $60 prices are more in line with Xbox 360 games than the $50 Nintendo will be charging for its discs. Among the nine titles online are classic franchise sequels such as Resident Evil 5, Tekken 6, and Devil May Cry 4, along with Indiana Jones, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, and Smackdown Vs. Raw 2007, but the lack of details or screenshots on Best Buy's site means you're better off skipping the Read link and heading straight over to Joystiq if you have any interest in these games.[Thanks, khrokon]
Australia receives impressive pre-order bonus
Oh, the jealousy. Those lucky Wii-lovin' gamers in Australia can pick up one doozy of a pre-order bonus from none other than Toys R' Us: put down at least $50 on your future Wii console and you'll be treated to a free game. Details are still a bit scarce; it's unknown whether or not you'll get to choose the game, or what the price of said game might be, but who would turn down such a beautiful offer?One must wonder if similar deals might be arriving stateside in the coming months. Oh please please please please please.
BestBuy.com wants your Wii gaming loot now
Got some money you feel like letting a giant corporation -- one with a lackluster record when it comes to gaming -- have in exchange for ... well, their word? Big box behemoth Best Buy's online counterpart would be just thrilled to take your $49.99 per game in exchange for them holding a copy of the mass produced merch when it's released. One can make the case for pre-ordering and reserving consoles -- despite how badly gaming retailers FUBARed their 360 allocations last year -- but software? C'mon! With the exception of Red Steel, those aren't even launch titles! Nintendo's even said Brawl won't be out until "after the turn of the year." Sure, BestBuy.com looks a little sleazy, but if folks are willing to part with their loot for little more than the promise of something that hasn't been dated or priced, who can blame them? Get rich quick scheme #42: open online gaming shop, take pre-orders for Metal Gear Solid 5, retire!Buy early, buy often:PS3 titles listed for Oct. 1st and ready for pre-orderMore Revolution pre-release madness from GameStopZelda Revolution: wishful thinking or calculated scam?Halo 3 on pre-sale[Via Engadget]
BestBuy.com has Wii games available for pre-order
The kind folks at Best Buy have pulled off the shadester move of the week, and are offering Nintendo Wii games for "pre-order." Right now they have Red Steel, Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl available for pre-order, with a supposed release date of 12/01/2006. All three titles are priced at $49.99. The odd thing about it is that the two first party games, Mario and Smash Bros., aren't even slated as launch titles, not to mention the fact that releasing a console 8 days after Thanksgiving is a bit silly. We're sure these are just placeholders for now, to get your bucks early (like those crazy Xbox 360 bundle schemes), and actual details will be filled in with time. Those dang capitalists.[Thanks, David M.]
Samsung's BD-P1000 goes on pre-order
Well, it's officially late May, meaning it's not at all surprising that the Samsung BD-P1000, which was delayed until late June, is starting to show up online for pre-order. We obviously don't yet have any hard ship dates from Sammy themselves, but if you were ready and rearin' to plunk down your $999.99 out of spite for your friends who've already had their Toshiba HD-A1 HD DVD player (which goes for $500 or less online), get out your wallet, son, it's time to do this.[Via I4U]
Sony's AR Blu-ray Vaio laptop goes on pre-sale
Watch out Canadia, looks like Sony's about to drop their 17-inch AR series Blu-ray equipped powerhouse laptop on y'all without any signs of remorse or goodwill for your credit card debt. The AR190 will feature a Core Duo T2500 2GHz CPU, 17.8-inch 1920 x 1200 XBRITE display, dual 100GB RAID 0 drives, 1GB RAM, 256MB GeForce Go 7600GT, VGA, S-Video, and HDMI out (presumably with HDCP), (external?) NTSC tuner, 802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth, webcam, Memory Stick, ExpressCard54, and PC card slots, and, of course, that Blu-ray, DVD, and CD reader / writer this thing's here to deliver. You won't often hear us say this about a Sony laptop, but the $4,000 Canadian ($3,600 US) they're asking actually seems like a pretty decent deal, considering.[Via Notebook Review]
Have Mario send your mail (via stamps from Japan)
Sure, old Mario has been known to paint, play professional sports, and even do some actual plumbing work on occasion, but he'll soon be able to power your mail through the postal service in the Far East.10-stamp sheets of 80 Yen stamps are now available for pre-order in Japan, where gaming otakus will soon be able to adorn their snail mail with the likes of goombas, magic mushrooms, and mustachioed men. The set will be out next month.Has the government of a country like the US ever done anything this official to honor one of the icons of gaming? Perhaps when we have avid gaming advocates in Congress -- or even, dare we say, in the White House -- things will look a little different with game legislation proposals and the postage of unwanted junk mail.[Via GameBrink]See also: French stamps to feature video game icons (Super) Mario Bros. question mark and POW block speakers
How to score a 2nd-shipment DS Lite in Japan: wait & run
Nintendo's dual-screened portable is in high demand over in Japan right now, and this video goes to show what lengths must be taken to obtain the redesigned DS in its Lite form overseas.Granted, it might be as easy (as presented here) as hanging out less than an hour before a Saturday morning store opening, but there's a lot more running involved after the doors open than might be first imagined.360 launch veterans are well aware of how many frigid hours might be required to get a taste of the next generation this fall (sans pre-orders), but how would you deal if the only unit left in stock were pink--if pink's not the way you swing? We eagerly await the day(s) when we can pre-order the next gen and be done with this retail-rushing nonsense.[Thanks, InfectedZero]See also: Official Yamato Damacy page w/a few more video formats you can use DS lite import pricing meets supply and demand Nintendo DS Lite second look [with lots of comparisons to the old DS]
