Blog Archives
Microsoft Gives The Xbox One A Release Date– Coming November 22nd
We already knew the price and launch games but today Microsoft decided to announce the final missing detail about the Xbox One– it’s release date. The next Xbox will be here on November 22nd for the previously announced price of $499.99. Yes, if you ever wanted Black Friday to get any crazier then releasing a new Xbox the week before will give you your wish.
Xbox One available 11.22.13. Reserve now. http://t.co/XcgnGBxceD
— Xbox (@Xbox) September 4, 2013
Sure it’s a week later than the PS4, but it’s coming. And that’s all that really matters, right?
Amazon Is Bundling Free NFL Sunday Ticket With Pre-Orders Of Madden NFL 25 Anniversary Edition
With just under a month to go until football fully returns it’s time to start making sure you’re ready for the season. The latest version of Madden, Madden NFL 25, comes out on August 27th for the Xbox 360 and PS3 but this year it’s coming with a lot more than just the usual roster updates and improvements like better commentary and more realistic running. This year to mark the 25th anniversary of the legendary game EA, Amazon and DirecTV have done something different. If you pre-order the special edition Madden 25 Anniversary Edition for $100 on Amazon you’ll not only get the game and a subscription to the Ultimate Team add-on, but you’ll also get a code to get NFL Sunday Ticket for free for the 2013 season. Yes, even if you’re not a DirecTV subscriber you’ll still be able to access the full Sunday Ticket Package and the Red Zone channel from any computer, or phone or tablet (iOS and Android). The code won’t work with the Sunday Ticket app on the PS3, so to get the games on your big screen TV you’ll need to connect your device to your TV. Seeing as most laptops today come with an HDMI port that shouldn’t be too hard.
The regular edition of Madden NFL 25 costs $60 on its own, so for $40 more you’re getting something that usually costs another $300 (on top of subscribing to DirecTV and installing a satellite dish). If you’re going off to school and your apartment/dorm doesn’t have DirecTV or if you just want a cheap way to get Sunday Ticket, this is a pretty amazing deal. As Kotaku points out, you don’t even need to have an Xbox 360 or PS3 to use the code– its included in the box separately so you can use it for Sunday Ticket and then re-sell your copy of Madden to GameStop or some other place.
This deal is said to be limited so you better act quick if you want to take advantage. Pre-orders are available now on Amazon and Madden NFL 25 comes out August 27th.
Sony Exec Teases A Big PlayStation Announcement Coming In The Next Few Months– Could It Be The PlayStation 4?
One of the many mock ups of what people think the PlayStation 4 may look like
It has long been rumored that 2013 would be the year that Sony and Microsoft announce the next generation of the PlayStation and Xbox. As we all know, last year Nintendo released their latest game console, the Wii U, and it has been over seven years since the Xbox 360 launched and six years since the PS3 came out so this time was inevitable. And today we got our first real hint that this new generation was on its way.
CNET reports on an interview a Sony Vice President of Home Entertainment, Hiroshi Sakamoto, gave to a Chilean website Emol, about a big PlayStation announcement planned for E3 (the annual June video game conference where the Xbox 360, the Wii U and the PS3 were first announced), or even May at a special event. Here’s the answer he gave when asked about the next PlayStation:
“That’s still a big secret, but our friends are preparing Sony PlayStation. I can only say that we are focused on the E3 gaming event, scheduled for June. [An] announcement may be [made] in that minute or even earlier in May.”
Now for those who have followed the rumors, the PS4 and Xbox 720 (or Xbox 3, Xbox Surface or whatever the next Xbox will be called) have been rumored for years. But hearing a Sony VP of Home Entertainment– someone who you think would know about things like a new PlayStation– talk about it like that makes us think that we finally could see the PS4 very soon.
Now in terms of what to expect in the PS4, not much is known about it today. Kotaku and other sites say the PS4 will be able to play games at 4K resolution (four times today’s 1080p HDTVs) which would mean that its much more powerful and has much better graphics than today’s PS3 (the next Xbox is also rumored to have similar graphics specs). In terms of price and release, other rumors say the PS4 and next Xbox will be available by the holidays of this year for around $400 each.
E3 runs from June 11th-13th and if the next Xbox and PlayStation are coming this year we’re sure we’ll hear a lot more before then. As always, stay tuned.
Microsoft Brings Back Their Back-To-School Deal– But Is It Worth It?
Well it’s that time of year again. Yup, the school year is almost over, summer vacation is just weeks away and you know what that means: time for back-to-school deals to begin. Last year at this time Microsoft was just taking the wraps off of their back-to-school Windows PC deal and it was so good that this year their bringing it back. Yes, Microsoft will be giving away free 4 GB Xbox 360s with all new PC purchases of $699 or higher as well as a $15 upgrade to the all new Windows 8 when it comes out later this year. And like last year this deal applies to both high school and college students and all you gotta do to get this offer is show your Student ID if your buying in a store or a enter your .edu email address if you’re buying online (this is the email address your college gives you once you enroll).
Unlike last year however, this deal is available in more stores than just the Microsoft Store and Best Buy. In fact Best Buy, Dell.com, Fry’s Electronics, HPDirect.com, Microsoft Stores, and NewEgg.com are all partaking in this years deal.
