The Cheapskate

Normally $50, the top-rated Left 4 Dead 2 is on sale for $29.99 shipped.

(Credit: GameStop)

If you're among those lucky enough to have this week off, well, I'm insanely jealous. That means you've got time to sit around and play games, which I rarely do. But I can live vicariously through you, and give you three amazing deals on new and classic PC titles alike. Take a look:

1. Valve's Steam service is offering one of my all-time favorites, BioShock, for just $4.99. I've mentioned it for that price a few times before, but if you haven't pulled the trigger, here's another chance. BioShock mixes action, role-playing, sci-fi, and horror to great effect.

2. Also on Steam: The Eidos Collector's Pack for $49.99. This amazing 20-game bundle includes the exceptional Batman: Arkham Asylum, which by itself normally sells for $49.99. Other titles include Battlestations Pacific, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, a couple Tomb Raider games, and Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition. The total value is a whopping $262, and the deal's good until Jan. 3.

3. I love me some zombie-whompin', and right now GameStop has Left 4 Dead 2 for $29.99 shipped (plus sales tax in most states). Regular price: $49.99. Check out GameSpot's review; the game scored a 9.0, making it one of the top-rated titles of 2009.

There you go! While I'm toiling away looking for deals, y'all can go and have some good, cheap fun.

In the meantime, if you've found any killer game deals (for PCs or consoles), feel free to share 'em in the comments.

Roku's nifty little box delivers on-demand video from sources like Amazon and Netflix.

(Credit: Roku)

Did Santa bring you cash this year? A big fat gift card? An unexpected work bonus? Whatever the case, you're probably primed and ready for a little splurging.

And on this one day out of the entire year, I'm going to recommend three decidedly splurge-y items. They're not necessarily deals (though I've found the best possible price for each of them), just items I've enjoyed myself in recent months.

1. A second monitor After years of hearing how great it is to run side-by-side monitors, I finally took the plunge. Guess what? It is great. Just having Outlook and Firefox visible at the same time is, alone, worth the price of a second LCD. You can usually pick up a 22-incher for around $140, like this Sceptre X226W available from Newegg for $139.99 shipped. but right now Staples has a 21.5-inch eMachines E211H LCD monitor for just $99.98 shipped (plus sales tax in most states). First time I've seen a screen that size for under $100.

2. Jabra Halo stereo Bluetooth headset I find it extremely liberating to walk around with my iPhone in my pocket, headphones on my ears, and no bothersome cord connecting the two. The Halo headset is slim, comfortable, foldable, and able to take calls. The controls aren't fabulous (show me a headset's that are), but overall this is my favorite headset ever. It lists for $129.99, but Amazon Best Buy has the Halo for $99.99 shipped.

3. Roku HD-XR Streaming media is the future. Roku's top-end box already delivers Amazon Video On Demand, Netflix Instant Watch, Pandora Internet radio, Major League Baseball, and various freebie channels like blip.tv and Revision3--all in high-def (when available). The HD-XR model ($129.99) offers Wireless-N connectivity, but get the cheaper HD ($99.99) if you're rocking Ethernet. Granted, some Blu-ray players deliver similar streaming capabilities, but usually without wireless, and definitely without the same fast, easy interface. For Netflix in particular, I really dig this little box.

So, there you have it: three splurge-worthy items. Let me know if you decide to pull the trigger on any of them, or if you have your own splurge-ables in mind.

Today only, download Grand Theft Auto IV for just $7.49--its lowest price ever.

(Credit: Valve)

Well, here we are at the end of "100 Days of Deals"--what a long, cheap trip it's been. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. The Cheapskate will be back in the saddle come Monday, posting new deals every weekday. You can't get rid of me just because the holidays are over! :)

Since we're heading into a long weekend, today's deal is all about fun: Valve is having a huge sale on PC games. You'll need the Steam downloader to take advantage of it, but check out some of these fairly spectacular offers:

• Today only, Grand Theft Auto IV is on sale for $7.49. The game earned a 9.0 score from GameSpot and is universally acclaimed as one of last year's best games.
• Also today only, you can grab S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl for $1.99. This first-person sci-fi shooter scored an 8.5 on GameSpot, making it a no-brainer for fans of the genre. I'm buying it!
• Ghostbusters: The Video Game is on sale for $6.79. I was tempted to grab this when it was $9.95 at Direct2Drive (it's back up to its usual $19.95), but I'm glad I waited.
• A puzzle game like no other, World of Goo is on sale for $4.99. I picked this up a while back during the developer's name-your-price promotion. Trust me, it's five bucks very well spent.

