Xbox 360 Pro Hardware [Target - thanks, jump4816!]

According to the Circuit City employee focus newsletter people who buy the $300 Xbox 360 will get a free $30 gift card and a copy of Athlon Magazine. The catch? It's a doozie, you also need to buy a copy of NCAA Football 09. Boooooooo!

Update - We originally thought this was a Target Ad, but have since confirmed it is indeed Circuit City. Sorry for the confusion.

“I love video games and actually have versions of Guitar Hero that I play on my bus and at home. To have Target, Activision and Aerosmith on my car for the New Hampshire race is pretty cool,” said Franchitti. “Who doesn’t love Aerosmith’s music? It’s perfect for getting ready for the side-by-side, non-stop action of NASCAR racing.”

In addition to the co-branded race car, Target stores will also be selling a special Wii bundle for GH: Aerosmith that includes 2 wireless controllers and a tour book for $149.99. You might as well just buy the damn game before Activision starts marketing on you. Believe me, it's extremely difficult to breathe in a full vinyl wraparound.

Target and Activision Partner with Chip Ganassi Racing to Feature Guitar Hero: Aerosmith on No. 40 Dodge
Wrapped Car Will Run in New Hampshire NASCAR Race on June 29; Target to Offer Exclusive Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Wii Bundle

CONCORD, N.C.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates announced today it has partnered with Activision and its long-time sponsor Target® to feature the latest version of the Guitar Hero® series, Guitar Hero®: Aerosmith®, on Dario Franchitti’s No. 40 Dodge in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) on June 29.

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, which will be released June 29, is the latest installment from the Activision franchise that was the top-selling video game in 2007. The game puts players in the shoes of Joe Perry (guitar), Brad Whitford (guitar) and Tom Hamilton (bass), as they rock out alongside front man Steven Tyler and drummer Joey Kramer. Gamers will experience Aerosmith’s GRAMMY® winning career, from their first gig to becoming rock royalty while jamming to the band’s top songs.

With the launch of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Target stores will carry an exclusive bundle for Nintendo’s Wii that includes the game, two wireless guitar controllers and a tour book. The ultimate rock experience, whether cooperatively or head-to-head, can be had right out of the box on June 29 for $149.99.

“The marriage of Nintendo Wii and Guitar Hero makes a lot of sense for the Target guest,” said Steve Eastman, Vice President, Target. “The music of Aerosmith bridges generations, just as the Wii has done. Everyone in the family can share that experience with this bundle.”

Franchitti will be making his debut in the Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire in the fading yellow to red Target/Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Dodge. The 2007 IndyCar champion has eight starts this season in his rookie campaign in the Cup Series and currently sits 39th in the 2008 point standings.

“We’re very excited to have Guitar Hero bring together two great American traditions, rock ‘n’ roll Aerosmith style, and NASCAR racing,” said Dusty Welch, head of publishing Activision/RedOctane. “Fans at the event will get a double treat, watching their favorite drivers race and competing for a chance to face off against one of them on Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.”

The Guitar Hero consumer bus will be parked in the display area behind the main grandstands at NHMS all weekend for fans to take a sneak peak at the game and try their hands as a guitarist from Aerosmith. Franchitti and Target driver Reed Sorenson will make an appearance at the bus on Sunday to showcase their talents on the guitar before strapping into their Dodges for the 301-lap race.

“I love video games and actually have versions of Guitar Hero that I play on my bus and at home. To have Target, Activision and Aerosmith on my car for the New Hampshire race is pretty cool,” said Franchitti. “Who doesn’t love Aerosmith’s music? It’s perfect for getting ready for the side-by-side, non-stop action of NASCAR racing.”

Wait, what?

Buried in the last few paragraphs of the press release, Funcom...well I suppose it still counts as revealing despite being buried at the bottom...Funcom reveals that the DX10 version of the game needs more work, and will now be premiered at Games Convention in Leipzig this August. The extra time will be used to add in new features and focus on "building a DirectX 10 version worthy of Microsoft's great vision for the future of PC gaming". We'll be looking forward to that then. Hit the jump for the full press release. Remember to scroll all the way down.

Age of Conan Collector's Edition Completely Sold Out

- Historical pre-order and ship-in numbers for 2008's most anticipated MMO - - Early access offer oversubscribed � First review of game gives a 9 out of 10

Durham, USA - May 19, 2008 - Funcom is proud to announce that the Collector's Edition of Age of Conan is now completely sold out in all markets. The exclusive edition was announced in January, and has since topped retail charts at numerous retailers. In some markets, the Collector's Edition has been sold out for weeks, and as a result additional boxes were made. These are also sold out, and the total print run stands at 111.000 units. Lucky customers may still find some copies on retail shelves, but no re-orders are available.

