get this, its a hd-dvd and an excellent upconvert player from toshiba http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3127538&CatId=2356 $199 get a ps3 later when the price goes way down and they actually have some decent games.
I am also wanting to jump into the HD DVD or Blu-Ray boat. Just wanting to make sure I am making the right decision. I am pretty much convinced that Blu Ray is not going the way of the Betamax. So I am thinking of getting a PS3. I was on the Sony.com site and saw the $150 dollar deal if you spent more than $299 on your first purchase. But how do you take advantage of the points that you were referencing and get the free controller? Could you elaborate. I don't think you can beat the above deal. Plus you will get 5 free Blu Ray disks. So add that to the list of freebies.
As mentioned, I'd probably go with a DVD player that upscales for now, and then upgrade to a HD DVD or Blu-ray player later on when they're cheaper. I'm assuming that you'd want to upgrade eventually to either HD format of course; personally, I think there is a big jump in quality provided by the new formats (even compared to upscaled DVDs), but for some reason, maybe it won't be noticeable enough for you to bother (especially if you don't watch movies much). I'd only recommend a PS3 if you have any interest in gaming, but I didn't get that impression from your posts (maybe I missed it?). If you are, then yeah, it is almost a no-brainer to get a PS3, especially with deals such as the one Invisible Fan posted. But if you aren't interested in gaming, then I'm not really sure why you couldn't just get a cheaper HD DVD or Blu-ray player later on down the line, especially if you aren't interested in some of the non-gaming features of the PS3 (media streaming, HDD media storage, internet browsing, etc.). To follow up on what these guys posted, apparently the breakdown between the two versions was 65:35, in favor of Blu-ray. It also seemed as though a lot of stores sold out of 300, so sales may have been evem more impressive...although technically, the 250K may have been a shipped figure and not sold to consumers. But if it was mostly sold out everywhere, it doesn't really matter whether it was shipped or sold. Impressive sales considering how early we are in both lifespans. The PS3 probably won't be getting much cheaper than what was offered in the deal Invisible Fan posted anytime soon. Kind of like how you could get 360 Premiums for ~$300 (or less IIRC) last year, yet the MSRP for it is still at $350 (and that was from a recent price cut). If he really wants a PS3 for some reason (either gaming, watching movies, or both), I'm not sure he should really bother waiting given some of the deals out there. Plenty of great games out already and coming soon too. Of course, as I already said, I wouldn't recommend a PS3 unless he was into gaming, and I didn't really get that impression.
RC Cola, Question for you. I guess the only thing I am debating is if I should buy the PS3 from Sony Style and use the $150 off promotion which would get me the best deal ($500+$30 Tax -$150 credit = $380 or should I pay slightly more and buy the bundle from Costco? The Costco bundle comes with 2 games (Resistance and Motorstorm) plus an extra controller, plus component cables for $669. Plus with a credit card promo I will get $100 off so it comes to $569 (plus the peace of mind knowing if anything happens to it in the future I will not have a problem with returning it to a Costco). Do you think that peace of mind of the Costco Return policy outweighs the lower price on the Sony.style website? I am leaning towards buying the PS3 through Sony.com and just buy some extra movies and/or games on the other credit card where I would get the $100 off when I make my first purchase. Your advice would be welcome. http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11213066&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-US Ps - There is also a deal I saw when I was reading slickdeals.net at FRYS where you get the PS3 plus Casino Royale and HellBoy on BluRay instantly plus the 5 free BluRays by mail for $499. That deal ends tomorrow and it is also available on line. I wonder if a Sony Style store would match the deal at FRYS. That would be the best of both worlds. http://www.outpost.com/product/5332...WQwqw0wcg**.node1?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG
The Costco bundle seems kind of like a rip-off. They didn't really give you a discount on any of the stuff in the bundle ($500 PS3 + $60 Resistance + $60 MotorStorm + $40 Controller = $660.). I didn't include the component cable since I don't know how much they usually retail for, but HDMI cables are better and usually really cheap if you know where to look (see monoprice.com). Apparently, their website doesn't let you order a PS3 that isn't bundled with that stuff though. Assuming their stores aren't forcing this bundle, maybe it would be better to go there and buy what you want there, unless this bundle is exactly what you wanted. I'm assuming that this wouldn't affect the CC promo you were talking about. Maybe you already knew this, but I thought I'd mention it in case you didn't know. As far as going with Costco or Sony Style, I personally would probably go with Sony Style. I haven't had too many issues with hardware breaking, so I might be less likely to be concerned with return policies than others (probably should be more concerned actually). I guess it helps that the PS3 seems pretty reliable too. It is nice to have that option with the return policy at Costco since it basically gets rid of any concerns you have about the hardware potentially breaking down, but I'd rather go with the (much) better savings you'd get from the Sony Style website (or another deal, if you can find one). Again, this is just my personal preference. I bought my PS3 (and Resistance) off of eBay since it was a lot cheaper than the MSRP, so that kind of tells you how I prioritize potential savings versus peace of mind.
Just remember that opening a credit account affects your credit rating, in case you're seeking a loan anytime soon
They're running a promo for 8 pts for every dollar spent from now to the end of Sept. List is here: http://www.sonyrewards.com/en/redeem/category/index/4?category=115&subcategory=0&x=22&y=17 Add a game and remote to your purchase and you should have enough reward points to get a free controller 500 x 8 =4000 pts 60x8=480 25x8+200 _________ 4680 is enough to get a controller for free PS3 Wireless Remote Controller Sony Rewards Price: 4,650 pts. $435+shipping for System+Game+remote+extra controller Stolen from nitefalcon at slickdeals Another member just bought another game instead of a remote.
costco has an automatic 2 year warranty on their electronics. If it breaks, you bring it back for a full refund. Can't get any better than that. Well it could, they used to have a lifetime warranty on their electronics until alot of people starting using it as a lifetime upgrade policy on their hdtv's.
I found this on another forum about Costco's return policy. We guarantee your satisfaction on every product we sell with a full refund. Exceptions: Televisions, projectors, computers, cameras, camcorders, iPOD / MP3 players and cellular phones must be returned within 90 days of purchase for a refund. Video Game systems aren't included. So you may get a lifetime warranty with the PS3 from Costco.
