Savings.com Blog - Yasarh

PSN News and Alternatives to PSP Go

Yasarh — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:58:00 GMT

With PSN down, the Guy and Yasar Show has had plenty of time to sit around idly waiting for its return. And "waiting," we mean I've been destroying Guy at Halo Reach on Xbox Live. All disses, aside, the news for Sony this week has been getting worse and worse. The PSN network went down last week without any notice and now Sony claims there was a security breach.

However, we've found the silver lining for them with news on Sony portable gaming and tablets.

Guy: The death knell of Sony's mobile gaming platform has been all but sounded as the $150 portable has failed to live up to expectations sales-wise around the world. A recent article over at IGN.com confirmed that production of the PSP Go has ceased in Japan and that the US production will continue, but likely only for a limited time.

If you were thinking of buying a PSP Go, don't. You'll be wasting your money, as it is very unlikely that any new games will be produced for it and, with the Sony NGP (Next Generation Portable) on the horizon, it will soon become obsolete. As a discount buy with a limited scope of older games, you might be able to pick one up in a few months for a decent price--but once support is completely stopped for the product, you'd be better off saving your money and purchasing either one of the new Sony game platforms or a Nintendo mobile gaming system.

By comparison, Xbox Live on the Windows phone is available for Xbox Live Silver members and does not require an additional upgrade charge to Gold. All that is required is the Windows Phone 7 operating system, which is available on such smartphones as the HTC Arrive (via Sprint), listed at $499.99, but available for $200 after the instant $250 rebate at Sprint.

Or, you could just buy the old PSP-3000, which will only cost you about $129.99 and "has a UMD drive and doesn't rely just on digital downloads to play games, unlike the PSP Go."

Yasar: Speaking of Sony mobile gaming platforms, it has been revealed that the Sony S1 and S2 tablets will be Sony's way of competing with the iPad. The S1 will feature a 9.4 inch screen whereas the S2 will open up like a flip phone and feature two 5.5 inch screens. Both models will offer access to the PSN network and Qroicity, Sony's music and video store. They will also feature the powerful Android operating system. For those wondering what sets this apart from any other tablet, the answer lies in their focus.

The Sony tablets are, according to the PS3Blog.org, going to be "100 percent focused on Qriocity, Sony's music, games, e-books, and videos on demand service that's just been launched in Europe. It comes preloaded with Sony PS One games, a Bravia Media Remote, and yes, PlayStation integration." They have not revealed which games it will come preloaded with or the official price points just yet, but you can expect that information to be released closer to their debut which could be as soon as September.

That's is for this week. If you're waiting for the PSN network to return, Sony says it's going to be bringing it back bit by bit over the next few days. For more gaming info check us out on Twitter @YasarSavings and @SavingsGCapes.

UPDATE: While Sony could potentially lose somewhere close to $24 billion, there is no evidence at this time that the hackers were able to break the encryption on user's credit card information. So fingers crossed and a sigh of relief that, hopefully, our finances aren't at risk.Add a Comment

Nintendo Wii Price Drop In May?

Yasarh — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 15:58:00 GMT

A couple of weeks ago, when the Nintendo 3DS was released and Guy and Yasar were still in the same city, we wrote a blog about whether the 3DS was worth buying right off the bat or worth waiting to buy later. We decided it was best to just wait it out and apparently a lot of people ignored us.

Well, sort of.

Yasar: The 3DS sold out "all 400,000 3DS launch units in Japan, and 500,000 units sold in the U.S. in the opening five days" according to The Inquisitr. Sales, however, are starting to slow considerably for the 3DS and, the ex-champ of video game consoles, the Wii.

Guy: This is great news for consumers because that means that there should be a price cut coming to increase demand for their products. The only real question is when and how much. Engadget recently reported a rumor with the answer to both of these: a $50 price drop to $150 on May 15th for the Wii. They also may wait until E3 in June to announce the drop, but the drop is most likely going to occur.