Additional retail figures for the standard edition of Age of Conan are also highly impressive. In total, Funcom is shipping around 700.000 copies of Age of Conan on day one. This impressive figure for a PC game is powered by equally impressive pre-order numbers. As a result of the tremendous interest and recent order increase, Funcom has not been able to fulfill all orders of Age of Conan in several markets due to current server capacity limitations. Extra orders of servers are now in place to facilitate for handling of more customers.

"Everyone in Funcom is delighted and humbled with the historical pre-order numbers for Age of Conan. If the information we have is correct, they represent the highest pre-order number for any global launch of an original PC game, ever, including the original World of Warcraft launch," said Morten Larssen, Funcom's VP of Sales & Marketing.

More than one million unique visitors visited the Age of Conan websites last week, and as a result of the great interest in the game, Funcom's early access offer was swiftly oversubscribed. The three day early access program was a limited offer reserved for pre-order customers. While Funcom scaled the servers above anticipation, player demand surpassed expectations. As the Early Access servers launched last night, the servers and game held up exceptionally well. As the game launches properly later this week, Funcom expects additional large numbers of customers to enter the game.

All the positive signals are naturally not equal to eventual success, but early indications from the press points out that the game boasts unique qualities. The very first review for the game gives it a 9 out of 10 score from Game Reactor, the Nordic regions largest gaming magazine.

While Funcom is thrilled with the early success of Age of Conan, and proud of the game launching this week, the company regrets to inform gamers that the DirectX 10 version of the game will not ship with the initial launch. As Microsoft's DirectX 10 is undoubtedly the future of PC gaming, Funcom has decided to ship only the DirectX 9 version at launch, giving the team more time to focus on building a DirectX 10 version worthy of Microsoft's great vision for the future of PC gaming. This postponement will let Funcom include even more features in the DirectX 10 version of Age of Conan than originally planned.

The DirectX 10 version will be premiered at the German Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, August 20 - 24, 2008. A special preview showing off the advanced graphics made possible by DirectX 10 technology will be unveiled this summer at nVidia's NVISION event in San Jose, California, August 25 - 27, 2008.

Age of Conan launches 20th of May in North America / Oceania and 23rd of May in Europe. More information about the game can be found on www.ageofconan.com

Light gun games on the Wii, though, are a match made in heaven, or at least they could be if someone ever finds the right match. Could Target: Terror be it?

Loved
Digitized Bad Guys: Nothing takes me back to the days of Terminator and Mad Dog McCree like a little digitized blasting action. The game and it's digital graphics hold up well on the Wii.

Kitschy Arcade Fun: There's no way that someone can take Target: Terror seriously. It's got over the top bad guys and women, bizarre weapons like a freeze ray and is set in a motley assortment of locations, including Denver International Airport, of all places. Fun for the sake of fun is never a bad thing.

Hated
Major Lag While the game has some potential, that potential is absolutely destroyed by the lag that infects this game. At times the lag is so bad that you can't reload and shots are so delayed you end up hitting people who weren't even on screen when you pulled the trigger. When it happens it's game destroying and unforgivable.

Wii Mote Reaction Time: As if the occasion game-killing lag time weren't bad enough, the Wii remote's target reticule tends to drift a fraction of a second behind where you are aiming. You can get used to it, adapting to the slight delay, but you really shouldn't have to.

Lackluster Mini-Games: The mini games, unlockable by shooting stuff up in the campaign play, are for the most part uninspired and not very fun. The only exception for me was ICBM Defense Shield—which is essentially Missile Command—but even that is so short lived that it sucks the fun out of the concept.

Credit System: I get that the developers had to figure out a way to make a quarter-eating arcade game more challenging. Without the risk of going through an entire allowance in ten minutes of game play there really isn't a lot of tension built into the game. Giving a set number of credits to make it through the game is a fine solution, but it shouldn't be the only option, especially when you have to beat every single level to make it to the final stage. Unforgivable.

Target: Terror isn't a game someone would knowingly pick up expecting hours of over the top, deep gameplay. But even for those who go into the game with their eyes wide open, hoping to only relive a bit of arcade light gun nostalgia, Target: Terror is a let down. The glitches in the game are so bad at times, it makes me wonder if Konami or developer Leviathan Games even bothered to play test the game before shipping it out.

If you can pick this game up at a bargain price and are willing to grit your teeth through the slowdowns, the game does have its moments, just don't expect them to last.

Target: Terror was developed by Leviathan Games and published by Konami, and was released on April 22nd. Retails for $39.99. Available on Nintendo Wii. Played single player game to completion (less bonus round) in single player, multiplayer and dual-remote Justice Mode. Tested all mini-games.

Target knows, the ad says, that you're spending all of your time playing GTA, but don't forget Mother's Day. That's right: GTA and Mother's Day in the same sentence. Classy.

[EGP T-shirts] sold slightly less then what Target views as good enough to keep in store. But [the distributors] are going to try the line out at places like Hot Topic and Urban Outfitters in the coming months. We will see how it goes.

