Best Buy Ad Shows Xbox 360 Price Drop

Another retailer has shown that Microsoft is planning to drop the price of the Xbox 360 20GB model — formerly known as the "Pro" — to $299, as a Best Buy employee has forwarded us (obligatorily blurry) cell phone pics of an upcoming weekly ad. The model currently retails for a suggested price of $349 in the United States.

The ad, photographed off-screen from the Best Buy computer system, is said to run the week of July 13th. That matches up with previous price drop rumors from Kmart and an unnamed "major retailer."

Thanks for the tip, HolyOrphan.

Best Buy Canada To Sell Used Games

GameStop will be getting some major competition in the used game market in Canada as Best Buy Canada begins to roll out used video game sales at their Future Shop outlets throughout the country. The company is kicking things off with a test at six of its Calgary stores, with plans on rolling out used product to each of its 133 Future Shop stores across the country by late summer.

Future Shop's director of merchandising Michelle Grawe expects that the sale of used games will draw in younger customers to the chain while doubling the chain's video game sales over the next three to five years. Grawe also commented that the chain is prepared to undercut GameStop prices in order to lure customers away from the chain, which until now has been Canada's only major retailer offering used games.

If the used game push is successful in Canada I wouldn't be surprised to see this initiative rolled out in U.S. stores soon after.

Best Buy to enter used video game market [ReportonBusiness.com]

Best Buy Announces GTA IV Midnight Launch Locations

For those of you who enjoy waiting in line in the middle of the night to acquire a game that, we're just guessing here, will be in absolute ample supply with bajillions of printed copies, Best Buy has released their locations that will be opening for a midnight launch of Grand Theft Auto IV. We've pasted them after the jump, but be sure to call next week closer to the release as this information is subject to change. Oh, and don't forget about this deal, either.

I'm personally a little too old for midnight launches, as they cut into my hookers, blow and picking strange new hairs out of my back time. What about you?

Best Buy's Big GTA IV Offer

Here it is, folks. Best Buy's (and probably Microsoft's) Grand Theft Auto IV savings kamehameha. Buy GTA IV along any version of the Xbox 360, and get a $50 gift card as a sweet bonus. If you've been one of those woulda, coulda, shoulda gamers still holding out on this generation of systems, it's probably not a bad time to make the leap. We'll keep our eyes peeled for similar deals like a PlayStation 3 equivalent offer...other than that bundle on the way to Europe.

Best Buy Ad [Bayimg via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

Get a Free Gun in Rainbow Six Vegas 2

Hushed Casket points out that people who purchased Rainbow Six Vegas 2 from Best Buy were given a code to unlock a free gun in the game. The thing is the code was printed on a sticker on the outside of the game. Better still it can be used by anyone who owns the game.

To unlock the gun go to the main menu of the game and do the following:

(Hold RB) Down, Down, Up, Up, X, B, X, B, Y, Up, Up, Y

This is almost as good as that free Comcast map.

Rainbow Six Vegas 2. Free Best Buy gun code [Hushed Casket]

Best Buy Offers Gift Cards for HD-DVD Players

Are you one of the unfortunates stuck with a now useless HD-DVD player? Did you purchase it at Best Buy before February 23rd? If you answered yes to both of these questions, you can return that old door stop to Best Buy and get a $50 gift card in return. According to CNN it is estimated that upwards of $10 million in US Gift cards. HD-DVD owners will be found through Best Buy's Reward Zone program, service plans and online orders. The gift cards will automatically be mailed out to qualifying folks at the beginning of may. If you are not a Reward Zone member you can bring in your BB receipt or credit card info. They will also be offering an online trade-in center where customers can unload their unwanted players beginning March 21.

Those stuck with HD-DVD players getting gift cards {CNN.com - Thanks, Robert]

Although the rumor was circulating last week that the Devil May Cry anime was facing cancellation, this week's Best Buy Ad has a picture of the DVD listing it at $19.99. The ad also claims that the disc will contain twelve episodes but seeing as these things get printed long before the actual delivery date, this may have been done before the rumored cancellation. It still lists the release date of Feb. 5 and the required disclaimer that the date is subject to change. If you're feeling lucky, you can try to pre-order it here at Best Buy or here at Amazon, but just be aware that your money may soon be coming back to you. Or you could always just get store credit and use it to purchase the first and second seasons of Perfect Strangers which comes out the same day. Come on, that cousin Balki is a hoot!

[Thanks, Veras Gunn]

For the five of you that haven't purchased Halo 3 yet (if you like that sort of thing that is) be sure to check out this week's Best Buy circular. From today until February 3 they are offering the hugely popular FPS for $37.99 which is a $22 savings off of the regular listed price of $59.99.

Circuit City's weekly ad offers a $10 gift card with a pre-order of Devil May Cry 4 for either the Xbox 360 version or the PS3 version. A $10 gift card is also available for pre-orders of the 360 and PS3 versions of Turok. For a full rundown of all the weekly ad deals, check out CheapAssGamer.com.

Best Buy Says PlayStation 3 80GB Is On Its Way Out [Update]

We've received multiple tips from readers—ones who also happen to be Best Buy employees—who have informed us that the North American retailer hasn't received stock of the PlayStation 3 80GB model for many weeks and is expected to discontinue carrying the model soon. According to our sources, Best Buy stores have also been asked to pull advertising materials related to the 80GB model, currently the only version that features PlayStation 2 backwards compatibility.

