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Walmart's Zunes, now with more porn?
It's not the first time, nor the last, that people will find porn on (supposedly) new or recycled consumer electronics. This time it happened to a family in Southside Chicago who purchased Microsoft's Zune from the local Walmart for their 12 year-old daughter. The daughter, who says the box looked like it had been opened (the charger was missing) discovered that her player contained porn. When confronted, the Walmart store manager initially blamed Microsoft for the pre-load. Later, a Walmart spokesman said they would investigate the matter and provide the couple with a full refund plus a $25 gift card -- presumably to pick up a copy of "My Two Daddies" to help the mother explain to her daughter why the "5 men were having sex with each other." Uh, "join the social" Microsoft? [Thanks Justin, and everyone who sent this in]Read (video link)
Buy a 360 at Wal-Mart, get a $50 gift card
Just a quick tip for holiday shoppers. If you buy a Premium 360 from Wal-Mart (in store only) you will receive a $50 gift card. This will come in handy if you'd like to get an actual game for your 360 recipient to play. Granted $50 dollars won't really get you many 360 games, but it will at least deal with the bulk of the price. Hey, it's no Micro Center $200 monster rebate, but at least it's instant. You'd better hurry, though, the offer is only valid through tomorrow, Sunday, December 10. Anybody else out there spot a killer deal on 360 systems, games, or accessories? Send us a tip and we'll post 'em.[Thanks, Anonymous Rep]
Walmart Video Download Follow-Up
The Walmart/Superman FAQ just went live and here are a few more facts to follow on our earlier story. The "portable format" will use PlayForSure. The "standard format" will be 640x480 at approximately 1500 kbps and will occupy about a gigabyte of storage. You can't transfer the videos between computers. There's no Mac support whatsoever. There's no iPod support whatsoever. There's no Zune support whatsoever. Playback depends on Windows Media Player 10 or higher. Oh well. As Emily Litella would say, nevermind...
Walmart offers innovative movie download option
Soon, when you go to Walmart and buy a (physical) DVD, you'll be greeted with a new option. For $1.97 more, you can download a digital version of that movie compatible with portable devices. For $2.97, you can buy a higher quality version, suitable for PCs. Or you can get both add-ons for $3.97. Of course, a lot of you right now are going "You are so farking kidding me, right? Buy a DVD and then buy a digital download on top of that?" Yes, I know, I know. Handbrake, yaddi yaddi yaddi. Remember that recent Library of Congress/Copyright Office ruling? For two bucks, you can put your movie on a portable player and not worry about breaking CSS. The first DVD to offer this feature will be Superman Returns. The DVD will ship with a "video download feature sticker" on the cover. After purchase, customers will have to log onto walmart.com/superman and then go through some registration and (I suppose) affidavit rigmarole before downloading the digital version. At this time, it's unclear what the download format will be (the smart money is on MPEG-4) and whether it will play on iPods.
Black Friday deals: get a PSP for only $150! [Update 1]
Cheapassgamer has rounded up the deals you can get today on Black Friday. So, get off the bed, ignore the tryptophan, and start shopping, like a true American. Here are some of the PSP deals:AmazonPSP system only $170. With free shipping.Circuit CityGrand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories for only $30. That's $20 less than MSRP!Free Pelican kit with purchase of PSP.ATV Offroad, Ape Escape, Infected and Hot Shots Golf are all $10 each.Pirates of the Caribbean 2 is only $17.Wal-MartGrand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories for only $15.PSP system only $170. That's $30 less than MSRP!MeijerPSP system only $150. That's $50 less than MSRP!
PS3 launch shipments restricted to top 5 retailers?
According to a memo obtained by GameDaily BIZ from smaller video game chain Rhino Video Games, Sony has "decided to limit the supply of hardware (systems and accessories) to its top five volume retailers (Wal-Mart, Target, etc.)" on the November 17 launch day. However, we know of at least seven major retailers receiving PlayStation 3 units on launch day. In addition to Target and Wal-Mart, we know GameStop / EB Games, Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears and Toys 'R' Us are having PS3s on launch day. We know supplies will be very limited and GameStop won't be fulfilling all of its PS3 pre-orders (already conservative figures).That smaller retail chains will not have PS3s on launch day is not that surprising, but only the "top five retailers" is wrong and makes the memo a bit suspect. Rhino Video Games will not be getting PS3s on launch day -- a fact reaffirmed on its website -- the rest is not true. Rest assured, there will be PS3s for sale at all retailers by the end of 2007. We hope.
