Nate Hoekstra’s One week with the New X-Box Experience:

Some say that change is not always for the better, but Microsoft’s “New X-Box Experience” is a step in the right direction from the old user interface.
As a long-time X-Box user, I was a bit wary of what Microsoft had up their sleeves when I first heard about the overhaul of the 360’s user interface, but after playing with the new system for a week or so, I’ve come to love the new functionality of the design.

For a point of reference, the old interface on the X-Box was functional, familiar, and relatively stable, but had points where it was clunky and not user-friendly. Sometimes graphic changes were clunky due to limits either with cacheing or processing times.

With the newest version of the interface that Microsoft launched on November 19, function, design, aesthetics, and versatility are all improved. The system is very smooth, and works well based upon the new organizational structure (detailed below).

The new system is less cumbersome, as it takes on a much more media-center-style interface that allows a quick peek at several options from the main Dashboard screen instead of having to pick an option to see choices like with the old interface.

The big improvement here seems to have been inspired by, ironically, the “Cover Flow” concept used in iTunes and on new-generation iPods from Apple.

It works on several levels, and based upon conversations with other Xbox users that I’m friends with, seems to be a big hit, especially in terms of encouraging downloads of new featured games, themes, movies, and pictures (all of which are purchased with points, which you buy directly from the unit itself or in major retail outlets, making Microsoft money).

A good example of this is the game I bought last week after my Xbox 360 Pro (60 gig version) auto-downloaded the demo — it’s called Castle Crashers, a simple 2D side-scroller with bathroom humor galore, a clown at the ending, and a cheesy Terminator reference to boot. The demo was fun, and so I sprung for another block of 1,000 points (about $12 or so) and downloaded the game. I never used to look at downloaded content unless I knew what I was looking for — the new interface prompted the look, and Microsoft ended up with a purchase because of it.

Other awesome functionality improvements abound in the media sense. The unit still serves as the docking station for my iPod, completely compatible with the USB front ports, but still doesn’t allow playing of my iTunes purchased songs — bummer. However, a simple transfer to Windows Media Player would solve most issues, as the Xbox still works as a network device for Windows Media PC compatible machines.

The best part about the new setup, however, is that now the units are completely compatible with “instantly available” titles from Netflix. Found easily in the new video tab, the Netflix interface prompts you to register the device on netflix.com with a code that identifies your unit. Then, any movies added to your existing Netflix account are available on your Xbox instead of watching them on a computer monitor.

The video quality is top notch, and while I’m still waiting for some more current releases to be made available online by Netflix, this is a big step forward. If you have a fast enough internet connection, titles can also be streamed in HD. You want to fast forward? Fear not. Using the FF brings up still images of scenes you can select, and re-buffer and stream from there. It’s all quite quick, about 15 seconds of streaming on my relatively quick Comcast internet at home.

Another update is the ability to rip entire game titles to the hard drive, limiting the use and wear that comes with loading off the disk all the time. However, some games, like the first time I loaded up my perennial favorite Halo 3, it let me know in no uncertain terms, that Halo 3 was optimized to run off the disk, and not to run it off the hard drive.

Microsoft also took some cues from the development team at Nintendo, adding in heavily customizable avatars that can be used in a few games at this point, including the download of “UNO!” and some other games. The only experience I have playing with my own avatar is on the newest version of “Scene It!” in which your avatar occupies a place on the hopping magical cough that takes you from minigame to minigame.

The avatars don’t really do much but loaf around right now, but I’d imagine that the Microsoft developers are planning to make changes that will allow for the avatars to be used in many more games in the future. (What would be better than playing Halo Wars when it comes out as a cartoon rendition of yourself!)

Anyhow, the GUI is broken up into several categories:

Spotlight: My least favorite of the categories. It mixes up everything from video to arcade games, ads to themes. There’s an option to hide the “Welcome screen” once you use it the first time. I wish there was one to hide Spotlight, however, occasionally it does point you in the direction of something cool.

Events: Self-explanatory. This section lists the Live events going on in the near future. Say there’s a developer play night with the folks from Bungie, or a Halo 3 Double Experience Weekend, you’ll find them here.

Inside Xbox: Microsoft puts their featured content here. Kind of like Spotlight, but with better content. I actually use this portion a lot.

My Xbox: The place you’ll use the most. This is where you find your games, demos, media library, profiles, and settings.

Friends: Also pretty basic. This is where your friends are, and where you can add new friends.

Game Marketplace: Find downloadable content, demos, etc. here.

Video Marketplace: Just like game marketplace, but for videos. Pretty simple. I recommend the featured Comedy Central stand-up that was on there last night. Oh, and you can easily search — a plus.

One other portion that’s nice about the Dashboard and the NXE overall is that the page-flip design (called blades by some) of the old UI is maintained, albeit in smaller form, from the Xbox button on your controller. There are hardly any graphics, it’s efficient, and doesn’t dominate like the button-based quick launch of the old system used to.

