The Cheapskate

What's better than a brand-spankin'-new Sony PlayStation 3 Slim for $299.99? A brand-spankin'-new Sony PlayStation 3 Slim for $199.99, of course.

I suspect I'll get an earful for this, but the deal comes courtesy of our old friend, the Sony Visa card. When you make a purchase of $299 or more, you get a $100 credit in 8 to 12 weeks. Final price: $199.99.

All you do is sign up for the card, then head over to SonyStyle and drop a sweet, sweet 120GB PlayStation 3 in your cart. (I know it doesn't say "Slim" anywhere, but this is definitely the new model.) Watch CNET's video review if you want to learn more about it.

When your Visa card arrives, stick it in a drawer until the $100 credit appears on your statement. Then spend the money like you would cash. Then cut the card into pieces and burn the pieces.

Not interested in this kind of hoop-jumping just to save $100? That's cool. But think about it: This isn't much different than filling out a rebate form and waiting on a check in the mail. In fact, it's quite a bit easier overall, and you're much less likely to get burned.

Still not convinced? Then try this: Sony just lowered the price on refurbished consoles! Now you can pick up a 40GB PlayStation 3 for just $219.99 shipped. If you can live with a 90-day warranty, that's one of the best PS3 deals to date.

Of course, a new PS3 for $199.99 is even better. What do you think? Did you already pull the trigger on last week's deal (long since expired), or did your Cheapskate senses tell you something better was just around the corner?

Finally, a bargain price on a PlayStation 3. Get one before they're gone.

(Credit: Sony)

If you've been waiting patiently for Sony to drop the price of the PS3, wait no longer: the Sony Style store has the refurbished 40GB PlayStation 3 for $236.77. Shipping is free, though you'll probably have to pay sales tax.

Obviously Sony is clearing out old stock to make room for the new PlayStation 3 Slim, and at this price it's a safe bet these refurbs won't last long.

Indeed, this is the lowest price I've ever seen on a PlayStation 3 (not including that crazy credit-card promotion from last month, which many of you took as proof I'd lost my mind).

Because it's a refurb, the warranty expires after 90 days. The good news is that you can extend that to two years for just $19.99. Of course, at that point you might as well splurge on a new 80GB PS3, which is now selling for $299.99.

On the other hand, you could just roll the dice and put that 20 bucks toward, say, a Blu-ray movie. As most of you know, the PS3 doubles as a kick-ass Blu-ray player, with full support for Profile 2.0 and all the other goodies.

Given that standalone Blu-ray players with those capabilities still sell for upward of $300, a PS3 is obviously the better deal. It's like getting a game console for free!

So, what do you think? Is this price too good to pass up? Or is the 40GB model too limited for your needs? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Switch to Sony's Visa card for a few months and get $300 back on a PlayStation 3.

(Credit: Sony)

Some deals you have to work at, like sending in a rebate form or driving to a store. Then there's the $100 Sony PlayStation 3. It's a real deal, but with three hoops you have to jump through.

Here's how it works. First, you sign up for Sony's new, no-annual-fee PlayStation Visa card (click the above link), which offers instant online approval. Next, head to SonyStyle.com and order an 80GB PlayStation 3 for $399.99.

Sometime in the next 8-12 weeks, Sony will issue you a $100 credit, bringing your net cost down to $299.99.

In the interim (i.e., within three months), if you charge another $1,500 on your PlayStation card, you'll receive another $100 credit. And by charging another $1,500 before the six-month mark, you'll get a third $100 credit.

That brings your total PlayStation 3 cost to $99.99. So ultimately, you're getting 300 bucks' worth of credits (which are as good as cash, IMHO) by using Sony's Visa card for a few months. If you typically charge at least $500 per month anyway, why not make the switch?

Like I said, some deals involve a bit of work. This is without a doubt the best price you'll ever see on a new PlayStation 3, even if does require the full amount (and then some) up front.

What do you think? Worth the effort? Or too much hoop-jumping?

I won't spend $50 to $60 on a video game. Just can't do it. Even $40 feels like too much. But $20? That definitely satisfies my cheapskate tendencies. So imagine my delight at learning that Walmart currently has nearly 1,500 video games priced at $20 or less.

As you might expect, these aren't the latest and greatest titles, but they're not all bargain-bin rejects, either. For example, you can get the Wii versions of Lego Indiana Jones and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed for $19.82 apiece.

Games that once sold for $40 to $50 are now available for under $20.

(Credit: Walmart)

Xbox 360 owners can snap up Call of Duty 2: Game of the Year Edition for $16.82, Half-Life 2 Orange Box for $19.82, and Medal of Honor: Airborne for $14.74.

On the PlayStation 3 front there's Fracture for $19.82, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga for $19.82, and Burnout Paradise for, you guessed it, $19.82.

The store also has less-than-$20 deals for Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, Sony PS2, and even the good old PC.

Most of the titles are available online and/or in-store, and in some cases you can get free site-to-store shipping (though you'll still have to pay sales tax).

