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UK Gamers Get Horrible Playstation 3 Bundle
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, Hardware, PlayStation 3,
GamesIndustry.biz is reporting that UK gamers looking to pre-order the Playstation 3 through retailer HMV are being forced to partake in a particularly onerous bundle. An e-mail sent to customers indicates that those who would like to place a pre-order for the Playstation 3 can do so only when also purchasing a 4 GB PSP package. The bundle includes the new PSP, two PSP games and the Playstation 3, but retails for almost 675 GBP, around $1330 US. According to Gamesindustry.biz, Sony was less than sympathetic towards its fanbase, stating that “his is just one of a number of value added incentives that retailers will be offering to mark the launch of PS3.” This bundle seems to be the oddest choice; hardcore fans of Sony’s hardware will likely have already purchased a PSP, and the pricing puts this above the casual fan’s price range. Add this together with no actual guarantee that the Playstation 3 will be available, this action would seem to be the definition of HMV “biting the hand that feeds it.”
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| GamesIndustry.biz
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GameStop Reveals Wii Bundle Contents
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Nintendo, Wii,
GameStop/EBGames have revealed the contents of their mega-Wii bundle that will be available for pre-order starting tomorrow evening. The bundle will include the following:
- Wii Console
- Wii Memory SD 1 GB
- Additional Remote
- Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
- Trauma Center: Second Opinion
- Red Steel
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance
- Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz
- Madden NFL 2007
- 12 Month Product Replacement Plan
- Game Informer Gift Subscription
All of the above will sell for $694.88, making the fantastic EB/GameStop PRP and the subscription to their in-house magazine’s price about $45. While the game selection is decent, the addition of the forced PRP and magazine subscription seems over the top. Add to that the fact that third-party 1 GB SD memory cards sell for about $25 starts pushing this bundle into the price-gouging territory. Hopefully, the amount of consoles that Nintendo ships this holiday will make bundles like this less popular, but consumers may decide that spending a little extra will be worth it for some peace of mind as the Wii launch date nears.
Read More | GameStop
EBGames & GameStop Prepare Price Gouging Wii Bundle
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Nintendo, Wii,
EBGames just sent an e-mail out to their mailing list subscribers describing their online pre-order program. On Thursday evening CST, the company will place a limited number of Wii bundles online. Each bundle will sell for $699, and will be limited to 1 per household. EBGames’ official statement is this:
This Thursday evening (CST), November 9, your opportunity to get in on the excitement arrives when our Wii bundle becomes available for pre-order online at EBgames.com. You’ll get the best games, accessories and more in one convenient package delivered right to your door - all for under $699 plus tax and handling!
Quantities are extremely limited and there will be a limit of 1 Wii bundle per household, limited to US delivery only. Ordering a bundle does not guarantee shipment at launch and orders will be shipped on a first-come, first-serve basis. The bundle will be removed from the site as soon as we have reached our expected quota.
$699 for an online bundle that doesn’t guarantee a console at launch seems to be folly, particularly when so many other retailers seem to be getting a plentiful supply of the console at launch.
Microsoft Japan Offers Lost Planet Bundle
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Culture, Hardware, Xbox 360, Xbox Live,
When Lost Planet: Extreme Condition launches in Japan in December, Microsoft will offer a hardware bundle that includes the game, Xbox 360 console, 20GB hard drive, wireless controller, HD AV cable, remote, a 3 month subscription to Xbox Live, and a card that will allow gamers to download an additional stage for Lost Planet. The bundle will retail for 44800 Yen ($381 US). This, put together with the Blue Dragon bundle shows that Microsoft is trying hard to penetrate the Japanese market. The Lost Planet bundle seems to be less of a draw, however, and one wonders if this will drive that many more console sales.
Read More | Famitsu
UK To Get Xbox 360 Bundle
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Driving, Xbox 360,
Microsoft announced today that starting on September 23, they will be offering an Xbox 360 bundle in the UK, including an Xbox 360 Premium system, an extra wireless controller, and a copy of Project Gotham Racing 3 for £299.99 ($565 US). This new bundle sells for £30 more than a standard Premium system, and may help to entice more gamers to choose the Xbox 360 platform this Holiday season. So, in the past few days, Microsoft has announced bundles in both Japan and the UK to try and rack up sales, but so far US gamers have been left in the cold.
Read More | Eurogamer
Blue Dragon Core Bundle Offered In Japan
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Role Playing Games, Xbox 360,
Famitsu is reporting that there will be a Blue Dragon Core bundle available in Japan when the game launches on December 7th. The core bundle price will be 29,800 Yen, the same price as Microsoft’s other Core System bundle that includes Project Gotham Racing 3 and Ninety Nine Nights. Blue Dragon definitely has strong Japanese RPG DNA at its core; famed Final Fantasy series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi created the design for the game and game art has been provided by Dragon Quest and Dragon Ball artist Akira Torayama. Microsoft certainly hopes that the release of the game will allow the Xbox 360 to rise above its 1,000 unit sales doldrums in Japan.
Read More | Famitsu
Sony Confirms Contents, Pricing For PSP Entertainment Bundle
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, PSP,
After discussing plans to release a new bundle for the PSP in an attempt to highlight the multimedia capabilities of the console, Sony today officially announced the details of the PSP Entertainment Bundle. The bundle will be officially available on September 13th, and will include the standard black PSP, ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin’ Trails, the UMD Movie Lords of Dogtown, and a 1 GB memory stick. The whole package retails for $249.99, which seems like a decent deal compared to the retail costs of each component.
The 1 GB memory stick is nice, but the “free” game and UMD movie seem like questionable choices. Lords of Dogtown got mixed reviews and has been available on DVD for nearly a year. While ATV Offroad Fury got decent reviews when it was released, the game was one of the first released for the PSP. ATV is also plagued with pretty horrendous load times, which may sour the out-of-box experience for the new PSP user somewhat. If Sony were truly serious about taking marketshare from Nintendo they could have upped the included content with things that gamers would actually want; a PSP bundled with Lumines would be much more appealing. As it stands, the “free” pack-ins feel more like they were intended to entice the Holiday purchase by a family member that doesn’t know any better. It is interesting that Sony will launch this bundle on the same day that Nintendo will release their Onyx Black and Coral Pink Nintendo DS consoles.
Read More | Gamasutra
Sony Announces PS3 Ratio, PSP Bundle
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, PlayStation 3, PSP,
According to a report on GameDaily, Sony has started to set down the details of their Playstation 3 product launch this November. The ratio of PS3 Premium to Core units was announced, with the $600 Premium consoles taking up roughly 80 percent of the launch quantities. While final assembly of the console isn’t scheduled until the end of September, Sony still believes they will be able to ship another 800,000 units by the end of the year to the United States. Given that Sony plans on having 2.4 million consoles shipped by the end of 2006, this would indicate that Japan will see another 1.1 million Playstation 3 consoles delivered between November 11 and December 31. If Sony can’t scale up Blu-Ray diode production to match demand, though, this number would be in jeopardy.
Sony also announced that they planned to focus on highlighting the PSP’s non-gaming features, and they planned to release a new bundle by the end of the year. No pricing was set on the bundle.
Read More | GameDaily