Another new feature is multi-player matching that lets you and your gaming crew to transition from game to game pretty easily. I haven’t had a lot of experience with this, but based upon the interface, it seems pretty easy. Again, not a lot of game time on this, but it seems quite intuitive and easier to use than the old system.

Overall, the new update is fast, fun, and easy to use. And even if it wasn’t, you’d be stuck with it, because you need to update to get on Live. It’s a good update, and helps the platform a lot while adding a bunch of new uber-helpful features. The updates to the system as a whole are fast, games faster, and using the new features is user-friendly and easy to do.

So kudos, Microsoft, on an update well done.

-Nate

———————

You can contact Nate at nate(dot)hoekstra(at)woodtv(dot)com

I’ve gathered a list of what some other people have thought of NXE, check out the links.

The Avatars have landed: exploring the New Xbox Experience

New Xbox Experience (NXE) Review: It’s Pure Improvement

New Xbox 360 Experience hands-on and impressions

The NXE hard drive install only marginally improves game loading time

As I said in the comments of my Blu-Ray post here are the deals you’re going to want to check out for Black Friday.

It covers gadgets, games, TVs, Blu-Ray players almost everything.

Read on and enjoy the savings. Updated Wednesday Night!

These deals are coming straight from Techbargains.com They’ll be updating their site as frequent as possible from Wednesday on to highlight when these deals go live.

=============

To jump to a specific store, hit ctrl-f and type in the store. (If that’s your browser’s search function)

Included stores: Walmart, Staples, Gamestop, Sony Style, Dell Home, Sears, Kohls, Costco, Target, Office Max, Best Buy, Meijer, Amazon

I’ve added italics to some deals I think are pretty great.

Walmart

Friday 5am – 11am Door Buster Specials (may start earlier)

Samsung PN50A400 50” Plasma HDTV (720p) $798.00
Polaroid 42” LCD HDTV (1080p) $598.00
Emerson BLC320EM9 32” LCD HDTV (720p) $388.00 (That’s pretty cheap, even though the brand isn’t tops)
Magnavox NB500MG9 Blu-Ray Player $128.00 (CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!!!  This is the cheapest you will see a BD player for a while!  If you’re wanting to jump in for cheap this is it!)

Garmin nuvi 200 Portable GPS Navigation $97.00
Samsung BL103 10MP 3X Digital Camera $69.00
Venturer 8” Portable DVD Player $49.99
Philips GoGear 2GB MP3 Player w/ Accessory Kit $29.99
JVC Everio GZ-MG230 30GB Hard Drive Digital Camcorder $249.00
Xbox 360 Arcade 256MB Memory Unit Console w/ Guitar Hero 3 Wireless Bundle $199.00
GiiNii 8” Digital Photo Frame $39.00
HP Pavilion a6683w-b AMD Dual-Core Desktop Computer w/ 19” LCD $398.00
Kodak ZD86128MP 12X Digital Camera $149.00
KitchenAid Classic White 4.5QT Stand Mixer $130.00

Friday, Saturday 2-Day Specials (may start earlier)

Toshiba Satellite L305D-S5897 AMD Dual-Core 15” Laptop (4GB/250GB )$548.00
Seagate Free Agent 500GB External Hard Drive $69.00
Nintendo DS Lite Bundle w/ Super Mario Bros Game $136.00
Nintendo DS Lite Bundle w/ Brain Age Game $136.00

RCA M4208GR 8GB MP3 Player $49.00
Kodak EasyShare CD1013 10MP 3X Digital Camera $79.00
Samsung SC-DX103 DVD Digital Camcorder $179.00
Pure Digital Flip Video F230 30-Min Digital Camcorder $79.00

Samsung PN42A410 42” Plasma HDTV (720p) $698.00
Samsung LN40A500T 42” LCD HDTV (1080p) $798.00
Samsung LN32A300 32” LCD HDTV (720p) $498.00
Samsung LN46A500T 46” LCD HDTV (1080p) $1099.00
=============

Staples
Friday, Saturday 2-Day Deals (may start earlier)

Laptops:
Acer Aspire One Intel Atom 8.9” Laptop (1GB/120GB/XP Home) $349.98
Acer Aspire Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 16” Laptop $599.98
HP Pavilion dv4t Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 14.1” Laptop (4GB/250GB) $649.98AR

Computer Accessories:
Samsung 933SN 18.5” Widescreen LCD Monitor $119.98
Microsoft Wireless Optical 3000 Mouse $12.99
Logitech LX8 Cordless Laser Mouse $14.99
Targus Notebook Fan $9.99
Logitech S520 Cordless Desktop Keyboard & Mouse $29.99

Netgear WNR2000 Wireless-N Router $49.99
Sony 20X DVD+/-RW 3.5” Internal IDE DVD Burner $19.99
Microsoft Office Home & Student 2007 $59.99
Norton AntiVirus 2009 Software $19.99AR (or FREE with Upgrader’s Rebate)

