consoles

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 … Read more

As regular Cheapskate readers know, HDMI cables are insanely overpriced. Pity the uninformed consumer who walks into, say, Best Buy, and walks out $40 to $90 poorer. Happens all the time.

But it doesn't have to. Help me spread the word: Eforcity (via Amazon) has a 6-foot HDMI cable for just $3.19 shipped. (Actually, the cable's only 21 cents, shipping costs $2.98. That drives me nuts, so I stayed focused on the total price. Which is awesome.)

Update: I'm not sure why, but sometimes that link takes you to the same cable offered by a … Read more

Sure, we really liked the Nyko Wing Wireless Classic Controller for use with the Nintendo Wii, but if we could choose any controller to use with Virtual Console games, it would be the originals themselves.

Developer Komodo may have come up with a device that could pacify these desires. With the Retro Adapter (to be distributed by Innex), you'll be able to use original NES, Super Nintendo, and Nintendo 64 controllers with Wii Virtual Console games.

The adapter itself resembles that of a Nintendo 64 console and has three female ports for each system. It connects to your Wii … Read more

I didn't mind dropping $250 for the Nintendo Wii game system (well, OK, of course I did), but $60 for each additional controller and nunchuk? That, my friends, was painful. ("What do you mean you're going outside to play? Get back here and bowl with your family!")

If only Buy.com had had these deals back then: a refurbished Wii wireless controller for $22.99 shipped and a refurbished Wii nunchuk for $11.99 shipped. Grab 'em both and you're out the door for $34.98.

These are official Nintendo controllers, not third-party knock-offs. The … Read more

iPhone games have redefined the meaning of cheap--in ways both good and bad --but you still need to drop at least $200 for an iPhone or iPod Touch. For real portable retro gaming with street cred, may we suggest the Retro Mini Handheld, which for only $49.99 plays old NES cartridges (once you've blown the dust out of them).

Considering NES carts can be had for pennies at Salvation Army thrift shops, this little beauty might be the best way to play games for next to nothing at all. Compare, for instance, the cost of a $2.… Read more

Whoa! Buy.com has the refurbished Xbox 360 Pro for $155.99 shipped. That's way less than the price of a new Xbox 360 Arcade, which has no hard drive and only a wired controller.

The Pro comes with a 20GB hard drive, a wireless controller, and...drum roll...HDMI! However, although component video cables are included, HDMI is BYO. (Meritline, always a good source, has a 6-foot HDMI cable for $4.99 shipped.)

The 360 is not only a killer gaming console, but also a damn fine media center extender (meaning it can stream music, videos, and photos … Read more