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New Wal-Mart "Secret Sale" Details Confirmed
Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 08:03 PM ETTags: Wal-Mart, High-Def Retailing, PlayStation 3, Toshiba (all tags)
Both high-def disc formats will be featured in Wal-Mart's next "secret sale" on Friday, but those hoping for price cuts akin to last month's $99 HD DVD player will be disappointed.
Instead, the word of the day appears to be "value-add," with the discount retailer offering up different freebies with purchase of hardware on both sides of the high-def format war.
On the Blu side of the aisle, Wal-Mart will be throwing in a free $50 Gift Card with purchase of the Blu-ray-enabled $399 40GB Playstation.
For those who lean red, the retailer will be offering Toshiba's HD-A3 and HD-A2 HD DVD players with five free HD DVD movies off the shelf -- that's in addition to the five free movies by mail (and in the case of the HD-A3, the two movies in the box). Both Toshiba players will be sold at list price -- $298 for the HD-A3, and $198 for the HD-A2.
Wal-Mart officially unveiled the specials today on its holiday site, confirming reports that first surfaced in our own forums earlier this week.
As we've previously reported, Wal-Mart's Nov 2nd "secret sale" resulted in record HD DVD player sales for Toshiba, with the retailer reportedly moving somewhere between 40,000 to 70,000 units at the door-busting price of just $99.
This Friday's sale kicks off at 8am at Wal-Mart stores nationwide. The retailer warns that supplies are limited, so if you're hoping to take advantage of these deals, an early arrival may be in order.
To discuss these and other next-gen hardware and software deals, visit the Blu-ray Bargains and HD DVD Bargains areas in our forums area.
- Related links:
- Secret In-Store Specials [Wal-Mart.com]
- Dec 7th Secret sale at Wal-mart [High-Def Digest Forums]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Report: Weekend Toshiba HD DVD Player Sales Top 90,000
New Wal-Mart "Secret Sale" Details Confirmed
Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 08:03 PM ETTags: Wal-Mart, High-Def Retailing, PlayStation 3, Toshiba (all tags)
Both high-def disc formats will be featured in Wal-Mart's next "secret sale" on Friday, but those hoping for price cuts akin to last month's $99 HD DVD player will be disappointed.
Instead, the word of the day appears to be "value-add," with the discount retailer offering up different freebies with purchase of hardware on both sides of the high-def format war.
On the Blu side of the aisle, Wal-Mart will be throwing in a free $50 Gift Card with purchase of the Blu-ray-enabled $399 40GB Playstation.
For those who lean red, the retailer will be offering Toshiba's HD-A3 and HD-A2 HD DVD players with five free HD DVD movies off the shelf -- that's in addition to the five free movies by mail (and in the case of the HD-A3, the two movies in the box). Both Toshiba players will be sold at list price -- $298 for the HD-A3, and $198 for the HD-A2.
Wal-Mart officially unveiled the specials today on its holiday site, confirming reports that first surfaced in our own forums earlier this week.
As we've previously reported, Wal-Mart's Nov 2nd "secret sale" resulted in record HD DVD player sales for Toshiba, with the retailer reportedly moving somewhere between 40,000 to 70,000 units at the door-busting price of just $99.
This Friday's sale kicks off at 8am at Wal-Mart stores nationwide. The retailer warns that supplies are limited, so if you're hoping to take advantage of these deals, an early arrival may be in order.
To discuss these and other next-gen hardware and software deals, visit the Blu-ray Bargains and HD DVD Bargains areas in our forums area.
- Related links:
- Secret In-Store Specials [Wal-Mart.com]
- Dec 7th Secret sale at Wal-mart [High-Def Digest Forums]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Report: Weekend Toshiba HD DVD Player Sales Top 90,000
First PS3, XBox HD DVD Add-On Sales Numbers
Thu Dec 14, 2006 at 02:25 PM ETTags: High-Def Gaming, Industry Trends, Hardware, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (all tags)
The first sales numbers for the Blu-ray-backed PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on have come in, with encouraging results for high-def.
GameDaily Biz is reporting new data from industry tracking firm The NPD Group, which shows an expected console sales bump of over 69 percent for the year ending in November.
For us high-def enthusiasts, of course, the bigger news is the actual number of Blu-ray-driven PS3s and Xbox HD DVD peripherals sold. NPD reports that the PS3 has sold 197,000 units in the U.S. so far -- a total sellout of all domestic shipments Sony was able to deliver to retailers through November.
Meanwhile, Microsoft's HD DVD add-on for the Xbox has moved 42,000 units since its launch in mid-November (the company has not released total number of units delivered to retailers, preventing any sold-versus-shipped comparisons).
On the surface, this data would seem to indicate that Blu-ray's game console footprint (via the PS3) has a sizable lead over the Xbox/HD DVD combo by a healthy five-to-one margin. But in the add-on camp's favor is that those purchasing the drive are much more likely to be high-def movie watchers -- why buy the HD DVD drive otherwise? The same is not necessarily so for the PS3 -- there is no telling how many of the eager gamers who plunked down over $500 for a new console are actually using it to watch Blu-ray movies.
