Game publishers have been competing against used game sales by restricting online play or adding bonus contest that is only acceptable through unique codes packaged with new copies. But according to game publishing giant Electronic Arts, those codes that provide the backhanded bonuses could potentially expire, although they’re usually not expected to. [More]
video games
Reasons Not To Buy Video Games At Launch
By 11.17.11
The video game hype machine is geared to spend months — and sometimes, years — getting fans to want to line up at midnight sales and pounce on titles as soon as they become available. But it seldom makes financial sense to jump in immediately. You can stretch your gaming dollar by refusing to buy brand-new stuff. [More]
Steam Database Hacked
By 11.11.11
The popular online video game distribution system Steam was hacked and a database containing user names, passwords, user credit card information was compromised. [More]
Best Buy Pricematching COD:MW3 At $51.99
By 11.11.11
Anyone who rushed out and bought the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for $59.99 at Best Buy… should rush back in and ask for $8 back. That’s because BestBuy.com dropped the price to $51.99 and Best Buy brick and mortars are supposed to pricematch the online site. [More]
Police Say Man Threatened To Bomb Best Buy Because It Didn't Have Game
By 11.10.11
Authorities say a Colorado man was so irate over not being able to buy the game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 at a Colorado Best Buy that he said he would shoot staffers and blow up the store. The man allegedly went into a rage at the customer service desk after employees revealed the store ran out of copies of the game early Tuesday morning. [More]
Sony Clamps Down On Downloaded Games Sharing
By 11.8.11
Sony currently lets you store downloaded games on a total of five PS3s or PSPs, but it’s cutting back on those limits. Starting Nov. 18, you’ll only be able to store a game on two PS3s or two PSPs. Some games, such as PlayStation 1 classics and PSP Minis, are playable on both systems, and you can play those on two PS3s and two PSPs each. [More]
Kmart Reportedly Sold "Modern Warfare 3" Early, Buyers Look To Flip Games Online
By 11.4.11
Some Kmarts were rumored to have started selling Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 this week, days in advance of its release date next Tuesday. The snafu was apparently due to mislabeled boxes that led managers to believe the game could be stocked and sold immediately, and the sales have initiated a grey market in which the games are going for a significant premium online. [More]
Game Publisher Fails To Deliver On Promised "Battlefield 3" Bonus
By 10.26.11
In a press conference at the E3 video game expo in June, Sony Computer Entertainment of America CEO Jack Tretton announced that the PS3 version of Battlefield 3 would include a copy of one of its predecessors, Battlefield 1943. But Battlefield 3 hit stores Tuesday without Battlefield 1943 in tow. [More]
What To Do If Your Batman: Arkham City Game Has No Download Code
By 10.20.11
To give gamers a reason to buy Batman: Arkham City new rather than used, Warner Bros. packed in cards with codes that allow them to download add-ons. The problem is that some of the codes don’t work, and some cards are blank. [More]
Nintendo Competes Against Self By Offering Slightly Worse Wii At Same Price
By 10.17.11
If you’re looking for a Wii that lacks the ability to play old GameCube games for the same price as one that can, Nintendo has a deal for you. In a press release, the company reveals that it’s releasing a newer version of the console that takes away its backward compatibility for $150, the same price as the old version of the product. [More]
93,000 PSN Accounts Suspended After Latest Attack
By 10.13.11
PlayStation announced they’ve suspended 93,000 PSN accounts after the latest attack against their network. [More]
Direct2Drive Charges $149.85 For Stuff You Didn't Buy
By 10.7.11
Reader Andrew noticed a funny Paypal charge from Direct2Drive, a site that lets you buy computer games online and download them to your computer. Direct2Drive had helped themselves to $149.85 from his account, even though he didn’t order anything from them. [More]
Sony Says All Future Sony Games Will Require Code To Play Online
By 10.4.11
Out to swipe some profits from the used video game machine, some publishers have moved toward packing new games with codes that unlock online features and selling the codes to those who buy the games used. Sony is going all-in on the tactic, announcing all games it publishes, starting with next month’s Uncharted 3, will be stuck with online passes. [More]
A Simple Way To Fix A Jammed PlayStation 3 Disc Drive
By 9.16.11
Devices with internal disc drives that suck and spit out your circular entertainment are fantastic until someone (let’s call her 2-year-old Emma) comes along and renders it (let’s call it a PS3) useless by stuffing it with multiple discs. No matter how much you curse at the device or pound on the eject button, the discs will stay stuck until you either send the console in for repair or work some magic. [More]
Your Tax Dollars Are Hard At Work Subsidizing Video Game Companies
By 9.12.11
The government has played a part in keeping video game companies as profitable as they are, offering tax incentives that bolster the businesses’ bottom lines. Game companies have managed to benefit from a slew of arguably outdated tax credits, deductions and write-offs largely intended for other companies. Gaming companies also take advantage of a 1950s-era tax break, expanded in 1969 to include software companies, that lets businesses deduct research and experimentation costs immediately. [More]
Call Of Duty Subscription Service Will Cost $50 A Year, Include Downloadable Maps
By 9.5.11
Activision Blizzard has managed to pump up Call of Duty to a Goliath-like status in online gaming for the past several years, so it was only a matter of time until the publisher thought of a way to sap more money from dedicated players. Its answer is Call of Duty Elite, a service that offers stat-tracking, group management and social features for $50 a year. The fee also covers downloadable map packs that non-members will have to buy individually. [More]
Reports: GameStop Pulls PC Version Of 'Deus Ex' Off Shelves After Controversy
By 8.25.11
As we reported yesterday, GameStop fessed up to ordering employees to pull coupon codes out of new copies of the PC version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The company justified its shady directive by saying the publisher Square Enix didn’t let it know the coupon — for a free version of the game from OnLive, which competes against GameStop’s digital service — would be included. Now GameStop is reportedly yanking the game off shelves. [More]
NFL Sunday Ticket Comes To PS3, Android Tablets
By 8.18.11
DirecTV is taking strides to open up its NFL Sunday Ticket package, which lets viewers watch games not televised in their home markets. This season, non-DirecTV subscribing PlayStation 3 owners can access the service through an app for $340. The package includes the RedZone channel, which switches through different games between plays throughout the day. [More]