Yasar: The price cut would make the Wii cost $100 less than the handheld 3DS and the cheapest gaming console on the market. With Nintendo stepping its game up (no pun intended) and offering a decent lineup of games (finally), there is no reason why this shouldn't boost Nintendo Wii sales and convince you get the console if you've been sitting on the fence about it. For those waiting for the price of the 3DS to drop soon, don't hold your breath. My prediction is that it won't drop until sometime next year.

For more video game news follow us on Twitter @YasarSavings and @SavingsGCapes.Add a Comment

Nintendo 3DS Review: Buy Now or Wait?

Yasarh — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:55:00 GMT

This week Guy and I have decided to read as many reviews of the Nintendo 3DS that we can find and help you make an informed decision on whether you should get it right away or wait. The handheld gaming console is being released this Sunday.

Guy: The Nintendo 3DS features make it the most powerful portable gaming console released to date. It features an analog control stick along with a a d-pad, a 3D camera, two screens, a motion sensor, a gyro sensor, an adjustable stylus, and of course, a 3D screen that does not require 3D glasses.

Yasar: Based on most of the reviews we checked out, the system seems to work great. The 3D is adjustable so that if you begin to get a headache, you can adjust the screen back to 2D. You may be wondering why you'd get a headache. In order to experience the 3D, you need to look at the screen at a certain viewing angle or else it will become distorted and a few people have reported getting headaches from it.

Guy: Some of the features are more exciting on paper than in execution, namely the 3D camera. You can take pictures in 3D, but you can't really do anything with them since there are limited media where you can view 3D pictures. Overall though, the consensus seems to be that system is worth purchasing.

Yasar: The Nintendo 3DS has several launch titles:

Pilotwings Resort
Nintendogs + Cats
Steeldiver
Dead or Alive
Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D
Madden NFL
Super Street Fighter IV 3D
Asphalt 3D
Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D
Ridge Racer 3D
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries
LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars

Nintendo also says that "[I]t should have over thirty titles before June and a library that covers all genres." according to Destructoid.

Yasar / Guy: Based on the reviews we've read and the release date, we recommend waiting to make your purchase of the 3Ds. With a release price of $249.99, it's a purchase that is hard to justify. The launch titles are void of any huge titles (i.e.; Super Mario 3D and the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time), and some of the features are moot until 3D has come to more forms of media. Hold out until it has a bigger library of games to choose from or the price drops down to something more reasonable.

For more video game news follow us on Twitter @YasarSavings and @SavingsGCapes.Add a Comment

Exergames: Video Games to Help Kids Exercise

Yasarh — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:56:00 GMT

Earlier this week, US News reported that a study was done at the University of Massachusetts that showed that children who play video games that require a lot of movement had higher metabolisms than those who don't. How much higher? Surprisingly as high as people who do exercise moderately to vigorously.

Since the Guy And Yasar Show is all about video games, we've put together a list of games that you can use to "trick" your kids into getting the exercise they need:

Guy: Wii Sports - Most people who have played with sports will attest to the fact that after playing the game for a few hours, you'll get pretty tired. The game is made for people of all ages so you don't have to worry about any violence or adult themes while your kids are playing.

Yasar: Dance Central (Kinect) - Dance Central for the Kinect on the Xbox 360 is a great game to learn some new dance moves while getting a decent workout. The game will teach you, step-by-step, same dance moves to some of today's most popular music including artists like Lady Gaga, Snoop Dogg, Benny Benassi, the Beastie Boys and much more.

Guy: SingStar Dance (Playstation Move) - SingStar Dance is a similar game to Dance Central for the PS3. It has the added bonus that it let's you sing your favorite songs and dance to them. Think of it like a karaoke workout. A few of the artists it features are *NSYNC, MC Hammer, Kool and the Gang, Ricky Martin, and my favorite, Sir Mix-A-Lot.

Yasar: Those are our top three picks for games to keep your kids moving and staying in shape. There are several games out there specifically geared towards working out which could be perfect family (if not kid-specific) fun ways to burn calories.

Guy: Definitely. Zumba Fitness (a dance workout), which has gained major popularity over the last year, immediately comes to mind. It's the type of thing kids will get a kick out of and want to do every day.