Is Wal*Mart sold out of the PS3 online bundle?
Quite a few of you have sent this in -- the Wal*Mart PS3 bundle. For a meager price of $1,421.98, you can get your hands on a brand new PS3, an extra SIXAXIS, memory card adaptor, your choice of 12 PS3 launch titles, and 2 Blu-ray movies of your choice. Think that's utterly ridiculous? Apparently not. Rumors are that the bundle has sold out -- thus the out of stock warning.But... has it sold out? One could argue that they will say they have none in stock until, well, they're allowed to sell the system. If that is the case, could this price be far too much for any mortal to stomach? Also to question: how many of the PS3's will they be selling in this bundle? All of them? Maybe just the 60GB model? That would be awful. There's not really much more to say about this, so we'll leave further discussion in your hands -- too expensive? Sold out? Not sold out? Only 60GB model? Geez, let's just go camp out at Wal*Mart. Actually, I'll do you one better. I'm going to call the store near me and see what's going on. I'll let you all know what I find out later today.[thanks to all those who sent this in!]
Walmart.com taking Wii bundle pre-orders... for now [update 1]
[Update: Not three minutes after this post went up, the site listed the systems as out of stock. Hope some of you were lucky enough to get in there.]We just got a tip that Walmart.com is taking pre-orders for the Nintendo Wii, as long as you choose eight launch games to go along with it. The $648.38 bundle is likely to go fast, as the similar, 12-game $1421.98 PS3 bundle is already sold out. We're not trying to whip anyone into a state of consumer-oriented frenzy or anything, but if you're still looking to guarantee a launch day Wii, this might be a good opportunity.[Thanks Kevin Whipps]
The official word on what's going down at Wal-Mart
Joystiq has managed to confirm with Wal-Mart corporate that a midnight Wii launch is definitely happening and much of what Joystiq previously reported was true. Corporate says they are not currently accepting online pre-orders due to the demand for the console. So, we suggest you show up as early as you can to your Wal-Mart and get a ticket Saturday night at 10pm.
Premium 360 bundles at Wal-Mart
Word on the street is that Wal-Mart is offering exclusive Xbox 360 premium consoles bundled with a free game for the same premium price of $399. The discount superstore is selling two bundles; one includes a free copy of MotoGP 06 and the other includes Burnout Revenge. The odd thing is my local Wal-Mart doesn't have these special bundles in stock, so can someone confirm that these are actually available? [Thanks, Gregory C.]
Wal-Mart Wii-order mania [update 2]
Wal-Mart's Wii pre-orders, despite coming with a ridiculous four game (!) bundle, apparently came and went in the space of a heartbeat. Tipsters have told Wii Fanboy that though they signed up for a newsletter or notification e-mail, nothing arrived ... so unless you were one of the lucky ones who got one, or you were camping Wal-Mart's site, odds are you didn't snag one of these pricey bundles. There is, however, the possibility of a light at the end of this tunnel. At this time, we have not located anyone who actually obtained one of the bundles, and there is some question as to whether or not they even went on sale. Most of the people we've talked to who were camping the preorder got a big nothing. In the interest of getting the whole story (including how many units they had available for this), we've put in a call to Wal-Mart, but in the meantime, if you got one or know someone who did, we'd love to hear about it. We'll update you as the information comes in. It certainly looks like they really did sell out -- the main page at Walmart.com is advertising the pre-orders and the actual page is reporting them as out of stock ... but where are the lucky folks who got one, if that's the case?Dislike forced bundles? Who doesn't! But word is that after the Xbox 360 launch (which featured another enormous bundle at Wal-Mart), buyers had little trouble returning unwanted items for a refund. That takes some pain out of the bundle, if there's a repeat of that policy this year ....[Thanks to everyone who's been sending this in!][Update 1: Now seeing a few posts on forums from people who say they got one (where are the screencaps of evidence, guys?), but still waiting to hear back from Wal-Mart rep on veracity and number of units.][Update 2: Reader WedgeTalon forwarded us the text of an e-mail posted at Cheap Ass Gamer (it's somewhere in the 20+ page thread, we expect), and we quote this line only: Amount Charged to Your Credit Card: $ 597.66. Ouch! Looks like the two minutes of preorders did go down -- now we have to hope for the callback from Wal-Mart verifying number of units.]
