Costco is not a good buy anymore since the return policy change. Forget what I just said, does not affect videogame systems. I would say it's a good buy but what happens if you send your upc from the box for the 5 movies. Will they still return the system or will they exchange it?

Merchandise: 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.

People need to face the facts. The price drop resulted from lack of sales. Each month the numbers are getting lower and lower. As of today the 360 is selling more units at $399 20 months after launch and never needed a price drop (I would expect this to change in the next few days).I was expecting a price drop for the PS3 around 4th qtr just in time for the Christmas holiday but this is a desperation move if you ask me. People try to sugar coat the situation butSony is losing early and it will be hard for them to catch up. The game quality is not there and it's not enough to make me forget my 360 or Wii at the $599 price point. But the deals I'm seeing now are pretty decent; $499 plus 5 blu-ray movies is a good start. I'm also seeing circuit city throwing in a controller and amazon throwing in a remote and 6th movie. So as you can tell I might jump on the bandwagon for a reliable blu-ray movie player/gaming machine. Just wish it was the other way around.

But to answer your question I do see another drop within 1 year especially if the 360 premiumis $250 to $300and the Wii is $200. There's one rule that even Sony must follow which is supply and demand.

You have 30 days to do a price match or return at bestbuy.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=page&contentId=1118843518460&id=cat12098

Store Price Guarantee

Two more great reasons to buy with confidence at Best Buy.
If you are about to make a purchase and discover a lower advertised price offered by a local retail competitor on the same available brand and model, let us know and we'll match that price on the spot.

Already bought? We'll refund you the price difference, plus an additional 10% of that difference up to 30 days after your purchase (14 days on select categories*, 60 days on HDTVs purchased from 6/3/07 through 9/29/07).

Either way, simply bring in proof of price while that lower price is in effect.

Exclusions apply. See details below. Policy may also vary between stores. See store for complete details.

Exclusions:
The Best Buy Price Guarantee does not apply to our or our competitors' free offers, limited-quantity items, open-box items, clearance items, mail-in incentives, financing or bundle offers. The policy does not apply to typographical errors or a competitor's price that results from a price match.

What is considered a local retail competitor?
A retail store located in the same market area as your local Best Buy store.

What is considered "proof" of price?
If you have already purchased the item, the best way to show proof of price is to bring in your original Best Buy receipt, plus the competitor's current ad. We reserve the right to call the competitor's store to verify the lower price and availability of the item.

How do you handle a price match if the Best Buy price includes a promotional offer such as a free gift card or rebate?
The Best Buy net purchase price is calculated by deducting the value of all instant and mail-in discounts such as rebates, free offers and promotional gift cards. Existing rebates and free offers associated with a product purchased at Best Buy will not apply if a price match is executed.

How do you handle a price match if the competitor's price includes a rebate, gift card or other promotional offer?
The competitor's net purchase price is calculated by deducting instant discounts taken at the register such as instant rebates. Mail-in rebates and other deferred savings are not deducted from the competitor's purchase price.

What if the competitor does not have the item in stock or has limited quantities of the product?
Sometimes a retailer will advertise a very low price for a product but have only limited quantities in stock. If the item is out of stock or the competitor has limited quantities of an item, it is not eligible for price matching. Likewise, if Best Buy has a product that is advertised as being limited in quantity it will not be eligible for price matching.

Are Best Buy services eligible for price matching?
Due to the differences in services being performed, Best Buy does not match competitors' service prices. This includes, but is not limited to, services such as delivery, installation and computer services.

What does it mean not to match a competitor's price that results in a price match?
Best Buy will not price match to a local competitor's price that has already been reduced by a price match.

Can I have my price match request processed over the phone or online?
We are currently not able to process your request over the phone or online. However, if you have questions regarding the policy, call our Customer Care Center anytime at 1-888-BestBuy or visit BestBuy.com.

What if I find a lower price at another Best Buy store or on BestBuy.com?
If an item you purchased at Best Buy is advertised at a lower price at another Best Buy store in your local area or on BestBuy.com within 30 days of your original receipt purchase (14 days for select categories*, 60 days for HDTVs purchased from 6/3/07 through 9/29/07), we will refund you 100% of the price difference. Simply bring in your original Best Buy receipt to the customer service counter while that lower price is still in effect. Clearance items, open-box items or Web-exclusive offers advertised on BestBuy.com are not eligible for price matching.

Check out craigslist. I've seen people selling PS3 60gig units for $430-$500 some new. Heck click on the links below and you will find people selling it for $425, a lost of over $200 dollars. I live around a lot shopping centers and have always seen PS3 available.

Truth be told that not eveyone is ready for Blu-ray and the games coming out for the PS3 are just crap. At this point Sony is going to have to drop the price to around $400 dollars to be competitive. Just look at the street prices and you will find that people are not willing to fork over this kind of money.

New PS3 in Newyork for $450

http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/ele/343906786.html

New PS3 in Chicago for $425

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/ele/342996972.html

New PS3 in California for $450

People agree coast to coast that the PS3 is not worth $600.

I don't mean to sound stupid, but what if I put a fan in the back of the 360. Just a normal house fan. Will it be affective, or meaningless? Will it cool the 360 at all if I did this? Just curious
jay_k3

[QUOTE="d0uble0se7en"]

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/30/best-buy-selling-hoarded-ps3s-tomorrow-morning/

I know it's been posted, but I wanted to include a link and make sure more people see it!

phybaoptikz

I had a PS3....yesterday. I was one of the lucky few to get it off amazon.com. I was very proud about it since I've been searching for a PS3 for weeks now, but just like a fisherman who catches that elusive big fish he always wanted, once I caught one I....decided to let it back into the wild.

Yes, I canceled my PS3 order on amazon 30 minutes after I ordered it. I'm probably the only person who did it. I said to myself, "do you really need this right now just to own all three consoles?" and I told myself no, especially since I could use the $600 towards my classes next semester and I need that cash.

And besides, PS3s just aren't going for what they used to on Ebay and I just felt it wasn't worth it. And there is only one game on the PS3 that I really want to play right now (Resistance) and I don't want to spend $600 right now just to play it. I feel sort of hollow inside, but that's how it goes. *sigh*.

Maybe in a couple of months though.....
thinicer

• Theres only one game worth having at the moment.
  
• I'm not into buying or renting blu-ray movies. 
  
• The online plan needs work.
  
• The final straw was the GT demo which felt not worthy of being called next gen.  Sure it looks good but thats it. If you hit a barrier with people a foot away you would expect people to run backwards or show some form of life.  The models just stand there looking.  Heck, the models in crazy taxi for the dreamcast jumped out of your way if you got to close.  I thought the cell processor was capable of handling such code without a performance hit.