Portable GPS Navigation:
Garmin NUVI 205W Portable GPS Navigation $149.99
Navigon 2100 MAX Portable GPS Navigation w/ Lifetime Traffic Updates $199.99
TomTom Go 730 Portable GPS Navigation $349.99
Omnitech Portable GPS Navigation (4.3”, TTS) $119.99

Printers:
HP Photosmart C4480 Color Inkjet All-in-One Printer $49.99
HP LaserJet 1215 Color Laser Printer $149.99
Brother MFC-3360C Color Inkjet All-in-One Printer w/ Phone $29.99
Brother HL-2170W Monochrome Laser Printer w/ Wireless Networking $79.99
Brother MFC-7420 Monochrome Laser All-in-One Printer $99.98
HP Photosmart C6380 Color Inkjet All-in-One Printer $119.98
Brother 575 Phone & Fax Machine $9.98

Flash Memory:
2-Pack PNY 4GB Flash Drives $19.99
SanDisk 4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo $19.99
SanDisk 8GB SDHC Card $19.99
50-Pack HP DVD Blank Disc Media $9.99

For The Office:
Uniden 3-Handset DECT 6.0 Cordless Digital Telephone $39.99
Panasonic 2-Handset DECT 6.0 Cordless Digital Telephone $49.99
Brother PT-1280 Label Maker $9.99AR
Skullcandy Ink’d Earphones $9.99

APC BE350R 350VA UPS Battery Backup $19.99 (That’s $10 less than I paid for mine.)
Staples Manilo Leather Manager’s Chair $49.99
Staples Dugan Terry Manager’s Chair $99.99
Staples Tillman Leather Executive Chair $199.99

Electronic Gifts:
Zenith Philips Universal Remote FREE AR
Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W120 7MP 4X Digital Camera w/ FREE Canon Printer AR $129.99AR
Nikon Coolpix S550 10MP 5X Digital Camera w/ FREE Canon Printer AR $149.99AR
Omnitech 7″ Digital Picture Collage Frame w/ 512MB Storage $69.99AR
=============
Gamestop

Friday Doorbusters (7am – 11am, may start earlier)

FREE Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 w/ Xbox Console ($199.99-$399.99)
FREE PS2 Game (under $20) + $30 Gift Card w/ Sony Playstation 2 Slim Console $129.99
Crysis (PC) $19.99
World of Warcraft: Battle Chest (PC) $19.99

Friday, Saturday, Sunday 3 Day Deals (may start earlier)

Buy 2 Used Games or Accessories, Get 1 FREE
Sony Playstation 2 Slim Console w/ $30 Gift Card $129.99
Sony PSP Madden NFL 09 Limited Edition Bundle w/ $30 Gift Card $199.99

Guitar Hero Aerosmith Game Only (Wii) $19.99, (PS3, Xbox 360) $29.99
Samba De Amigo Game (Wii) $19.99
Nerf N-Strike Game (Wii) w/ FREE Maverick Blaster Gun $59.99
Guitar Hero: On Tour (DS) $29.99
Civilization: Revolution (DS) $19.99
New Release Chrono Trigger (DS) $39.99

Final Fantasy 12 (PS2) $9.99
Resident Evil 4 (PS2) $9.99
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3, Xbox 360) $39.99
Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway (Xbox 360) $19.99

=============
Sony Style

Deals Starting Thursday

Sony BRAVIA DAV-HDX576WF Home Theater System $349.99 (Exp 11/29)
Sony BRAVIA HT-CT100 Home Theater System $199.99 (Exp 11/29)

15% off Sony Style Outlet (Exp 12/1)
$300 off Sony SR Series Laptops (Exp 12/1)
$100 off Sony VAIO Notebooks and Desktops (Exp 12/1)

Sony Alpha DSLR-A350K SLR Digital Camera w/ Lens $699.99 (Exp 12/24)
Sony Ericsson K8500 Phones (BLACK, BLUE models) $349.99 (Exp 1/31)
Friday 1-Day Deals (may start earlier)

$250 off Sony VAIO CS Series Laptops Coupon Code: TECHBARGAINSCSBF
$200 off Sony VAIO FW Series Laptops Coupon Code: TECHBARGAINSFWBF
Sony Walkman NWZ-A818 8GB MP3 Player $69.99 Coupon Code: TECHBARGAINSMP3
15% off Select Sony Handycam High-Definition Digital Camcorders Coupon Code: TECHBARGAINSHDR (models SR10/SR11/SR12)

=============
Dell Home

Friday Deals (12 midnight – 12 midnight EST but may start earlier)

Computer Accessories:
Dell SE198WFP 19” LCD Monitor $129.99
Western Digital My Book World 1TB External Hard Drive w/ Networking $169.99
Norton 360 2.0 All-in-One Security Software $9.99AR

Home Entertainment:
Sharp 42” LCD HDTV (1080p) $779.99
Sony BRAVIA DAV-HDX275 5.1ch 1000W Home Theater w/ 5-Disc DVD Player $229.99
Microsoft Xbox 360 Arcade Bundle w/ Rock Band 2 (Game Only) $199.99