Devil May Cry 4 (PS3, 360)
Heavenly Sword (PS3)
Assassin's Creed (PS3, 360)
Call of Duty 4 (PS3, 360)
Halo 3 (360)
Mass Effect (360)
Lost Odyssey (360)

If you're feeling like a shopping spree you could pick up a couple games and use those gift cards to put towards that Rock Band bundle bringing the price down to a comfortable $129.

Best of the Sunday Ad Video Game Deals (2/17 - 2/23) [CheapAssGamer]

"From the moment I started working with Donald Mustard and his team at Chair, I knew that these were the guys I wanted to do the first Ender's Game video game," said Card. "It's not enough to slap the Ender's Game name on just any game - it has to be exciting, memorable, and endlessly replayable. Chair shares my understanding of this and I am looking forward to working with them to ensure the game is as authentically Enderish as possible."

For those of you not familiar with the book, Ender's Game is the story of a young boy named Ender Wiggin, recruited along with other children as potential military commanders in the third and possibly final invasion of Earth by the insectoid 'buggers'. It is a must read for anyone even remotely interested in science fiction, but for those of you who have no plans to ever raise the book to your eyes, I will tell you how the engaging novel ends:

SPOILER ALERT!

Read the damn book already.

Chair plans on releasing titles across all viable platforms, with the earliest games being downloadable titles for an as-of-yet unannounced platform. As with all things Chair, the game will be crafted using Unreal Engine 3. It's also worth noting that the games will not be tied to the upcoming film, currently in production at Paramount, instead focusing on the 'virtual' Battle Room sequences from the novel where the meat of the action takes place.

Having interviewed both Donald and Geremy back in November for their Xbox Live Arcade title Undertow, I can safely say that there is no other team I could see working on an Ender's Game title. Commence geeking out completely in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... now.

Sci Fi Classic 'Ender's Game' To Be Powered by Unreal Engine 3 [WRAL.com]

Reader William was there to capture the tragedy, for this we thank him.

Best of the Sunday Ad Video Game Deals (1/13 - 1/19) [CheapAssGamer]

Color me puzzled. Why would anyone, and I mean anyone, want to port a horrid, mostly unseen coin-op rail shooter from 2004 to the Wii?

Maybe Konami thinks the kitsch factor will outweigh what will soon officially be the worst graphics on the Wii console. That's right this makes Cruisi'n look like a Playstation 2 game. I'd blame the horrid graphics on the Wii, but I've seen the arcade game and they were just as bad on the 2004 coin-op, maybe worse.

A take-off of the original, digitized-photo meets sub-par graphics rail shooter Area 51, Target: Terror will be compatible with the Wii Zapper and has players take on the role of an elite counter-terrorist agent taking down a wave of terrorists, all of whom happen to wear sunglasses or bandannas. The original game actually featured a level at the Denver Airport, but it was so horribly generic I couldn't convince my editors at the Rocky to do a story about it.

Target: Terror will also include mini-games and is due out in the first quarter of 08. Two more screens after the jump.

And just for comparison sake... the dreaded Car Vault.

I think it's probably safe to assume that most stores sold of out their Wii pretty damn quickly yesterday. I haven't yet tried calling around, but on Sunday I did swing by one of the local Targets to pick up some non-game related stuff for an upcoming trip. Just for fun I hopped on by the game section to see how things were going. Not only had the store sold out of their Wii stock, they had sold out of Remotes and Nunchucks. One of the employees I talked to said they had an amazing 160 Wii in stock Sunday morning. All of them were gone by 8:15 a.m., he said.

I overheard him talking to two parents, tragically late to the Wii consumer bloodbath earlier that day. They first tentatively asked about the Wii and then, when they found out they missed the boat, said they weren't even sure their son wanted a Wii. The sales clerk dove right in.

"How old is your son?"
"16"
Slight grimace
"I'm 18 and I have a Wii and a 360. The Wii is fun for when friends come over, but I usually play my 360."

In the end I think the parents decided to leave empty handed. I almost told them about the GameStop rain checks, but changed my mind. Who wants a piece of paper for Christmas?

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.

"Target strives to provide merchandise that will appeal to a wide variety of guests. We also want guests to be comfortable with the purchasing decisions they make at Target. All video games and computer software sold at Target currently carry ratings by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)—from early childhood through mature audiences. While Manhunt 2 was given a Mature rating by the ERSB, we received additional information that players can potentially view previously filtered content by altering the game code. As a result, we have decided not to carry the game."