Wii buyer's guide courtesy of Wal-Mart
One blogger was traversing the aisles of his local Wal-Mart when he stumbled upon a booklet. Upon further inspection, he saw the book was a buyer's guide focusing on what the Wii is and what it has to offer. Coming in at a whopping 30+ pages, the guide features educational facts on the Wii, game profiles, and an interview with ass-kicking, name-taking extraordinaire Reggie Fils-Aime. Should we expect this marketing strategy to work? Will shoppers actually stop to give the Wii the time of day? Regardless, we're all for the corporate giant pimping the Wii.[Via Go Nintendo]
Wal-Mart to use infrared to track shoppers / promotions
As if its insanely coordinated logistics system, biometric payment system, and (potential) RFID shelving weren't eerie enough, America's largest retailer is taking consumer voyeurism one step further with the use of infrared technology. In an apparent attempt to avoid the taboo "RFID" flavor of intrusion, Wal-Mart is hoping to sneak an IR system into its stores to gauge the effectiveness (and elicit more advertising dollars, of course) of its various promotions. Dubbed Prism, the arguably dodgy system was crafted by Coca-Cola, Kelloggs, Kroger, Procter & Gamble, Walgreens, and Disney in order to "track shoppers' movements around the store" and correlate them with actual sales in order to judge display effectiveness. The consortium of firms has coaxed the corporate giant to install a trial system in ten of its SuperCenters, with a much broader rollout expected to follow soon; so when making that mad dash to the Tickle Me Elmo eXtreme (or bathroom supplies) section, just remember that Big Brother could be keenly watching.[Via TechDirt]
Rumor: Wal-mart considers Wii dangerous?
Tipsters, whether they submit to Joystiq or one of the excellent Nintendo Fanboy blogs, usually are a breed unmatched. Willing to submit news and following the blogs much like a detective monitors a murder suspect, they are ever-vigilant in their quest to find and submit all news. Such a news tipsters spends his days as an employee at Wal-mart, a kind of double-life we imagine an extra-terrestrial super-hero or millionaire vigilante might live. During his off-hours, working at his store, this tipster commented that his higher-ups informed him that Wal-mart would not be receiving any Wii demo kiosks later this year for fear of "our shoppers being awakened from their brain-dead, zombie-like state and rebelling against us, their low-cost, reassuring overlords." No, wait that's wrong. What he really said was the company had a "fear of some kid getting hurt or injuring others in the process of flailing his arms around." Last time we checked, that's all kids do (besides crying in restaurants and ruining the experience at the movie theater).Joystiq tried to get a comment from someone at Wal-mart, only to never hear back from them and received the obligatory "we do not respond to rumors" response from Nintendo on the matter. [Thanks Nushio; via Joystiq]
Rumor: Wal-Mart wii-ly concerned for the children
Wal-Mart's electronics department layout does not have an allotment of space to demo the Nintendo Wii for the fourth quarter. Our tipster says that after asking for greater details as to why they wouldn't be installing any Wii demo units, he was told by his manager that they had "fear of some kid getting hurt or injuring others in the process of flailing his arms around."Although "Nintendo doesn't comment on rumors" and Wal-Mart corporate hasn't answered our query, after calling numerous Wal-Marts across the country, we have confirmed that it is true that the Wii is not part of the Q4 layout.Did Wal-Mart executives decide that the Wii was just too dangerous to demo in its stores? Is Sony paying off the world's largest retailer in an attempt to sway consumer mind-share when shopping?Doesn't look that way. Although Nintendo and Wal-Mart won't talk, employees from various Wal-Marts have stated that they expect to get their Wii demo units in for Q1 2007 and believe it was a timing issue. They did stress that although they will not be demoing the unit, they will certainly have the Wii for sale at launch in November.[Thanks Ben]
Wal-Mart bullying Hollywood over iTS movie downloads?