Portable Electronics & Gifts:
SmartParts 7″ Digital Photo Frame $44.99
Creative Labs Zen Mosaic 8GB MP3 Player $74.99
Pharos PDR200 Portable GPS Navigation $94.99
Canon PowerShot SD1100 8MP 3X Digital Camera w/ 4GB SD Card $159.99

=============

Sears

Friday 5am-12noon Door Busters Deals

Home Entertainment:

Sharp LC-46SB54U 46” LCD HDTV (1080p) $899.99
Samsung LN40A500 40” LCD HDTV (1080p) $799.99
Samsung LN46A500 46” LCD HDTV (1080p) $1099.99
Panasonic TH-42PX80U 42″ Plasma HDTV (720p) $699.99 (Brother has this thing wall-mounted at his house, but he paid $250 more for it.)
Sylvania 42” LCD HDTV $699.99 (item #: 71246/LC420SS8)
Proscan 32” LCD HDTV (720p) $499.99
Sony BDP-S350 Blu-Ray Player $179.99 (ANOTHER SUB $200 BD player! Wow!)
Memorex Progressive Scan DVD Player $14.99AR
Samsung HT-Z310 5.1ch 996W Home Theater w/ DVD Player $159.99
Portable Electronics:
TomTom ONE 125 Portable GPS Navigation $99.99 (item #: 30719)
Magellan Maestro 1412 Portable GPS Navigation $149.99
Venturer 7” Portable DVD Player $49.99 (item #: 57228/PVD730)
Samsung i85 8.2MP 5X Digital Camera $129.99
Kodak 9.2MP 3X Digital Camera $79.99 (item #: 53298/CD93)
iRobot Roomba 405 Robotic Vacuum Cleaner $99.99 (item #: 38800) (I don’t know if this is a good price, but it’s a robot that cleans for you… that’s nice.)

Gifts:
Nextar 7” Digital Photo Frame $37.99
Sony Wireless Stereo Headphones $29.99
Guitar Hero 3 Wireless Bundle (Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii) $54.99

=============
Kohls
Camcorders:

HD Digital Video Camcorder Value Pack $99.99

Digital Cameras:

Samsung 8.1MP Digital Camera $79.99

Electronics:

5-in-1 Music System $69.99
Charging Valet $24.99
Digital Labs 7″ Digital Photo Frame $39.99AR
Digital Labs 7″ Portable DVD Player Kit $49.99AR
Digital Photo Cube $19.99
Digital Photo Key Chain $14.99
Entertainment Projector $99.99
Entire Stock of Weather Stations and Atomic Clocks 50-60% off
HMDX Speaker-on-the-Go Portable Speaker Case $9.99
iLive Stereo Speaker with Dock for iPod $49.99
Innova Universal Dock Clock for iPod $29.99AR
Karaoke system $69.99
KitchenAid Classic Plus Stand Mixer w/ FREE $20 Kohl’s Gift Card by Mail
Nextar GPS Navigation System $79.99AR
Portable or Solar Power Lighting & Chargers 50-60%
Remington 7-in-1 Grooming System $16.49

MP3 Players:

2GB MP3 Digital Audio/Video Player $29.99
Kid’s fashion electronics – mp3s, CDplayers, etc. 50-60% off

Video Games:

Entire Stock of Video Game Accessories 50% off
Video Games – entire stock 30-50% off

=============

Costco

Costco.com (Online)

Friday, Saturday, Sunday Deals (may start earlier)

Sharp 32″ LCD HDTV (720p) $499.99
Garmin nuvi 750 Portable GPS Navigation $199.99
Garmin Forerunner 305 Portable GPS Navigation $199.99
Motorola MotoPure H12 Bluetooth Headset $49.99

Viewsonic 8″ Digital Photo Frame (800×600) w/ 50 FREE Prints $79.99
iTouchless Motion Sensor Trash Can $49.99
P-Touch PT-1100SB Electronic Scrapbooking Label System $18.49
P-Touch 1280VP Handheld/Desktop Label Maker $18.49

Costco Warehouse (In-Store)

Friday, Saturday, Sunday Deals (prices are in-store only)

Samsung 23″ Widescreen LCD Monitor $259.99
HP C5550 Color Inkjet All-in-One Printer $74.99
Samsung 23″ Widescreen LCD Monitor $259.99
Western Digital Passport Elite 320GB Portable Hard Drive $89.99
Olympus FE-370 8.0 MP Digital Camera $119.99

iHome iH27 Portable iPod Stereo Speaker System $49.99
iTunes $60 Card Pack $49.99
Magellan RoadMate 1212 Portable GPS Navigation $99.99
SanDisk Sansa Fuze 8GB MP3 Player $59.99

SmartParts 10.4″ Digital Photo Frame $99.99
KitchenAid Stand Mixer Professional HD Series $229.99
Vtech 3-Handset DECT 6.0 Cordless Digital Telephone $39.99
Philips Norelco Arcitec Razor $119.99