That's just a sampling of what's on sale at Steam right now. If you've been a good gamer this year, now's the time to reward yourself and stock up on some dirt-cheap fun.

By the way, if you're in need of a last-minute gift (and didn't find anything you liked in my roundup of gifts you can print), Steam offers a gift option: You buy the game, the recipient gets an e-mail with download instructions. Easy-peasy.

Thanks to reader gwailo247 for bringing the Steam stuff to my attention! I also want to thank all of you for giving me a little of your time each day. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Have a safe and happy holiday, and I'll see you back here on Monday.

DiscRipper may not rip all your discs, but it should handle most of them.

(Credit: Rick Broida)

Giveaway of the Day is a site that offers a different software freebie every day of the week. It may sound too good to be true, but trust me, I've grabbed some real gems over the years.

Today's giveaway is an app for anyone looking to archive their DVDs or convert them to a mobile format. The aptly named DiscRipper normally sells for $29.95, but if you download and install it today, it's free.

Let me repeat that: The only catch is that you have to download and install the program before 12:00 PST tonight.

After downloading DiscRipper, be sure to read the instructions contained in the readme file. They're quite simple, but I'm always amazed by how many people report that a GotD freebie "doesn't work" or is "not the full version"--because they didn't follow the instructions.

I'll help out: Copy the license key from the readme file, run the program, click the Buy Now button, and then click Enter License Key. Paste in the key and you're good to go.

The program is a pretty basic ripper: Insert your DVD, choose an output folder and format (it supports everything from AVI to WMV), tweak any other settings you want, and then click Rip.

In my quick, informal test, it worked just fine on a new-release DVD, but I ran into trouble ripping a much older DVD. Your mileage may vary.

Either way, it's still a free DVD-ripping utility. I know some commenters will find a way to complain about it, but I say don't argue with free.

Backup deal: Speaking of freebies, Amazon Video on Demand is offering a free rental (by way of a $4 credit) when you enter code AVODGIFT. Today's turning into a free-nanza!

This TV tuner-DVR in a box is a steal at $29.99 shipped.

(Credit: Meritline)

Update (Dec. 22, 4 p.m. PT): Sorry, folks, the tuner is sold out--at least for now.

For several years I've relied on free over-the-air digital signals to bring high-definition TV into my house. And I've paired those signals with Windows Media Center for free DVR goodness.

The key bit of hardware in that equation is a TV tuner, and right now Meritline has the deal to beat: a Mygica U6012 Hybrid USB TV tuner for $29.99 shipped.

Because this is a "hybrid" tuner, it can pull in the aforementioned over-the-air HD signals (aka ATSC), Clear QAM (digital signals delivered via cable), or analog channels (aka NTSC, also delivered via cable).

Notice I said "or." I think many people mistakenly believe a tuner like this lets them view all of these sources simultaneously (and some of the negative reviews reflect that), but that's not the case.

What you can do, however, at least with software like Windows Media Center, is connect multiple tuners. Thus, you could have one devoted to, say, analog cable, another pulling down ATSC HD, and so on. That's what I do.

And it works beautifully, though over-the-air signal quality depends in large part on where you live and what kind of antenna you use. The Mygica tuner comes with a small set of rabbit ears, which should pull in at least a few local channels--but you may need something bigger or stronger. Read the FAQ on the product page for more details.

Also, be sure to read the info about updated and forthcoming drivers. I'm happy to see that there's one in the works that will allow the bundled remote to work with Windows 7.

In short, if you've been thinking of dipping a toe into the wonderful world of TV on your PC, this is a seriously affordable pool pass. Other hybrid tuners I've seen sell for upwards of $100.

Backup deal: A site called GameBay.com has Lego Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda for Xbox 360 for $13.49 shipped. That's a mighty sweet pair of games for the price.

This $78 Magnavox Blu-ray player has no front-panel display, but it does have an SDHC card slot.

Well, it's the Sunday before Christmas and we are entering the home stretch. Got someone on your list who is hard to ship for but still hasn't made the jump to a Blu-ray disc player? We'll, we have a couple of deals to help you out.

Like the Ghost of Christmas Past, Wal-Mart is once again offering the Magnavox MB500MG1F Blu-ray disc player for $78. Shipping adds 97 cents, but the store's Web site guarantees it will get the player to you in time for Christmas if you order by Sunday.

This no-frills player features your standard DVD up-conversion to 1080p, Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound, and HDMI, component, and other video outputs. But there's no front-panel LED display, and it definitely won't do any online streaming services like Netflix. It may be a bare-bones player, but it gets plenty of favorable user comments over at the Blu-ray Forum.