Yasar: EA Sports Active and Get Fit with Mel B are two more that are more overtly fitness-minded. Don't worry that these may be more geared towards adults and that kids will find these games boring, as there is plenty of up-beat music and variation to keep them engaged.

For more video game news follow us on Twitter @YasarSavings and @SavingsGCapes.Add a Comment

GDC 2011: Nintendo 3DS News

Yasarh — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:56:00 GMT

Tomorrow marks the end of this year's Game Developers Conference (GDC), an industry event where companies reveal some of their hottest games in development. Next week Guy and I will have all of the biggest news for you, but for today we'll focus on the Nintendo 3DS which has a few new stories.

The first big story is that Nintendo has announced Super Mario 3DS, which everybody knew was coming. While we've only seen screen shots, there are hints of the tail power-up from Super Mario Bros 3 returning, a flying goomba, a new type of coin, and even a screen shot of Mario with no hat. If you'd like the full story you can check out IGN's full analysis of the Super Mario 3DS screenshots.

The next big news is that the 3Ds will let you use Netflix on it. While unlikely, it is possible that you will be able to stream 3D movies from the device. Details are currently scarce but it could eventually end up being the cheapest device to watch 3D movies on. We'll have more details when they show up.

For those worried about finding places to connect to WiFi with the Nintendo 3DS, AT&T has revealed a partnership with Nintendo to provide over 10,000 wireless hot spots at "restaurants, bookstores, coffee shops, airports, and more" according to Destructoid.

All of this is exciting news and we'll have the news roundup for you next week when the conference has finally wrapped up. For more gaming news follow me on Twitter @YasarSavings or Guy @SavingsGCapes.

What video game developments are you hoping comes out of GDC 2011? Get your gaming geekery on in the comments!Add a Comment

Criterion Collection Coming to Hulu Plus

Yasarh — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:57:00 GMT

The Guy and Yasar show has written many a blog about online video streaming but this week, Hulu has given itself a huge edge over all of its competitors: an exclusive deal with the Criterion collection.

For those of you who aren't movie buffs, the Criterion Collection is "a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films, has been dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements."

Currently you can find movies from the collection on Netflix instant streaming, but once the contract expires for those films you'll only be able to get them from getting the actual discs. This means that if you want to watch a Criterion film, you'd have to subscribe to the one DVD out at-a-time plan from Netflix rendering it more expensive. Hulu Plus currently costs $7.99/month (same as Netflix with streaming-only service) and the Netflix one at-a-time plan runs $9.99/month.

For Criterion fans that have been on the fence about which service to subscribe to, Hulu Plus is the clear winner. You'll get access to all of the Criterion movies including some "lost gems have been so hard to see that even most of the Criterion staff will see them for the first time only when they go live on Hulu Plus!", according to PCmag.com. You can buy some of the movies from iTunes, but that will run you about $9.99 per movie.

For more tech news follow me @YasarSavings and Guy @SavingsGCapes on Twitter.Add a Comment

AT&T Tethering and Verizon Data Plans Offer Savings for Smartphone Users

Yasarh — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:56:00 GMT

^{Image Courtesy of dougbelshaw via Flickr}

This week the Guy and Yasar show comes with good news for AT&T customers. Well, at least good news for those who want more data usage for tethering.

Here are the details:

According to an AT&T press release, on "February 13, beginning with the in-store launch of the HTC Inspire™ 4G. Bundled with the AT&T Data Pro plan, customers will benefit from a total of 4GB for $45 per month." The $45 will consist of the $25 fee for the AT&T Data Pro plan and an additional $20 for the extra 2GB of data usage. They will also be featuring an AT&T Mobile Hotspot App to support users getting their internet access through tethering.

This is good news for those who use the tethering option a lot. This is most likely an attempt by AT&T to compete with Verizon now that the iPhone will be available on both carriers. Verizon has a similarly priced tethering plan which includes an extra 2GB per month for another $20 (same as AT&T). Be forewarned, however: The Verizon overage fee is twice as much as AT&T ($20/GB vs. $10/GB).