As far as we're concerned, the real proof will be in the software pudding. Though it is good to finally get some hard PS3/Xbox HD DVD add-on sales numbers, it will be disc sales over the next weeks and months that will paint a far better picture of who's really "winning" the high-def format war.
In any case, this is all encouraging news for high-def in general, as in the space of only a few weeks, we've seen the installed base for Blu-ray and HD DVD jump significantly. And the strong hardware sales should only continue as Sony and Microsoft ship more units of their consoles and add-ons this month and over the next year. Stay tuned!
See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.
- Related links:
- Game Industry Up 16% through November [GameDaily Biz]
High-Def Penetration Explodes with Strong PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Add-On Sales
Mon Nov 20, 2006 at 01:49 AM ETTags: High-Def Gaming, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Sony, Microsoft (all tags)
As expected, the debut of Sony's Blu-ray-driven PlayStation 3 last Friday boosted the format's installed base exponentially, while Microsoft is also reporting strong numbers for the HD DVD add-on drive for its rival Xbox 360.
Surprising no one, Sony's initial retail allotment of PlayStation 3 consoles sold out in a flash at stores nationwide. With a million or more PS3 shipments promised by year's end, Blu-ray would appear poised to gain a commanding lead in market share over HD DVD.
At the same time, while Microsoft has declined to declare exact sales numbers of its $199 HD DVD add-on drive for the Xbox 360 (which also hit stores this month), the company has wasted no time in crowing about intense consumer demand for the peripheral.
"We never anticipated that scenario," claimed Microsoft senior program manager Kevin Collins of the sales boost the Xbox 360 console received thanks to the add-on. "It's going right out [the door]... stores are struggling to keep up with demand."
Of course, we'll remain a bit skeptical until official sales numbers come in for for both devices. However, one thing is clear -- in a matter of mere days, the installed base Blu-ray and HD DVD players has exploded. Thanks to the next-generation of gaming, the penetration of high-def optical disc players has likely already outdistanced the combined sales of all stand-alone Blu-ray and HD DVD players to date -- and that's after several months in stores.
While the high-def format war is far from over, it's clear that the gaming world will continue to play a major role in how this all plays out. We'll be giving a full review of the high-def capabilities of both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 add-on later this week, so stay tuned!
Discuss the PlayStation 3's Blu-ray Playback and the Xbox 360 HD DVD Add-On at the High-Def Digest Forums.
- Related links:
- PS3: Gone in 60 minutes [Video Business]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Blu-ray for the Masses: PlayStation 3 Descends Upon America (Nov 17, 2006)
Studios to Decide Winner in Next-Gen Game Wars, Says Analyst
Fri May 05, 2006 at 04:35 AM ETTags: High-Def Gaming, Industry Forecasts, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (all tags)
It will be high-def movies, not games, that ultimately
decide the next-gen game console wars, says a just-released industry forecast
from a top analyst firm, reports Home Media Retailing."Notwithstanding the efforts of console manufacturers to deliver compelling exclusive content, we believe that the ultimate outcome of the console wars will be decided by the motion picture studios," said Michael Pachter, senior analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities, in the "2006 Industry Report -- Flirting with Disaster, Will Sony’s Battle with Toshiba Determine the Outcome of the Console Transition?"
Sony's highly-anticipated PlayStation 3 console is due to launch worldwide this November and will be driven by Blu-Ray. Microsoft's XBox 360 arrived late last year without support for high-definition DVD, though the company plans to introduce in the third quarter of this year an add-on peripheral that will allow the console to play HD-DVD discs. (Nintendo announced last week it will also debut its next-gen game device, dubbed Wii, in 2006, though it will not support either Blu-Ray or HD-DVD.)
Citing standard DVD playback as key to Sony's previous success with the PlayStation 2 four years ago (it remains the market's current best-selling game console), the report says a growing hunger among consumers for increasing multimedia functionality will tip the scales in favor of one next-gen game system over the other -- provided the major studios jump on board with software support.
"Should the studios embrace Sony’s Blu-Ray standard for high-definition discs, we think Sony will gain an insurmountable advantage over Microsoft," continued Pachter. "Should the studios embrace Sony rival Toshiba's HD-DVD format, we think that Microsoft can maintain its first mover advantage and will dominate software sales for years to come."
The report also predicts that it will ultimately be the PlayStation 3 that emerges victorious primarily due to Hollywood's widespread support for Blu-Ray, despite the console's launch lagging a full year behind Xbox 360.
"We expect Xbox 360 to enjoy a first-mover advantage for the next two years... [though] the dominant console at the end of the next cycle will be the PS3, primarily due to our assessment that Sony will win the high-definition format war," said Pachter.
- Related links:
- Next-Gen Battle Hinges on Studios [Home Media Retailing ]
- Earlier on High-Def Digest:
- Nintendo Announces Name of Next-Gen Console, Says No to High-Def Formats (Apr 28, 2006)
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