=============

Target

Friday, Saturday 2 Day Deals (may start earlier)

Home Entertainment:
Westinghouse 26″ LCD HDTV (720p) $299.99
Audiovox Under-Cabinet 12″ LCD HDTV w/ DVD Player $249.99
Crosley 4-in-1 Music System $79.83

Portable Electronics:
Apple iPod Nano 8GB MP3 Player w/ $15 Gift Card $145.00
Kodak MX1063 10.3MP 3X Digital Camera $89.00
Magellan RoadMate 1200 Portable GPS Navigation $99.99
Garmin nuvi 200W Portable GPS Navigation $119.99
TruTech Dual-Screen 7″ Portable DVD Player $88.00
RCA 7″ Portable DVD Player $49.00
Virgin Wildcard Cell Phone $39.99

Consoles & Video Games:
Xbox 360 Pro 60GB HDD Console w/ 2 Games + $60 Gift Card $299.99
Nintendo DS Bundle w/ Super Mario Brothers Game + $10 Gift Card $149.99
Nintendo DS Bundle w/ Brain Age Game + $10 Gift Card $149.99
Sony PSP Bundle w/ Ratchet and Clank + $20 Gift Card $199.99
Guitar Hero World Tour Bundle (Wii) Game + Guitar $59.00

Health & Beauty:
Dyson DC07 PINK w/ $100 Gift Card $349.99
Sonicare FlexCare Power Toothbrush $149.99
Norelco Speed XL Shaver $79.99
Norelco Arcitec Shaver $129.99
Braun Series 5 Shaver $139.99

Toys & Gifts:
Uniden 2-Handset 5.8GHz Cordless Digital Telephone $29.99
Fly Fusion Pentop Computer Digital Pen $29.99
RipStik Skateboard (RED) $59.00
Storm Rocket Wireless Gaming Chair $44.00
3-Slot Charging Valet w/ Power Strip $15.00

DVD Movies starting at $3.98
Batman Begins, Happy Feet, I Am Legend, Devil Wears Prada all at $3.98
=============
OfficeMax

Friday, Saturday 2-Day Deals (7am – 12 midnight EST but may start earlier)

Computer Peripherals:
Soyo 19″ Widescreen LCD Monitor $99.99
Cyber Acoustics 3ch Computer Speakers $14.99
Linksys Rangeplus Mimo 802.11b/g Wireless Router $39.99
Microsoft Communication Pack (Wireless Keyboard and Mouse + Webcam) $24.99
Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 5000 $14.99
Logitech QuickCam Connect Webcam $14.99

100-Pack TDK 16x 4.7GB Double Layer DVD+/-RW Blank Disc Media $15.99
Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 $69.99
Nuance Dragon Naturally Speaking V10 Standard Software $39.99

Maxtor OneTouch 1TB External Hard Drive $139.99 (Wow! That’s a BIG! cheap! external HD)
Maxtor OneTouch 500GB External Hard Drive $79.99
SimpleTech Signature Mini 500GB External Portable Hard Drive $129.99
Maxtor One Touch 4 Mini 250GB $69.99

Portable Electronics:
Nikon Coolpix P60 Digital Camera w/ Free Inkjet Printer $119.99
Olympus FE-340 8.0 Megapixel Digital Camera w/ FREE Starter Kit $119.99
Quick Flix Digital Camcorder $59.99
TomTom One 125 Portable GPS $99.99
Centon moVex 2GB MP3 Player $14.99
Centon 4GB MP3 Player $24.99
Motorola H375 BlueTooth Headset $17.99

Printers:
Brother HL-2140 Monochrome Laser Printer $49.99
Samsung CLP-315 Color Laser Printer $99.99
Brother MFC7420 Monochrome Laser All-in-One Printer $99.99
Samsung SCX-4725FN Laser Multifunction Printer $139.99
HP Photosmart C4480 Color Inkjet All-in-One Printer $49.99
HP Photosmart C6380 Color Inkjet All-in-One Printer $119.99
Epson NX300 Color Inkjet All-in-One Printer $49.99

Flash Memory Cards:
SanDisk 8GB SD Card $17.99
SanDisk 4GB SD Card $9.99
Olympus 2GB xD Card $14.99
Lexar FireFly 4GB Flash Drive $9.99
SanDisk Cruzer Micro 4GB Flash Drive $9.99
SanDisk 4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo Card $19.99
SanDisk Cruzer Micro 8GB Flash Drive $17.99

For The Office:
Epson PowerLite S5 3LCD SVGA Projector $399.99
Sungale 7″ Digital Photo Frame $39.99
Sungale 8.5″ Digital Photo Frame $59.99
Memorex 10″ Digital Photo Frame $89.99

Brother P-Touch PT-1280 Hand-Held Labelmaker $9.99
Memorex iPod Speaker Dock $29.99
High-Back Executive Chair $59.99
Swissgear Marlet Computer Backpack $39.99

=============

Best Buy

Friday 5am Door Busters (prices may be in-store only)