Target pulls Manhunt 2 from shelves? [GameSpot]

Target Corp. Giving Fans More Reasons To Rock With Guitar Hero® III: Legends Of Rock Bundle

Exclusive to Target This Holiday Season, PlayStation 2 Bundle Will Feature Game and Two Specially Designed Guitar Controllers

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - October 18, 2007 - Target, Activision, and RedOctane are teaming up to form a supergroup this holiday season with the release of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock on Oct. 28. Aspiring shredders can head on into Target stores for an exclusive bundle that includes the game, two specially designed guitar controllers and a customization kit full of guitar straps and stickers. The bundle will retail for $109.99. Curious gamers can get a sneak peek of the game at this week's E for All Expo in Los Angeles.

"Guitar Hero isn't just a game, it's a social and cultural phenomenon," said Troy Peterson, Senior Buyer at Target. "Our exclusive bundle gives fans a chance to hit the ground running right out of the box with two guitars and lets players take advantage of the new multiplayer features in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock."

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will include explosive new content and features including a multiplayer action-inspired battle mode, grueling boss battles, a host of exclusive unlockable content and visually stunning rock venues. The third installment of the franchise is the biggest yet, including songs from such artists as Aerosmith, Guns N' Roses, The Killers, Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins, Beastie Boys, The Who and KISS. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, published by RedOctane and developed by Neversoft, is rated 'T' for Teen by the ESRB and will be available October 28, 2007. For more information about the Guitar Hero franchise, please visit this dedicated community site: www.guitarhero.com.

Beautiful Katamari (X360)
The Prince and The King are back for more Katamari rolling goodness.

Heroes of Might and Magic V: Tribes of the East (PC)
Now with more Orcs.

Fury (PC)
PvP to your heart's content.

Crash of the Titans (PSP)
Crash is back and making waves on the PSP.

Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (X360, PS2, WII, PS3, DS)
My kid can ollie over your honor roll student.

Spider-Man 3 (PSP)
Trapped in the web of love.

Victorious Boxers: Revolution (WII)
Beat the crap out of people while simultaneously wearing your arms out.

SWAT: Target Liberty (PSP)
Take out terrorists threatening NYC.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Game of the Year Edition (PS3)
Together again for the first time... on the PS3

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core (WII)
All hail Bridget.

Intel To Acquire Havok

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 14, 2007 Intel Corporation today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Havok Inc., the leading provider of interactive software and services used by digital media creators in the game and movie industries. Havok will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel.

The acquisition will enable developers in the digital animation and game communities to take advantage of Intel's innovation and technology leadership in the creation of digital media.

"Havok is a proven leader in physics technology for gaming and digital content, and will become a key element of Intel's visual computing and graphics efforts," said Renee J. James, vice president and general manager of Intel's Software and Solutions Group. "Havok will operate its business as usual, which will allow them to continue developing products that are offered across all platforms in the industry."

Havok's modular suite of software development tools is used by game and digital animation creators to build realistic video games for all types of hardware and digitally animated movies. The company's combination of superior technology and dedication to customers has led to its technology being used in more than 150 of the world's best-known game titles, including "BioShock," "Stranglehold," "Halo 2," "Half Life 2," "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion," "Crackdown," "Lost Planet: Extreme Condition," "MotorStorm" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." In addition, Havok products have been used to create special effects in movies such as "Poseidon," "The Matrix," "Troy," "Kingdom of Heaven" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

"This is a great fit for Havok products, customers and employees," said Havok CEO David O'Meara. "Intel's scale of technology investment and customer reach enable Havok with opportunities to grow more quickly into new market segments with new products than we could have done organically. We believe the winning combination is Havok's technology and customer know-how with Intel's scale. I am excited to be part of this next phase of Havok's growth."

Havok was founded in 1998 in Dublin, Ireland, and has offices in San Francisco, San Antonio, Stockholm, Calcutta, Munich and Tokyo. The company will be a wholly owned Intel subsidiary and continue to operate as an independent business working with its customers in developing digital media content. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

* GAMERS / MOVIE AFFICIANADOS: Please note $100 Price Break on Playstation 3 Game System which brings the price down to $499.99 // Remember that you can get 5 free Blu-Ray DVDs with purchase of any Blu-Ray Player / Game system by going here: http://www.bluraysavings.com/

This was wedged in between details about the Wii and other details. As mentioned aboved, information about Best Buy and Target was also noted. CAG Productions CEO David Abrams (AKA "CheapyD") has hired a lawyer. "The CAG community's trust and respect is very important to me, so I've hired legal representation to deal with the situation," Abrams tells Kotaku.

Target/CC/BB Video Game Prices [CAG]

Clearly, this is not a Target-wide pricing change and more indicative of a handful of stores adjusting their prices ahead of the street date. It's highly recommended that, if you're interested, you call ahead to confirm with your neighborhood Target store before making the journey.

Thanks for the heads up, Nathans.

The $100 price drop started yesterday when a Circuit City ad surfaced saying the PS3 was going to be selling for $499. Then GameDaily confirmed with "a merchandising manager at one of the world's biggest retailers" that the price drop was true.