Hopefully the competition between these mobile giants will continue to be fierce while the rest of reap the benefits. It should be noted that according to Digital Trends, "Verizon 'will offer an unlimited data plan for the iPhone 4: unlimited data plans won't be offered indefinitely. McAdam has now said Verizon will eventually drop unlimited plans and move to adopt a tiered data structure in the "not too distant future."'

For more tech and video game news follow us on Twitter @YasarSavings and @SavingsGCapes.Add a Comment

Netflix Change Portends Streaming in Replacement of Discs

Yasarh — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 16:56:00 GMT

The way we watch movies has drastically changed over the last decade or so. Old giants like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video have been closing down left and right with services like Netflix and Redbox changing how we watch movies at home. There is no reason, however, to think that this is the end of how we will be getting our movies delivered.

Earlier this week, Netflix made news by announcing that it will be removing the "Add to DVD Queue" option for those accessing the service via streaming devices. While this does not mean that Netflix is taking away the option to have DVDs delivered, it does show that they are trying to encourage their customers to utilize their streaming options and ditch the discs. They also introduced a streaming-only plan for their customers and increased the price of their plans that offer DVDs. These may be signs that Netflix plans on being purely a streaming service in the future.

Another sign that can't be ignored is the popularity of streaming services like Hulu. Support for streaming videos has been spreading to video game consoles, mobile devices like the iPhone and iPad, streaming devices like Roku players. With the ability to stream videos in HD on many of the devices, even Blu-ray discs are becoming obsolete.

If the streaming video trend continues, we may be seeing higher-caliber films being played on streaming services like Netflix (I'm talking about you Eyebots!). This could mean lower costs if everything is eventually streamed. Eliminating the costs of buying and delivering the discs would give streaming services more wiggle room to lower their costs to their customers.

How do you feel about streaming services like Netflix? Do you prefer the DVD or just to stream everything?

For more tech and video game news follow me on Twitter @YasarSavings and Guy @SavingsGCapes.Add a Comment

Amazon Android App Store Coming Soon

Yasarh — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 15:56:00 GMT

Come one, come all. It's the 2011 edition of the Yasar and Guy Show. We're back from vacation (and by we I mean me) and ready to deliver your weekly dose of money saving tech news. This week's post is for current and future Android users.

Yasar: Earlier this week, Amazon opened up its doors to developers to start creating Android apps for its AppStore. The store should be opening up later this year and will be providing some competition for the Google App Store. It's not going to replace the Google App Store, only give users an alternative. Guy is going to fill you in on why anybody would use the Amazon AppStore over the Google App Store.

Guy: The way the current Google App Store works is that anyone who wants to can create a an app and put it in the marketplace. Google doesn't screen every app that comes into the marketplace, it waits until problems are reported. Amazon plans on following Apple's lead and screening each app hoping to weed out the ones that don't work or have a ton of bugs. This means that you'll be able to expect quality apps from their store without having to worry about buying junk

Yasar: Amazon also has control over the price of each app. There has been speculation that the apps could be cheaper than elsewhere which would be great for any Android users looking to save a buck (that means you!). They also plan on having implementing their recommendation system they currently have on Amazon to recommend similar apps based on your Amazon history and your AppStore history.

Guy: While all of this sounds fine and dandy, keep in mind that the store is not open yet and we don't know how well everything is going to work out. They've just opened the door for developers so we'll have to see over the coming months how everything pans out.

Yasar: Great Point. For more tech news check us out on Twitter @YasarSavings and @SavingsGCapes.Add a Comment

Holiday Gift Ideas: 2010 Video Games of the Year

Yasarh — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 17:55:00 GMT

Spike recently held its annual Video Game Awards presenting the top games of the year, as well as premier trailers for some of the hottest upcoming games including Uncharted 3 for Playstation 3. While the Guy and Yasar show respects Spike's choices, we've decided to give our picks for games of the year that can also double as great stocking stuffers.

