Coupon assemblage is, routinely a yeah-yeah task. I mean, really, who the hell wants a pink Guitar Hero guitar. But this weekend, there's some 360 hardware values you need to see.
Hardware
• If this is to be believed, Play.com has an Xbox 360 bundle that reads like a Ronco But-Wait-There's-More ad, except it actually has things you want. Specifically, it's an Elite console PLUS wireless adapter AND 12 month Xbox Live Gold subscription BUT WAIT you also get 4200 Microsoft Points AND Gears of War 2 ... AND Halo 3. All this for £299.99. Plus free shipping. Now, I've no idea if you can order from and have it shipped to the U.S. If so, you should know that the price exchanges at $487 at time of writing, so it's still a strong value, but not the same kind of insanely huge score on this side of the pond. For our friends in the U.K., though, it's like you're losing money if you don't buy it. [Play.com, thanks mreasyguy]
• The recent price cuts on all the Xbox 360 SKUs are good news for gamers, and Dell goes one better. Throw coupon code 6FWJ247J1P44CK on top of that and you get another 15 percent off, in addition to the price drop. That means an Arcade is $169.99, a Pro is $212.49, and top-of-the-line Elite is $254.99. And folks, that sucker comes with an HDMI cable, unlike the degrade Microsoft announced this week. Did I mention you get free shipping? The ship offer lasts through mid-September. The coupon's good to the end of October. Sweet Babby Jesus, I nearly ordered this myself. [Tech Deal Digger]
• For laughs, I went to Amazon to compare the actual retail price of an Xbox 120 GB hard drive to that Elite deal, and saw they dropped the cost of that a good $40. So if you don't want the HDMI or the Jasper motherboard, but do need some space for your demos and DLC and whatnot, that sucker is $119.97, free shipping eligible. [Amazon]
• And if hardware doesn't catch your eye, Amazon's also rolling some 360 game bundles. Snap up an Arcade and get Banjo Kazooie or Lost Odyssey for $199.99; or get an Elite with Halo 3 or Fable 2 or a 13 month Xbox Live sub for $299.99. [Cheap Ass Gamer]
Gang, Microsoft and its retailers are officially not f***ing around. If you have a 360, these next two months are the time to upgrade your hardware. Especially before the onset of the holidays, as that Oct. 31 Dell coupon expiration indicates.
Software
• Guitar Hero 5 drops this week, which means EVERYTHING! MUST! GO! for previous-gen Guitar Hero stock, so now's the time to poach values off a band kit less than a year old. And here's a great one - the full World Tour Band Kit, for 360, with a bonus second guitar, for a hundy. $99.99 to be exact, and free shipping. Pick it up at the official Guitar Hero store. [TechDealDigger]
• On Steam, two titles are going off for $4.99 - Sniper Elite, and Evil Genius, and then Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death for a buck less. Don't want to play that shit? You can grab up 13 THQ titles for $75. The collectors pack is available for 25 percent off, and if you bought all the titles separately, you'd be shelling out more than $200. Here's what you get: Company of Heroes; Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts; Frontlines: Fuel of War; Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights; S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl; Titan Quest; Titan Quest - Immortal Throne; Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade; Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Gold Edition; Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War - Soulstorm; Full Spectrum Warrior and Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers. [Steam]
• Also on digital distro, Gamers Gate is running some weekend specials. Grand Age: Rome is half off; AI War, Fleet Command is a third off; the Gothic series is 40 percent off across the board. BUKA titles are 50 to 75 percent off, and if you pre-order Football Manager 2010, you get Outrun Coast 2 Coast free. [Gamers Gate]
As always, smart gamers can find values any day of the week, so if you've run across a deal, share it with us in the comments.