Toshiba Satellite L305D-S5892 AMD Dual-Core 15.4” Laptop (3GB/160GB) $379.99
Panasonic Viera TH-50PE8U 50” Plasma HDTV (720p) $899.99
Sony Playstation 3 80GB HDD Console w/ Ratchet & Clank Game & Casino Royale Movie $399.99 (That’s a pretty nice PS3 bundle, probably the best you’ll see before Christmas)
Garmin nuvi 260W Portable GPS Navigation $189.99
Transformers Movie (Blu-Ray) $9.99 (Cheap big name BD titles! This is what I’m talking about!)
Wii Game Party $9.99

Friday & Saturday 2 Day Deals (may start earlier)

Computer Systems & Peripherals:
HP Pavilion dv4t (dv4-1114nr) Intel Core 2 Duo 14” Laptop $499.99
eMachines AMD Single-Core Desktop Computer w/ 18.5” LCD Monitor $299.99
HP AMD Quad Core Desktop Computer w/ 21.6” LCD Monitor & Printer $599.96

Acer AL1919WAB 19” LCD Monitor $99.99
Samsung 923NW 19” LCD Monitor $129.99
Western Digital My Book Home 1TB External Hard Drive (eSATA/Firewire/USB) $149.99 (Another cheap big external HD.)
Western Digital Passport Elite 320GB External Portable Hard Drive $99.99

Microsoft Explorer Wireless Mouse w/ BlueTrack $49.99
Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick USB 2.0 TV Tuner $59.99
Netgear WNR2000-100NAS Wireless-N Router $49.99
Microsoft Office Home & Student $69.99
Canon MX700 Color Inkjet All-in-One Printer/Copier/Fax/Scanner $99.99

Home Entertainment:
Mitsubishi WD-60735 60” DLP HDTV (1080p) $999.99 (If you’ve got the room… that’s a BIG TV.)
LG 47LG70 47” LCD HDTV (1080p, 120Hz) $1499.99
LG 32LG70 32” LCD HDTV (1080p) $699.99

Samsung LN46A500 46” LCD HDTV (1080p) $1099.99
Samsung PN42A450 42” Plasma HDTV (720p) $699.99
Samsung LN32A300 32” LCD HDTV (720p) $499.99

Polk Audio 10” 100W Powered Subwoofer $99.99
Polk Audio T15 Bookshelf Speakers $49.99
Samsung DVD1080P8 1080P DVD Player $49.99

Consoles & Video Games:
Xbox 360 Pro 60GB HDD Console w/ 4 Games $299.99 (That’s a pretty good 360 bundle)
Guitar Hero Aerosmith Game Only (Wii) $24.99
Guitar Hero III Special Edition Bundle (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii) w/ 2 Wireless Guitars $79.98
Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway Game (Playstation 3) $19.99
Top Spin 3 Game (Wii) $19.99

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 Game (Playstation 3) $19.99
Sims 2: Double Deluxe Game (PC) $9.99
Bioshock Game (PC) $9.99 (Perhaps one of the best PC games ever released!  If you haven’t played it pick it up.  If there’s a gamer in your life, buy it for them.)
Far Cry 2 (Xbox 360) $37.99

Tom Clancy’s EndWar (Xbox 360) $37.99
Soul Calibur IV (Playstation 3) $37.99
NBA 09 The Inside (Playstation 3) $37.99

Movies:

$16.99 Blu-Rays include The Departed, I Am Legend, Kung Fu Panda, AVP 2,
Indiana Jones & The Crystal Skull, Hitman, Cloverfield, The Bank Job,
The Love Guru, SuperBad, Prom Knight, Bee Movie, 300, Rambo, Live Free Or Die Hard

Portable GPS Navigation:
Garmin nuvi 205 Portable GPS Navigation $119.99
Garmin nuvi 780 Portable GPS Navigation $349.99
TomTom Go 720 Portable GPS Navigation $249.99
Parrot Portable Hands-Free Car Kit for Bluetooth-Enabled Cell Phones $39.99

Digital Cameras & Camcorders:
Olympus FE-370 8MP 5X Digital Camera $129.99
Samsung SC-DX103 DVD Camcorder $199.99
JVC Everio GZ-MG330 30GB Hard Drive Digital Camcorder $299.99
Panasonic SDR-S7K SD Card Digital Camcorder $199.99

MP3 Players & Accessories:
Apple iPod Nano 8GB MP3 Player w/ FREE $20 Gift Card $149.99 (Another iPod deal that’s pretty nice.)
SanDisk Sansa Fuze 4GB MP3 Player $49.99
SanDisk Sansa Fuze 8GB MP3 Player $69.99
SanDisk Sansa Clip 4GB MP3 Player $34.99
Bose SoundDock Portable iPod Speaker System (Battery Powered) $359.99

Electronic Gifts:
Logitech Harmony 550 Universal Remote Control $59.99
VTech 4-Handset DECT 6.0 Cordless Digital Telephone $59.99

=============

UPDATE! Some great deals I saw in the Meijer circular

Meijer

Sylvania 32″ LCD 720p 379.99

Apple 8GB iPod Nano 149.99 Comes with a $50 Mail in rebate.