Today's edition of 'yes they did/no they didn't' is brought to you by Wal-Mart, the New York Post and Reuters. As we knew, Wal-Mart is the largest DVD retailer (at least in America), with 40% of the market. Obviously, a player with that large of a stake in the game might not be too happy when a music download service with as much momentum as the iTunes Store announces movie downloads, and the New York Post printed a piece confirming just as much. According to the Post, Wal-Mart returned "cases and cases" of DVDs to Disney after suffering a panic attack over word of the iTS. Never one to stop at throwing product back in just one client's face, Wal-Mart then went on to throw a temper tantrum at the Hollywood studios, "overtly threatened to retaliate" by ordering fewer movies if they shook hands with the iTS. One has to wonder what happens when Wal-Mart doesn't get ice cream for desert.On the other side of this coin, however, Reuters printed comments from a Wal-Mart spokeswoman, saying "we are not dissuading studios from conducting business with other providers." Setting aside the discussion of who competition truly benefits, a Disney spokeswoman also stated she was not familiar with the NYP claims, though Reuters failed to mention whether this spokeswoman has anything to do with the shipping department.It's a twisted web these players are weaving, and we'll (do our best to) stay on top of who's saying what.[via Engadget]
Wal-Mart to advertise HDTVs on Monday Night Football
When the HDTV buying bug comes around and bits ya, do you think "Man, I need to head down to Wal-Mart to check out the latest HDTVs -- plus, they have my favorite fruit snacks on sale." Wal-Mart is hoping that with a little bit of advertising targeting the Monday Night Football crowd that eventually someone will. The big giant massive box retailer is going to try to throw their giant weight around and force their way into the HDTV arena currently owned by Best Buy and Circuit City. Will it work? Yup. They did the same thing a few years ago when they over took Toys-R-Us as the number one retailer of children's toys. We don't think many of our readers descend down to the sub-culture of Wal-Mart to buy an HDTV but many of their current shoppers will.Would you buy an HDTV at Wal-Mart?
iTMS movie downloads in September - but only one studio on board so far?
The rumors are flying even faster in the last couple days that movies could appear in the iTMS as early as September. We're hearing that Apple might have an event planned in San Francisco for Sept. 12th, where they could announce iTMS movies, or simply a $300 leather case for their $350 iPod Hi-Fi. Curiously, Business Week is running an article about opposition against iTMS movies from Wal-Mart, of all companies (turns out they're the largest DVD retailer with 40% of the market). Business Week also mentions that Apple only has one studio signed on so far - Disney (of course) - though we aren't sure where they heard that (with studio CEOs dropping their own hints, it seems anything goes right now).So where does this all leave us? Honestly, we're not sure. Rumors are flying, but Apple hasn't officially made any event announcements or so much as sneezed in one direction or another. We wish we had more to tell you, but for now, we'll just have to keep our ears open.[Update: woops, Apple actually has confirmed a special event for September 12th.]
Wal-mart stops Bully pre-sales under pressure [Update 1]
[Update: John Simley from Walmart media relations contacted Joystiq to clear up the ciircumstances behind the Bully pre-order situation. Simley said that Wal-mart policy is to not carry any unrated or Rating Pending games for pre-order or sale, in-store or online. This decision was made recently, Simley said, but just reflected on the web site starting this week, hence the pulling of Bully pre-orders. The policy is in response to consumer's concerns, Simley said, and had nothing to do with any letters or lawsuits from Jack Thompson.]UK news site The Register is reporting that Wal-Mart has stopped taking pre-orders for the controversial game Bully after a lawsuit filed by Jack Thompson in Florida circuit court named the retailer as a defendant. Thompson targeted the big box store for "recklessly pre-selling Bully to children with no age rating having even been affixed to the game."Though Wal-mart wouldn't confirm to The Register that the halt was in response to the complaint, the timing is certainly suspect (we're still waiting for a response to a request for comment from Walmart). Thompson has also reportedly sent letters to Amazon and Toys R Us requesting they stop taking pre-orders for the game.Thompson's argued that pre-selling Bully to children is "akin to a pharmaceutical company selling a new and controversial drug without prior FDA approval." This seems a little ridiculous to us -- assuming the game is rated M before its release (a relatively safe assumption), any store that took pre-orders could simply refund the money and refuse to give the game to any unaccompanied child that comes to pick it up. Preventing the 83 percent of console game purchasers that are adults from reserving a game just because children may try to get it seems to us like too draconian a response.
Walmart clearing out RCA's HD DVD for $350?
We just got word from one of our loyal readers, Brian, that he recently spotted RCA's HD DVD player on one of Walmart's clearance racks for $350. A quick web-search denies this but that doesn't mean it isn't happening. Many large retail stores will put things on clearance once they have sat on the selves a certain amount of time. We plan on doing a little recon work later today (read: try my best to get my hands on one) and visit a few of the Walmarts in our areas. Remember, the RCA branded HD DVD player is exactly the same as the Toshiba one sans the brand name on the front. It would just make sense to seek one of these players out if you are in the market for an HD DVD playerThat is if it is true. Has anyone else seen one of these players on the clearance rack?[Thanks, Brian]