Today we've received word from moles at both Best Buy and Target that they too have word of a price drop. Our Target mole reports that the retail chain's inventory tracking program is listing retail for the 60GB PS3 at $499.99. And a mole at Best Buy tells us they just received their upcoming ads and that they all list the PS3 price at $499.99 as well.

Great conspiracy? Lots of lying moles? A fact-spinning Sony president? Only time will tell.

A Target tipster sends word that the chain sent out word today that all GameBoy Advance stock is being listed as discontinued and that all backstock in storage rooms is to be sent to the floor and sold.

The final goal is to have the stores GBA-free within the month and fill the space the Nintendo handheld was taking up on shelves with DS.

The real question now is how long before Nintendo stops manufacturing and shipping the handheld. Brian Crecente

It's Memorial Day weekend here in the States and like any self respecting US holiday it has a lot of sales under its belt. The biggest news is the availability of the Wii today at most of the major retailers including Target, Circuit City and Best Buy. Some other deals going on are select UMD titles for $4.99 at EB/Gamestop, Rainbow Six: Vegas for $39.99 at Best Buy and Circuit City has a nice list of $10 games that includes Loco Roco (PSP), GTA Liberty City Stories (PSP), Resident Evil 4 (PS2), Kingdom Hearts II (PS2) and Paper Mario: The 1000 Year Door (GC).

So, be a good American citizen and go celebrate Memorial Day by spending lots of money on frivolous purchases. After all, that's what these holidays are for, right? Flynn De Marco

Best of the Sunday Ad Video Game Deals [CAG]

According to the CD Universe listing the game will arrive in November.

I never got around to playing either of these and will probably throw this collection on my Christmas wishlist. Michael McWhertor

Retail Radar: Lego Star Wars for Wii and PS3 [Gamespot]

Now at $600, the item will probably wind up in the hands of the "lucky" bidder as early as the 24th if they go for the next day shipping option (for me, a very do-able $99). My advice? Just go for the ground shipping. You'll probably have it by the 30th. Oh. Wait. Michael McWhertor

Xbox 360 Elite - AVAILABLE NOW! Will ship IMMEDIATELY! [eBay via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

So, I trekked up to the front of the store and grabbed a circular which clearly said "All DS games $29.99 and up" and brought it back to the electronics counter. After handing it to three different people to get their opinions on it the genius employee finally took my advice and took a scanner over and started scanning prices. Lo and behold, the circular was correct! I managed to get Rocket Slime, Wario: Master of Disguise and Kirby Squeak Squad. My roommate walked away with the best deal of the day which was Final Fantasy III for $24. The usual going rate for that game is $35 to $40 so it was quite the bargain.

So, if you are heading out to Target, just know that while the sign may not be on it all games $29.99 and up are on sale and the price will be in the register when you go to make your purchase, if not, just wave that circular in their face. The sale will be going on from today until Saturday, so good luck and happy hunting! Flynn De Marco

In this week's Target circular they are advertising that all regular DS Games $29.99 and above will be on sale for $24 each! Notable titles include New Super Mario Brothers, Elite Beat Agents, Spectrobes, Nintendogs and Yoshi's Island DS. See as most DS games go for $29.99 and above, it sounds like the perfect opportunity to expand your DS library with some pretty solid titles. So, ya better hightail it out to Target before the crowds hit and all you are left with is a dented copy of Hannah Montana. Flynn De Marco
[via GoNintendo]

If you are a serious gamer and always looking for a good deal, you probably already know about CheapAssGamer. If you don't, my suggestion is that you take your sorry ass over there right now and sign up for the forums so that you too can take advantage of all the early published deals and a heads up on various sales on the net and in brick and mortar stores.

Regular CAG forum poster, Speedy, lives up to his name by somehow managing to get his hands on the weekly ad specials for various stores at least a week ahead of time. This time around, Speedy brings us the early sales for the week of 4/1 - 4/7 for Target, Circuit City and Best Buy. There are several sales of note, but this following list is Target's games that will be listed for $15 starting on 4/1.

The Godfather (PS2 / XBOX)
Call Of Duty 2: Big Red One (PS2 / XBOX / Gamecube)
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PS2)
Smackdown VS. RAW 2006 (PS2 / PSP)
Paper Mario: The 1,000 Year Door (Gamecube)
Star Wars: Battlefront (PS2 / XBOX / PSP)
Fight Night: Round 3 (PS2 / XBOX)
Need For Speed: Most Wanted (PS2 / XBOX / Gamecube)
HALO: Combat Evolved - Game Of The Year (XBOX)
LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game (PS2 / XBOX / Gamecube)

You can check out this list and more 4/1 deals including a Circuit City's Guitar Hero II 360 deal with free MS points at CheapAssGamer! Flynn De Marco

Target / CC / BB Video Game Prices: 4/1/07 - 4/7/07 [CheapAssGamer]

The rise and fall of the PlayStation 3 on eBay is one of the most talked about gaming stories of the year. In order to paint a broader picture, I've tracked pricing trends from preorders to Christmas Eve and surveyed retailers to determine just how hard the PS3 grey market has crashed.