Rumors of a 120GB model have been spread to retail employees, but this conflicts with reports from other Best Buy moles who say that internal communications indicate only one model—the 40GB barebones edition—will be stocked after January 28th.

PS3 Fanboy has visual evidence of the notice to employees about the 80GB discontinuation, further proof that backwards compatibility may soon be a thing of the past. We've been bugging Sony about the situation all day, but have yet to receive anything other than a paraphrased "hold tight" about the rumors.

Update: It appears as though it's finally out. The 80GB model isn't showing on Best Buy's site.

Best Buy discontinuing 80GB PS3 [PS3 Fanboy]

One Best Buy Was Selling $299 PS3s

Most of us wouldn't expect to walk into our neighborhood Best Buy and snag a 40GB PS3 for $299 (or any PS3 for that matter), but a lucky few who visited the Sterling, VA location were able to do just that earlier this month. And not only did a lucky few score $299 PS3s, but they were also able to snag 5 free Blu-ray movies with the offer, too. But before you get your SCREAMING PRICE DROP VOICE all warmed up, know that a sign marked the offer as a manager's special for that location only. Also know that the Easter Bunny isn't real, and we're not so sure about Santa, either.

$299 ps3 40gb version [via maxconsole]

This week's Best Buy Ad lists two of the biggest titles of last year BioShock and Assassin's Creed each for $39.99. Also avialable is Enemy Territory: Quake Wars for $19.99 and an online only deal that will net you two games priced $19.99 each for $30. Some of the titles offered in that deal include COD 2, Viva Pinata, LEGO: Star Wars II, Red Steel and a ton of PS2 titles. The weekly ad deals last until next Saturday but the online offer has no stated ending date. If you want cash in on the hidden gems though, I would jump on it ASAP.

Best of the Sunday Ad Video Game Deals (1/20 - 1/26) [CheapAssGamer]

Best Buy Raking In Gamer Dough

Best Buy's third quarter profits were up 52% from last year, according to the company. So what made all that money? Yeah, you've probably already guessed it since we're writing about the news here. Apparently big ticket purchases drove the earnings, including game consoles (along with notebook computers, nav devices and flat-panel tvs).

We don't know just how greatly game consoles affected Best Buy's profits, but seeing as they surely lead (even if indirectly) to more television sales, BB has to be pretty happy with the state of the gaming industry at the moment. How many of you picked up big screen or HDTVs primarily for gaming?

Best Buy Q3 profit up 52% on strong game sales [gamesindustry] [image: Improve Anywhere]

Nintendo: Wiis Hit Shelves This Weekend

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed today what we first broke earlier this week, Best Buy and six other national retailers will be stocking Wii this weekend. And by stocking I mean they will be advertising the console in their weekly circulars (except Wal-Mart) and then throwing the consoles up on the shelves come the weekend and then running away.

Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, Sears, Kmart, Toys R Us and Circuit City are all stocking the Wii this weekend for those still on the hunt. We had several tips after our rumor story ran about the stock issue.

According to Best Buy tipsters it sounds like all stores will have at least 21 of the consoles with some carrying as many as 100. I've also heard that Best Buy is expecting a second shipment next week which is supposed to go straight to shelves. Most stores will get them sometimes before noon. The bad news is that rumor has it that that will be the last pre-Christmas shipment for Best Buy, though they expect more in early January.

Target, another tipster tells me, has a big stockpile as well, some stores have more than 100. So this weekend sounds like your best chance to pick up a Wii, unless you don't mind buying a raincheck.

Rumor: Best Buy Sitting on Wii Stockpile

It's 2006 all over again.

Sources tell me that Best Buy is sitting on a stockpile of Wii which they plan to unleash on the line-waiting masses in the coming weeks. I assume this will be done as some sort of weekend event advertised in their weekly circular. Now the real question is how many of the people willing to sit on cold asphalt overnight will be doing it for themselves and how many will be doing it to turn around and sell the console on eBay.

I'm not sure which I would prefer: Best Buy selling the system as they show up, or selling them in one big weekend blow-out.

Best Buy Holding Rock Band Midnight Launches

Black Friday Deal: Get a Free GH2 With Xbox 360

Gamecock Says To Preorder And Help Small Games

It's a really huge deal in the industry right now...[Gamestop's] pre-order program, which they base their buys off of, is so important now. It's like life or death for some of these original, independent titles.

Kotakuite faithful Adam didn't just email us with news that the Rock Band demo kits were hitting Best Buy stores today, he actually went back to his local BB to fetch us some picture proof. And good thing he did, because the music game demo isn't just hitting stores the same day as Guitar Hero III goes on sale, it's all over the competition like an alpha mom on a Wii.

Apparently the demo kiosk, at least in this particular Best Buy, is literally set up within the wire racks housing Guitar Hero III. And if that weren't enough of a thunder-stealer, the ads above the wire racks are for Rock Band. Now Guitar Hero III knows what its like to have Rock Band inside of it and I suspect it's not happy.

Adam ads that the demo features 15 songs, that it was set up on a 360 with a 4-way USB port. Oh and for some reason there was no bass pedal included with the demo.