Since there are so many games we enjoyed this year we decided to each pick our own and then collectively decide on a third. Our picks were open to all platforms, console, PC, and mobile. Our system for choosing the games was simply:

1) Whichever games we had the most fun playing
2) An intense match of rock, paper, scissors to decide the final game on our list.

Last, we vowed to drink copious amounts of beer together while deciding on our picks. We feel we've met all of our criteria, particularly that last part. Here are our picks for the 2010 games of the year:

Guy: Red Dead Redemption. Red Dead Redemption won Spike's game of the year award and I'm going to have to agree. As if Grand Theft Auto meets the Wild Wild West wasn't enough, the Undead Nightmare expansion pack could be a game all on its own. In fact, it is as you can now buy it separately at a retailer near you. Where else will you find a game that lets you play poker, round up cattle, fight cowboys, kill zombies, and ride horses? Definitely my game of the year. The Undead Nightmare game is currently being sold separately in places like Target for $30.00, while the standard Red Dead Redemption can be found used at Gamestop for as low as $35.00.

Yasar: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood. Improving on some of the issues present in the first two games, Brotherhood also adds hours of additional gameplay greatness with its new multiplayer mode. Join members of the Brotherhood in taking on the Templars. You can also create your own league of assassins by building a personalized guild, training your fellow assassins who will help you during missions. The multiplayer is where the true fun lies though and will keep you occupied for hours. The game retails right now for $59.99, but is available online at Gamestop for $49.99.

Yasar &Guy: Shockingly, surprisingly, our third and final pick is Angry Birds. Yes, that's right, the best selling Android, iPad and iPhone game app from Rovio. While neither of us has been swept up in Angry Bird Mania, from the little that we have played and the massive amounts of time we have spent watching friends and loved ones go absolutely gaga over this game, it is undeniable that it has taken the casual mobile gaming market by storm.

Pricing for Angry Birds is as follows:

Angry Birds Lite is a free test-drive version of the game, Angry Birds for the iPhone will cost you just $0.99, the HD version for the iPad costs $4.99, while the Android version of the app is currently free with in-game ads installed. A non-in-app ad version will be released later.

For more of our favorite games of the year be sure to follow us on Twitter @SavingsGCapes and @YasarSavings. Let us know what you think about our picks and what game you feel is the best of the year.Add a Comment

Black Friday Deals on Gadgets and Tech Items

Yasarh — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 17:57:00 GMT

Due to the popularity of last week's List of Black Friday video games deals, the Guy and Yasar show has decided to follow up with a list of Black Friday deals on tech gadgets to get you ready for tomorrow's mayhem at your favorite retailers.

Here's the skinny:

Yasar: Best Buy has some of the best tech deals you'll see this Black Friday. They're offering discount on everything including TVs, MacBooks, Blu-ray players, video games, digital cameras, iPods, GPSs (or however you spell the plural of GPS), and tons of other gifts. Some of the highlights include a Panasonic 50" Plasma TV for $699.99, a Toshiba Blu-ray player for $59.99, a Sony Cyber-shot digital camera for $99.99, 6th generation iPod nano for $149.99, and the list goes on.

Guy: With stores like Walmart, the aforementioned Best Buy and Target offering early Black Friday deals and preview access to discounted tech savings, this could shape up to be one of the biggest win-win sales holidays for retailers and consumers alike. Cell phone price breaks in particular look to dominate the tech sales landscape over the next few days through Cyber Monday. CNET has a wonderful article up discussing several smartphone carrier discounts that will be available. A few that immediately jump out and catch my eye are:

Costco is offering the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G Slide for a penny (originally $129.99) and Target has the Samsung Continuum for $79.99 (originally $199.99).

AT&T Deal of the Day, which will include free phones through the 29th.

Best of all, Amazon selling popular Android phones for just $0.01. Pretty penny indeed.

Besides the deals we've just discussed, we've been told that Dell has an amazing list of deals on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the weekend in between that you're not going to want to miss. If you're looking for Black Friday and Cyber Monday tweets, be sure to check us out on Twitter @YasarSavings and @SavingsGCapes.Add a Comment