In the days leading up to the PlayStation 3 launch in mid-November, people all over the country lined up with dollar signs in their eyes, hoping to cash in on what was sure to be the most sought after gift this holiday season. I talked to many people planning on financing college, cars, vacations, and countless other dream items with the fruits of their labor. A week later those hopes and dreams were crushed, as reports of plummeting eBay prices poured in. Just how fast did the PS3 grey market crash? Take a look for yourself, and feel free to click the graph for a larger version.

Within two days of the system's launch the going price dropped by over $1000. eBay prospectors across the country were stunned at the rapid depreciation of their investment. While they were still looking at $600 profit on average, it was a far cry from the windfall everyone had been expecting.

The smart thing to do in that situation would be to wait, right? Several enterprising folks I talked to during the launch festivities predicted a glut early on, and planned on holding their systems until Christmas, when demand would be at its highest. As the graph indicates, that wasn't the wisest move. Four days before Christmas PS3 auctions hit the lowest point ever, bottoming out at just $724. Figuring in sales tax, that's less than $100 profit on a 60GB system.

Clearly the way to go for the PS3 prospector was preorders. On November 16th, as the reality of the system shortages began to sink in, buyers spent an average of $2,367 to secure themselves on of the 600 or so preorders sold that day, and from the point eBay started allowing receipt-verified presales prices maintained a steady average of around $1500.

How are retail stores being affected?

With the prices dropping so low, many eBay hopefuls have been returning their purchases to the stores they procured them from. Between packing, shipping, and taxes, it's much less of a hassle just to get a refund and forget the whole thing ever happened. I decided to survey several popular retail 'superstores' to get a feel for just how big a trend grey market returns were.

Here's how this worked. I called a random selection of stores across the country from each of the four retailers listed below. I asked to speak to their electronics department first, and then called back to speak with customer service. I made sure to specify intact, boxed returns to avoid clouding data with random defective units. Interestingly enough, not one store I spoke to mentioned any defective returns. If anything the PS3 is a solid machine. Bear in mind that these are not hard numbers. I spoke to whoever was staffing the departments at the time I called, and only counted the answers applying directly to those people. While I'd like to say you could safely double the returned system numbers below, there are far too many factors involved to make it an accurate estimate.

I picked the four below for various reasons. Fry's because of its unique bundling policy, Best Buy because of its huge initial allotments, Target as a major retailer that isn't focused on electronics, and Wal-Mart because I am apparently a glutton for punishment. All four stores had people wait in line for the consoles...one of the reasons you don't see GameStop represented, another reason being that many GameStop systems went to either employees or regulars to the store tipped off by employees. "But GameStop wasn't allowed to sell to employees!" Where do you think I got mine?

Store Findings:

Fry's Electronics
Number Called: 10 - Called double what I had planned for Fry's because the first five all reported having systems in stock.
Average Returns: two per store
Systems Available? Yes

Fry's stands out from the other retailers I've surveyed in that they still insist on selling their PS3 systems in ridiculous bundle packs with eight or so games. Every single store I called reported having plenty of bundles available for purchase. On average each store had received two returns, with the Alpharetta Georgia location, a favorite of mine, reporting four. Systems at Fry's can only be returned with the full bundle intact, and are resold the same way.

Conclusion: Nothing too surprising here. When I was working at GameStop on Christmas Eve I had countless customers tell me that Fry's had PlayStation 3s just sitting there, with no one buying. The only thing harder than trying to turn a profit off of a PS3 on eBay is trying to turn a profit off an $1100 bundle filled with games no one wants to play.

Target
Number Called: five - they're a major retailer, but they weren't exactly a big launch location.
Average Returns: two
Systems Available? No, though two out of five stores did tell me I had "just missed one."
Conclusion: Target doesn't get many systems in, and when they do they generally last a day tops. One electronics rep I spoke to in Colorado told me they had gotten two returns earlier in the week, which didn't last more that 24 hours on the shelf. Low volume, relatively quick turnaround.

Best Buy
Number Called: 15 - Best Buy had the greatest launch allocations, so I gave them a bit more attention while conducting the survey.
Average Returns: Four - One customer service rep said she had seen as many as eight returned, though she worked at a midnight launch store with a much larger console allocation than the rest.
Systems Available? Not a one, at any store. Most likely a corporate sponsored lie, however, as we've been getting several reports on Best Buy holding systems until New Year's Eve.
Conclusion: A much larger allocation equals a slightly higher number of returns. This whole sitting on items for big holiday sales severely screws up survey data. As well as forcing their employees to lie, they also forced me to lie. When I mentioned I was writing a story, I was told they couldn't comment to the press. I had to tell them I was a father looking in to buying one for his son, trying to figure out if the system was reliable. If anyone asks, my son's name is Rufus, and he has a glandular disorder.