50% off select video games.

===============

From Cheap***gamer.com

Some deals at Amazon.com

Xbox 360
*Friday Only – Fallout 3 – $39.95 (Reg. $59.99)
*Friday Only – Far Cry 2 – $49.95 (Reg. $59.99)
*Friday Only – Call of Duty: World at War – $49.95 (Reg. $59.99)
Pure – $29.95 (Reg. $59.99)
LEGO Batman – $29.95 (Reg. $49.99)
The Last Remnant – $39.95 (Reg. $59.99)
Infinite Undiscovery – $18.95 (Reg. $59.99)

PlayStation 3
*Friday Only – Fallout 3 – $39.95 (Reg. $59.99)
*Friday Only – Soul Calibur IV – $39.95 (Reg. $59.99)
*Friday Only – Call of Duty: World at War – $49.95 (Reg. $59.99)
Pure – $29.95 (Reg. $59.99)
Heavenly Sword – $19.95 (Reg. $59.99)
Resistance: Fall Of Man – $14.95 (Reg. $29.99)
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe – $39.95 (Reg. $59.99)

Wii
Wii will be in stock on Thanksgiving afternoon.
Wii Fit will be in stock on Black Friday starting at midnight.
*Friday Only – Guitar Hero Aerosmith Wii – $25.95 (Reg. $39.99)
DeBlob – $25.95 (Reg. $49.99)
LEGO Batman – $29.95 (Reg. $49.99)
Wario Land: Shake It! – $29.95 (Reg. $49.99)
Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree – $19.95 (Reg. $29.99)
Animal Crossing City Folk Bundle – $39.95 (Reg. $69.99)
MySims Kingdom – $19.95 (Reg. $29.99)

PC
*Friday Only – Fallout 3 – $29.95 (Reg. $49.99)
Guild Wars Eye of the North – $9.95 (Reg. $29.99)
Spore Creepy and Cute Parts Pack – $9.95 (Reg. $19.99)
Far Cry 2 – $29.95 (Reg. $49.99)

PlayStation 2
Persona 3 FES (PS2) bundle – $29.95
Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection – $14.95 (Reg. $29.99)
God of War – $9.95 (Reg. $19.99)
God of War 2 – $9.95 (Reg. $19.99)
PlayStation 2 Limited Edition LEGO Batman Bundle – $99.95 (Reg. $149.99)

PlayStation Portable
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII – $14.95 (Reg. $29.99)
Metal Gear Portable Ops – $9.95 (Reg. $19.99)
N+ – $9.95 (Reg. $19.99)
God of War Chains of Olympus – $19.95 (Reg. $39.99)

===============

That’s all I’ve got for now, is there something you’ve seen that I’m missing?  Post it in the comments!

-Matt

Both games are among my favoites, so could Fallout 3 succeed in the hands of a new development studio?  The game’s made by Bethesda who most recently released a pretty successful game in Oblivion.

So far, Fallout 3 has been given some high praise.  I have to say, I agree.

I picked the game up on release day a couple weeks back and have managed to play through to see several of the many possible endings.

The number one thing I come away with from playing the game is that the choice is in the player’s hands.  You can choose to be good or evil and there’s even a sliding Karma scale that players can keep track of throughout the game.  Your karma affects the way you’re treated by others and has a pretty big impact on what ending you see when you beat the game.

But please, when I say beat the game, by no means have I “finished” the game.  The world is MASSIVE.  It’s set in post-apocalyptic Washington, D.C. about 70 years after the events in Fallout 2.  There are dozens of places you can travel.  You can run to the downtown ruins where there’s a shelled National Mall at your disposal, or head to the Wasteland where there are many different traps to avoid.

Gameplay-wise Bethesda tried to mix the turn-based combat of the originals with FPS mechanics.  That gives you the VATS system.  Essentially, it allows you to pause the game and target specific areas of an opponents body.  You want to blast the rocket launcher out of that mutants hand?  It gives you a percentage that you’ll be able to hit it.  You can aim at any limb, the torso or go for the headshot.  They did take away one target area from the originals, but this is a family site so I won’t say what it is.  All in all, I found VATS to be a good way of conserving ammo, but I could play just as well without  it. The best benefit from VATS is the cinematic-like cutaway that it does when you fire.

There are only 20 levels for your character in the game, so when you’re playing through that’s a good indicator of how close you are to “the end.”  Every level you’re presented with a variety of ways to improve your character.  You can improve small guns, big guns or plasma guns to increase how much damage you deal with a weapon.  Improving the unarmed skill makes you a better fighter.  When you pour points into the repair and medicine skills, it gives you better survivability.  You can get better prices from merchants by adding points to the barter skill.  You can add points to speech to open up new options when talking to characters in the game.