The Samsung Series 5 Windows 8 Hybrid– one of the many new tablet/laptops you can expect later this year (pic via The Verge)
Now here’s the real question– is this deal worth it? Usually we’d say its a pretty much no brainer of a deal– I mean, you’re getting a brand new computer AND a free Xbox– but with Windows 8 coming later this year things are a bit more complicated. Windows 8 is a major upgrade over Windows 7, with one of its biggest updates being it’s completely optimized for tablets. Now that’s not to say that it doesn’t work well on “traditional” mouse and keyboard computers that don’t have touchscreens, just that later this year we can expect all new computers that look to combine the best of a tablet and a laptop (like the upcoming Samsung in the pic above. Think of it as having all the best of a tablet– apps, awesome battery life and really thin designs– combined with all the power of a normal Windows PC). So for $700-$800 you can get a full Windows computer AND a very good tablet in one.
The downside to this of course is that Windows 8 PCs and tablets aren’t expected to come out until September or October (or around the time school actually starts), so if you’re looking for a new PC we really would recommend to try to wait until then (and if you’re planning on buying a Mac we’d also recommend waiting a week as Apple is rumored to be updating its entire Mac line next Monday at their annual WWDC conference). If you need a new computer right now and can’t wait, then by all means this is stll a solid deal, if not for the Xbox then for the fact that you’ll get Windows 8 for just $15.
Again though, if you can, try to hold out a couple more months– trust us, it’ll be worth it.
Reminder: Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Back To School Deal Ends This Saturday
Looking for a new Windows PC for school and want to take advantage of Microsoft’s buy a Windows PC and get a free Xbox 360 back to school deal? Then we recommend you hurry as the deal ends this Saturday, September 3rd.
For those who’ve never heard of this deal, it basically works like this. If you’re a student and you buy a new Windows PC at $699 or more Microsoft will throw in a free 4 GB Xbox 360 to go with it. The deal is open to both high school and college students and all you have to do to get it is show your Student ID if your buying in a store or a enter your .edu email address if you’re buying online at sites like the Microsoft Store, Dell.com or HP.com (this is the email address your college gives you once you enroll). If you’re a high school student and don’t have that .edu email address, try chatting with an online sales rep or calling the company’s sales line (their phone numbers are usually listed at the top of their sites). And remember, the deal also isn’t necessarily done by all stores (Staples and Best Buy, for example, don’t offer it), so you’re probably better off buying online or calling your preferred store before you go to make sure you get the deal.
So yeah, if you want that new PC and free Xbox you better hurry before the deal ends.
Best Buy Pulls Out Of Microsoft’s Free Xbox 360 Back To School Deal
Looking to take advantage of Microsoft’s awesome back-to-school deal of a free Xbox 360 when you buy a new PC for $699 or more? Well, if you are then we recommend not picking up that new computer from Best Buy as they have pulled out of this back-to-school deal earlier this month. And while we couldn’t find out the reason that Best Buy isn’t offering this free 360 deal anymore, they have confirmed to us that they have stopped offering the deal.
HP, Dell, Amazon and the Microsoft Store are all still offering this deal (which runs until September 3rd and works as long as you have a high school or college student ID)– so if you were looking for a new computer at $699 or more and wanted that free 360 we recommend you look at one of them.
Apple Announces Back To School Deal: Buy A New Mac And Get A Free $100 iTunes Gift Card
Apple today finally took the wraps off its annual, highly anticipated back to school deal with a major new twist: the traditional free iPod Touch has been replaced with the new deal being the usual discounts on all Macs and a free $100 iTunes gift card that can be used in any of Apple’s iTunes stores (iTunes, App Store for iPhone/iPad, Mac App Store and iBookstore).
While we don’t know why Apple decided not to do free iPod Touches again this year (or even better, some discount on an iPad with the purchase of a new Mac) the deal, which runs from today, June 16th, through September 20th, is still pretty good in our opinion. Think about it, most of us have iPods– or are using our phones as our iPods– now anyway so unless you really needed a new one, getting $100 to spend in iTunes and getting apps for your new Mac can be very valuable (as Apple puts it: “so you can get Pages, Numbers and Keynote for your studies. And still have plenty left for your study breaks.”). Oh, and the brand new, upcoming OS X Lion will be free to anyone who buys a new Mac now and before whenever the official launch date is, so you don’t have to worry about buying that for $30 next month either.
Now a lot of you want to know what’s different between this new 2011 Apple back-to-school deal and Microsoft’s offer of a free Xbox 360 with any new PC $699 or higher. There actually is a lot. Beyond the fact that Microsoft’s deal is cheaper (you can buy a PC for $699 and get the free 360 whereas the cheapest MacBook– the one from last year and not the new MacBook Pros— is $899 even after the $100 discount), Microsoft’s deal is also open for any current high school or college student unlike Apple’s which looks to be only college (the official language is “college students or students accepted to college” so incoming college freshmen you’re still good. Parents of college students and teachers of any grade are also eligible so if you’ve got a sibling in college or a nice teacher you can still get in on this deal). Microsoft is also giving away more in terms of the free add-on (an Xbox 360 4 GB is $200 whereas even if you include Lion in the Apple deal you’re still at $130).
I guess what it really comes down to which would you rather game on: Xbox 360 or Mac/iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch? Let us know your pick of which deal you think is better in the comments.
Info from Apple