Wal-Mart
Number called: Five before I gave up out of sheer frustration
Average Returns: Inconclusive. While I did have one store tell me they'd seen a couple come back, most of them couldn't figure out how to transfer me to customer service.
Systems Available? Possibly. They might not even know what it is.
Conclusion: While I've known some very helpful and intelligent Wal-Mart employees in my time, all of them must have been off over the past two days. I got through to one customer service rep and one electronics department out of five stores, the rest of the time spent either waiting endlessly on hold or being accidentally hung up on.

While return numbers seem to be relatively low, when you figure in the transactions the employees I spoke to weren't privy to, and then multiply the number by even a fraction of the stores these retailers have scattered across the country, and things start adding up. In an ironic twist to the whole story, it seems as though your best bet for securing a PlayStation 3 console, unless you want to shell out $1100 for a bundle at Fry's, is eBay. As of this writing there are over 7,000 up for auction, looking for a good home.

The Grand Conclusion, with a Personal Note
To be completely honest, when I first secured my PS3 preorder with GameStop the first thought in my head was the massive amount of money I could make from selling it. That's how I got approval from my girlfriend to put down the $100. The TMX Elmo had just been released and was selling for ten times retail price. I figured I could triple my money, pick myself up a nice flat panel HDTV...hell, I might even have enough left over for another PS3 once the dust cleared.

What changed? Well the more I thought about the PS3, the more articles I read, and the more videos I watched, until the gamer in me basically slapped the profiteer silly. The PlayStation 3 has real potential. Lair. Motorstorm. Resistance. Soon dreams of a giant TV faded away, replaced by the gnawing anticipation I'm prone to get whenever something big is going to happen in the gaming industry. That, and I got this gig at Kotaku. If you guys ever got wind of me eBaying a PS3 I'd never hear the end of it.

As it turns out my gamer instincts and the threat of hordes of angry readers steered me clear of potential disaster. Aside from a couple brief spikes, there is no way I'd have been able to pull off the television, and I know damn well I would have waited for Christmas like so many others did, only to lose even more.

The moral of this story? There's no such creature as a sure thing. The majority of eBay prospectors walked away from this experience with that lesson burned into the back of their brains. My suggestion for the future? If you want to gamble, go to Vegas. If you want to invest, try mutual funds. Leave the video game system buying to the gamers. We'll all be happier for it.

How I collected the graph data:
To track eBay sales I used a website called Terapeak, which is of of the most trusted eBay market research tools available. I looked at data for the US eBay site each day utilizing the keyword "PlayStation 3" in the Video Games/Systems category. I set the price range for $200 through $10,000 to weed out any artificially inflated auctions as well as any bogus "PS3 Buying Guide" type offerings. Keep in mind that the statistics provided are for both the 60GB and 20GB models combined. Many sellers neglected to specify which version they were auctioning, so weeding out one from the other was nigh impossible. Counterbalancing that slightly are auctions including games and extra controllers, which are also figured into the statistics.

While certainly not a completely infallible system, I believe it led to a more accurate overview of the eBay PlayStation 3 market than simply searching for PlayStation 3 and leaving it at that.

Using the same guidelines outlined above, I poked about for a few more interesting tidbits regarding system demand. For instance, auctions ending on or before November 16th, meaning preorders, had a 96.5% success rate. In the period after the system was released the figure dropped to 73%. Hazarding a guess I would say those figures are due largely in part to unrealistic reserve price auctions.

For $39 you can get:
WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2007 for the PS2
Zelda The Twilight Princess for the Wii or Gamecube
Final Fantasy XII for the PS2
Tony Hawk's Project 8 for the PS3 or Xbox 360
Need for Speed Carbon for the PS3 or Xbox 360
Gears of War for the Xbox 360
Marvel Ultimate Alliance for the PS3 or Xbox 360

For $18.88 you can get:
Star Wars: Battlefront II for the PSP
Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition for the PSP
Need for Speed: Most Wanted for the PS2
Socom: U.S. Navy Seals Fireteam Bravo for the PSP
ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails for the PSP
Shadow of the Colossus for the PS2
Medal of Honor: European Assault for the PS2
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for the PS2
Super Mario Sunshine for the GameCube

There's more stuff that you can find on the second and third pages of the weekly ad. Go check it out for some hardware sales and more game discounts. Brian Crecente

Target Weekly Ad

We got two separate tips today from our retail chain connection, both with info on forthcoming Wii and PlayStation 3 shipments. First, let's check in with our Circuit City pals:

I work at Circuit City and we're supposed to be doing a company wide re-launch of the Wii on Sunday, December 3rd. My store is getting 54 units, which is slightly above the average of 40 or so, and every Circuit is getting between 15 and 132 consoles.