Sorry if this comes across as a big fat plug for Walmart, a store I know many of you dislike. If you'd rather shop elsewhere, you can find many of the same deals at GameStop--or even get them cheaper by opting for used versions.

Sign up for a Sony Visa card and walk away with a PS3 and two controllers for $250.

(Credit: Sony)

So Amazon's Gold Box deal of the day is an 80GB Sony PlayStation 3 for $349.99. That's not bad, considering how rare it is to see the console selling below the $399.99 list price.

Then I got to wondering if Sony was still offering that credit-card deal, the one that nets you a $150 credit with a purchase of $299 or more. Sure enough, they just kicked off another promotion (this one ending June 20), which means you can get an 80GB PlayStation 3 for $249.99.

First, apply for the Sony Visa Card. You can do this online, get instant approval, and make a purchase (though just one) straight away.

Then head over to the PlayStation 3 product page and add one to your cart. (Bonus! Sony's offering an extra controller free of charge.) Pay for it with the new credit card.

Now for the "bad" news: You're not actually getting $150 off. Instead, you'll get a $150 credit on your card in 8-12 weeks. It's still money, of course, just not the kind you can put in your savings account. You'll have to spend it on food or gas or whatever.

The actual bad news here is that you have to pay shipping and probably sales tax, which for me added about $40 to the total (grrrr). Amazon's deal gets you out the door with no shipping or sales tax--but only one controller.

So, over to you: Which is the better deal? (Yes, you can vote "neither," but only if you back it up.) Given that the extra controller normally costs $55, I'm inclined to choose SonyStyle.

Either way, remember that you're also getting a top-tier Blu-ray player. If you want to learn about that and the PS3 in general, read CNET's review.

(Credit: Dell)

Seriously? Sony is still pricing the PlayStation 3 at $400? That was fine when Blu-ray Disc players were selling for about the same price (the PS3 doubles as one), but now that you can snag a standalone player for as low as $150 (and an Xbox Arcade for $170), it's time for Sony to seriously rethink the PS3's price tag.

In the meantime, the best deal going comes from Dell: an 80GB PlayStation 3 for $339.99 shipped (plus sales tax in some states). These are new consoles, not refurbs, and you don't need the usual Dell coupon code.

At the risk of repeating myself, the PS3 is a killer gaming console, notable not just for state-of-the-art graphics and gaming but also for its aforementioned Blu-ray acumen. I'll cop to being an Xbox 360 and Wii guy myself, but some of the stuff I've seen on the PS3 just blows me away.

But even $340 is tough to swallow, especially with Xboxes and Wiis selling for so much less. I know one user who will disagree vehemently, but what about the rest of you? Is this a decent price on a PS3, or does it need to drop lower still? What's your magic number?

An Aerosmith Guitar Hero bundle for $40 creates plenty of sweet emotions.

(Credit: Activision)

Sorry about the bankruptcy, Circuit City, but thanks for the excellent deals while you're reorganizing.

The latest: Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Special Edition Wireless Bundle for Xbox 360, normally $69.99, is now $39.99 shipped. Got a PlayStation 3? No worries: same bundle, same price.

But wait, there's more: Circuit City also has Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock with Guitar for PlayStation 2. Once again: $39.99 shipped.

I'll admit that I never got bitten by the Guitar Hero bug (perhaps because I'm past the age of 23--kidding!), but for $40, I might just splurge. The Xbox and PS3 bundles include wireless guitars and, of course, a generous helping of Aerosmith tunes, along with the usual assortment of rock classics.

It's rare indeed to find these bundles selling below their list prices, so I expect that they'll sell out in a hurry. If you're ready to put down your air guitar and pick up a real (fake) one, click quick.

(Credit: Dell)

This one's for you, MakaiOokami: Sony PlayStation 3 deals are few and far between, but Dell is currently selling PS3s for $339.99 shipped (with coupon code PWXNZVNDRWWX1P, which expires October 29 or after 3,000 uses). This isn't some old refurb, either: It's a new PS3 with an 80GB hard drive.

Needless to say, the PS3 is a killer gaming console, notable not just for state-of-the-art graphics and gaming but also for doubling as a Blu-ray player. I'll cop to being an Xbox 360 and Wii guy myself, but some of the stuff I've seen on the PS3 just blows me away. Only the high price has kept me from taking the plunge, and $339.99 is getting in the ballpark of what I consider reasonable.

Okay, console fans, let loose: Is this a good enough price for a PS3, or does Sony need to drop it closer to Xbox territory? In any case, I suspect we'll see more deals like this (and possibly a permanent price drop) as the holidays approach. (via Gizmodo)

Update: Remember the Sony Reader deal from a couple weeks ago? You got $150 off by applying for Sony's credit card. Well, you can use that same offer on a PS3 instead. Just add the PS3 to your cart for $399.99, then apply for the card and get an instant $150 credit. That brings your total down to $249.99. Beat that!