Backup deal
If you want a little more bang for your buck and don't mind spending a few more of them, Best Buy has the Insignia NS-WBRDVD wireless Blu-ray disc player for $119.99, some $60 off its regular price.

In addition to HDMI upcoversion, Dolby True HD and DTS Master Audio support, etc., this unit includes Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity and supports streaming content from Netflix. However, this deal will probably only work for you as a Christmas gift if you can get to one of the stores to pick it up; the site lists shipping as "coming soon."

And if you need a few discs as stocking stuffers to go with a Blu-ray player, Amazon.com is offering several Blu-ray discs for $7.99, with delivery before Christmas with two-day shipping. Titles include Reservoir Dogs, Total Recall, The Doors, Young Guns, First Blood, Rambo: Part II, Rambo III, The Punisher, and American Psycho.

CNET calls the Logitech Harmony One "arguably the best consumer remote control currently available," and I agree. I've owned one for about two years, and it's without a doubt my favorite remote ever.

Alas, Logitech still sells it for $250, same as when it debuted in early 2008. But right now, CompUSA is offering the Harmony One for $139.99 shipped.

(If this deal sounds a bit familiar, that's because I posted a similar one back in October--but the price then was $150, and it was a refurb. This one's brand-new!)

The Harmony's claim to fame is a simple (relatively speaking) Web-based interface for setting up your devices, programming "activities" (aka macros), and so on.

This particular model features a color touch screen, a perfect button layout, and a docking station that keeps the rechargeable battery topped off.

CNET's review (and the above video) should tell you everything you need to know about the Harmony One. For what it's worth, CompUSA customers rated it 5 stars on average, while some 900 Amazon buyers rated it 4.5 stars. Needless to say, it's a winner.

Thus, if you're in the market for the ultimate universal remote, this is the best deal I've seen yet. (If you know of a better one, be sure to mention it in the comments!)

You can give someone the gift of a Netflix subscription--complete with printed gift card.

(Credit: Netflix)

Uh, oh! Just a few more shopping days until the ho-ho-holiday. Are you scrambling for a last-minute gift for your trusty mail carrier, the kids' schoolteacher, a co-worker, or someone else on your list?

Good news: All you need is a printer. These five stores let you print your own gift certificates for fast, easy, and downright special in-person giving:

1. Amazon.com On any Amazon page, click the Gift Cards link, then choose Print a gift card. The minimum amount is $5, but you're not limited to increments: Your certificate can be in the amount of, say, $12.09 if you want.
2. Gifts.com The recipient of a Gifts.com certificate can redeem it at one or more of a hundred-plus stores and restaurants, such as Barnes & Noble, Pottery Barn, and Starbucks.
3. iTunes Obviously you can grab an iTunes gift card in just about any store on the planet, but did you know you can print your own? Just fire up iTunes, click Buy iTunes Gifts, and then choose Printable Gift Certificates. Amounts range from $10-50.
4. Netflix Netflix gift subscriptions start at $8.99 per month, and you can choose just about any duration you want: one month, three months, a year, etc. And that gift includes not just DVDs by mail, but also unlimited streaming to a PC or "Netflix-ready" device like an Xbox.
5. Restaurant.com Once again, Restaurant.com is offering $25 gift certificates for just $2 (with coupon code SANTA). Not familiar with the site? Get the details from one of my earlier posts. Even better, send a free $10 gift certificate to anyone and everyone on your list!

By the way, most of these gift certificates can also be e-mailed--perfect for last-minute gifts that can't be delivered in person. You know, for faraway relatives or, I dunno, beloved bloggers. (Usually all I get in my in-box is a lump of e-coal, sniff, sniff.)

MacMall is bundling a 20GB hard drive with this refurbished Xbox 360 Arcade.

(Credit: MacMall)

The Xbox 360 Arcade comes without a hard drive. That's bad.

The Xbox 360 Arcade bundle at MacMall comes with a 20GB hard drive. That's good! Especially considering the price: $134.99, plus about $12 for shipping.

The only catch: It's a refurb, meaning you get a 90-day warranty. I have no idea if Arcade models have the same red-ring-of-death gene as other Xboxes; someone more knowledgeable on the subject will undoubtedly speak up in the comments (hint, hint).

In any case, I'd be surprised if this didn't sell out quickly, so I'm just going to leave it there. If you're looking for an Xbox on the super cheap, you've found it.

(If it does sell out, check back later for another deal. You know I won't leave my cheap-peeps hanging!)

Backup deal (sort of): Happy Free Shipping Day! Over 700 merchants are offering free shipping today, and promising delivery no later than Dec. 24. (Alas, MacMall isn't among them.)