In addition to the points you distribute every level there are perks you can add once per level.  A multitude of options are at your fingertips.  My favorite is probably “Bloody Mess.”  It gives you a nice damage bonus and also gives your enemies a more visceral death.

Character development in the game is pretty important.  When making your character you get points to allocate in to 7 different categories.  They call it the SPECIAL system.  (Strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, agility and luck.) You can have between 1 and 10 points in each category.  I chose to specialize in strength, endurance and agility hoping those traits would carry me through battles.  I did use some perks while leveling to add points to intelligence.

So that’s your character, but what about the story?  It’s great. You are literally born into the game. You choose all of your traits for your adult character as a baby: hair, eyes, nose, a great number of combinations.  Then you have a little bit of developmental time running around in the Vault. The vaults were built to withstand a nuclear apocalypse and they did.  You are in vault 101.  From Bethesda “For 200 years, Vault 101 has faithfully served the surviving residents of Washington DC and its environs, now known as the Capital Wasteland. Though the global atomic war of 2077 left the US all but destroyed, the residents of Vault 101 enjoy a life free from the constant stress of the outside world.”

But this wouldn’t be a game if you were to stay in the vault the whole time.  Through a dramatic series of events you’re thrust into the world.  You have to defend yourself from giant insects, raiders, slavers, bounty hunters and yes, even Super Mutants.

You can choose to go the game alone, but there are certain party members you can pick up.  In my playing I was not evil enough to hire a mercenary in the first town I was at.  Later in the game though that paid off when I got another party member that was one of the toughest.  I even ended up picking up a dog and a super mutant as allies at points in the game.

There is a ton of diversity in the quests you can do and more importantly HOW you can do them.  Every decision you make has an impact on how your character is viewed in the Wasteland.  Most times it’s fairly straight forward.  Kill the bad guys, save people and you are on your way to becoming the Savior of the Wasteland.   On the flip side, stealing, killing civilians, and following bad guys orders and you’ll be even closer to becoming the Scourge of the Wasteland.   Sometimes though it’s a little more gray and you’ll just have to live with the decisions that you make.  There is at least one perk for those players who want to play both good and bad.  If you’re neutral you can become a better speaker with “Impartial Mediation.”

You gather a lot of the story of what happened to D.C. through dialog with characters in the game.  You can learn so much more by hacking(or using the password you obtained) into computers, reading the contents of people’s journals and listening to holotapes that are left behind in the game.  There is a good amount of flavor to the game from the likes of the original two games.

I saved the game before the final ending so I could turn around go back and explore other areas of the game.  I’m glad I did.  It’s given me the opportunity to travel the wasteland and see things that I missed following the progression of the main quest line.  It also gave me the chance to try and work the opposite side of the game’s karma system which was pretty interesting.

Graphically the game looked good on my PC, even though I couldn’t run it at the highest settings or with my resolution cranked to 1920×1200 on my monitor.  Coming out of the Vault for the first time and seeing the wasteland is quite a treat.  It’s not a bright game, being that you’re traveling around in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, but the art direction is well done.

The third installment of the Fallout series has been a long time coming.  With the original coming out so long ago, this is a definite treat.  Bethesda developed the game in place of Black Isle Studios and it’s been great to play.  There have been a number of quality releases this year across all platforms.  Fallout 3 is a game you’re not going to want to miss.

As an end note, the game is rated M for a very good reason.  While it is superb in many ways, it is not a game meant for young kids.

Have questions about something? You can email me at matt (dot) schuler (at) woodtv (dot) com. And for more, shorter updates, check out my Twitter to the right or click on twitter.com/mattschuler.

I’m a producer here at WOOD TV with a love for all things digital.  I’ve been a gamer for more than 20 years harking back to my childhood days with the NES.  I don’t go all the way back to the beginning of gaming, but over 20 years I think I’ve played my fair share.  I’m sure at some point I’ll do a Top X list of my favorite games, maybe even per system.

For now I’ll share that Starcraft, Portal, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Mario Kart 64 are among my favorite games of all time.

On the gadget side, I build my own desktops and sometime I’ll tell you how it’s not that hard to do. (Think LEGO but more costly.)  My best friend tells me that I have an addiction to buying computer mice and I can’t disagree.  I buy at least a mouse a year–my most recent purchase was the Razer Lachesis.  You’ll see my thoughts on it soon.  I’ll try to point your way to some other good newsbits too that I don’t have enough time to write about myself.

I didn’t buy the iPhone or the iPhone 3g, but I own an iPod Touch and a Sprint Instinct.  I love both.
I am married and bought my HDTV with permission from my wife.  It’s definitely the best addition that our family room has ever seen.  Going along with the HDTV, I have a Home Theater PC (HTPC) and a DVR which allow me to do some really interesting things with the TV.

This is “Not Made Of Wood” and I’ll do my best to deliver a unique angle on gadgets and games that WOODTV.com hasn’t seen before.
-Matt

Have questions about something? You can email me at matt(dot)schuler(at)woodtv(dot)com. And for more, shorter updates, follow me on Twitter twitter.com/mattschuler.