Also, every Circuit will be getting 5-40 PS3's across this week (before 12/1) and next week (between 12/1 and 12/6). My store is getting 26 across both weeks, which is once again above the average. The PS3's will be both 20 and 60 GB models. Mostly 60 GB's at roughly a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio. The PS3's are supposed to be sold upon receipt, so people might want to check their local store's truck schedule.

Sounds dangerously promising! But what about elsewhere?

Our Target retail spy had this to say:

You guys shouldn't have a problem getting a Wii on sunday. Target has gotten about 50 each for Sunday. Most stores have sold them early, but if the stores where you guys are haven't you should be fine.

Since we can't verify this with 100% accuracy (or the blog standard 89% accuracy), we'll call this info "rumor" for now.

Now I'm giving you this information out of the kindness of my heart, dear reader. But if I show up at the Sunset Boulevard Circuit City on Sunday and come out sans Wii or PS3, I'm going to tear every one of you a new one. I'm not sure yet what fresh orifice it is I'll be tearing, but you probably won't like it. Michael McWhertor

Reader Chris T. writes in with this find from his local Target. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess soundtrack that comes with a 1/6 scale replica Hylian Sword and Shield. Chris describes it as a "limited supply" with a price tag of $39.99 so if you want to get your hands on this one, I would suggest you get down to Target ASAP. But, as we learned with the console launches, always remember to call ahead now and avoid bitter disappointment later. Flynn De Marco

My friend Mike in New Haven, Conn. is a gamer. Not a hardcore gamer, but he's definitely done his share of gaming and console buying over the years. he loves his DS, but since the arrival of his 7 month old son, Paul, he doesn't have time for midnight launch madness or waiting around in the cold all night for the newest console. He was, however, very interested in getting a Wii. Since he had Paul last night, he decided to wait until this morning to see if he could actually acquire one. So, He made his way to the local target around 8am.

Upon arriving, he was greeted with the scene that is so familiar at this point, a huge line of people. There were about 60 people in line and as he walked up, he was informed that there were only 60 Wiis and that they had just given out all the claim tickets. It looked like it was going to be a day of running around with an infant trying to find his system. A daunting task, certainly. So, imagine his surprise when a gentleman approached him as he was leaving.

I had just gotten the car door open for Paul when this guy approached. I have to admit I was a bit dubious of his motives but the whole line was standing there watching. He said he had an extra ticket, and I was thinking he wanted to make money off of me and I said, "You're serious? Do you want something for this?" He just said no, that he saw me with the baby and he had an extra he was going to sell on eBay.

He had camped out with his sister since 11 pm to buy a Wii for his 8 y/o son for Christmas. He had never even heard of the Wii until two days ago. He said he was going to buy his son a PSP, but then the boy said he wanted a Wii instead. Then he walks to his car to get the extra ticket and comes back and hands me the ticket and I take my place next to him in line, feeling a little odd about cutting, but thrilled because I had my Wii!

It's so nice to hear stories of things like this happening with the Nintendo launch. It really gives one hope for the future. Flynn De Marco

Since I didn't have time before my EB launch to go by Target, I put the Wii under lock and key in the car and trekked over to the Target parking lot. Can you believe my restraint? Trust me, my first instinct was to jump in the car and jam down on the gas, squealing wheels out of the parking lot as I laughed maniacally all the way home.

The line at Target was a bit smaller and apparently had started much later than the Best Buy line. The fellow in the front of the line (I didn't get his name, but I did get his picture) said he had arrived around 10pm. The others waiting all seemed to have come there in the last 45 minutes or so before I got there. I was cautious about letting then know I had my Wii in the car. I didn't want to start a riot of PS3 proportions, although I could tell by the attitudes of the people there that this wouldn't have been a problem.

Again, everyone was happy, in a good mood AND most of them had heard of Kotaku and were more than willing to pose for pictures. As with Best Buy, only a few were actually purchasing Wii's, with the rest there to keep their friends company. An admirable quality in these crazy days of launch shootings and muggings.

By this time, I just couldn't contain myself any longer. I had to get home and finally experience the Wii for myself... and I did. And it was awesome. Flynn De Marco

I've just gotten back from the Target Greatland on North Druid Hills in Atlanta where, on a tip from my co-worker Dave, I heard there were Wii-motes and controllers on sale since Friday.

So my buddy and I headed over to North Druid Hils and upon arriving found no line of campers outside, no rioting crowds. I made a bee-line for the electronics department and lo and behold, there they were. Hanging in their plastic containers right next to the Wii demo stand. The Wii remote, the nunchuk, the classic controller and Nintendo Points. We grabbed one of each and made our way to the register, unhindered by muggers, paid and left. This is great since the EB where I pre-ordered my Wii hadn't received their shipment of extra accessories. This will save a trip in the morning, giving more uninterrupted playing time and no line waiting. Sweet! Make the jump to see them up close and personal. Flynn De Marco