Here's a quick deal alert for the guys who frequent Best Buy's online store. The retailer has recently announced a promo that entitles buyers to two 20-dollar console titles (like the Xbox 360's Viva Pinata) for a total of just US$ 30.

Wondering what consoles and games fall under this promo? Head for the full article and find out!

Video games and consoles aren't games. At least, Best Buy doesn't think so. A customer recently tried to use a "toy" coupon to purchase an Xbox 360 and two games for the console, but according to Best Buy employees (and their corporate office), the items aren't categorized under "toys." Is there any clear cut distinction between toys and video games? What about the handhelds? Check out the story in the full article.

Earlier this week, controversial anti-video game attorney Jack Thompson announced that he will be filing a lawsuit against Best Buy on charges that the company sells M-rated games to minors through its website. Apparently, he's also named the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) in the lawsuit.

Here's a quote from a press release issued by Thompson, courtesy of GamePolitics:

The ESRB has been sued by Thompson because it is well known that it a) is owned and operated by the video game industry, b) does not even play the games it rates to conclusion, c) routinely mislabels games as to age appropriateness, per testimony before the U.S. Congress, and is engaged in representations to American parents that the age label are accurate and are keeping "Mature" games out of the hands of kids...

According to GamePolitics, Thompson also took a shot at the National Institute for Media and the Family (NIMF), a media watchdog group headed by psychologist Dr. David Walsh, who publicly distanced himself from Thompson's brand of anti-game advocacy two years ago. Thompson claims that the lawsuit details the relationship between the NIMF and Best Buy, which are both located in Minneapolis.

Jack Thompson's "secret shopper" ploy along with his credit card-toting 15-year-old son continues. Thompson has recently given out a statement that he will file a lawsuit against Best Buy today for charges of selling M-rated games indiscriminately to minors in their online store.

Thompson will use Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act as his trump card to use against the retail sales mogul Best Buy. The controversial lawyer drafted a letter addressed to Best Buy's corporate counsel, part of which reads as:

Best Buy, despite promises made to the American people and to me personally, has continued to sell Mature-rated video games to children under seventeen years of age. Best Buy has been doing this at its cash registers here in Miami, Florida, and it is presently doing so, this very moment, at www.bestbuy.com, as it sells Mature-rated games to anyone of any age with no real age verification whatsoever.

At this point it should be noted that according to the Federal Trade Commission, the mere use of a credit card is already an acceptable proof that the buyer is of 18 years of age, since most teenagers under 17 years cannot be issued credit cards.

How will ole' Jack Thompson fare this time? It looks like he is indeed on a roll, what with his recent plea to ban Manhunt 2 through Fox News. Do stay tuned for more updates!

Those who decide to pre-order Electronic Arts' The Simpsons Game (DS, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360) are in for a treat. They'll be receiving some swag including one of the four limited edition posters and if you're lucky, a Homerball figure.

The four posters have the different designs showing off one of the different parodies present in the game. Each one will also have a cheat code on the back which players can use to unlock some of the content in the game. The press release gave word that it will be available from GameStop, Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy.

The Homerball, which will be available at "participating retailers while supplies last" is based on Homer's (duh!) special power in the game. For those who haven't seen this move in action, he essentially turns into a giant ball which gives the him ability to break through walls and steamroll any enemies.

Pre-orders will be available by September 19, so you might want to mark that on your calendar. If you want to get a Homerball. You might also want to place a few calls to your local game stores to see which ones carry the limited edition figurine.

 

Anti-violent video games lawyer Jack Thompson doesn't spend his free time educating parents about M-rated games. Instead, he sends his own 15-year old son in a mission to get a copy of Take-Two's BioShock (Xbox 360, PC    ) something that should be in the hands of adults. Back when the child was 10, he also made him purchase Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

According to the email Thompson sent Joystiq, the ace attorney is trying to prove that "hyperviolent and sex-themed Manhunt 2 (Wii, PSP, PS2) and Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360, PS3) will be widely sold to kids of all ages despite promises by Take-Two, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), and major retailers."

Thompson also demands to fire the Best Buy's store manager and the female clerk who sold the game to his son. "The entire video game age rating system is a fraud perpetrated upon American families from sea to shining sea," he said after using his own child to demonstrate such fraud.

 

Best Buy has partnered up with Common Sense Media to help parents make better decisions when picking up games for their kids. It has been agreed upon by both parties that Best Buy will start including reviews, content descriptions and user comments from Common Sense Media in their site, BestBuy.com. This is to facilitate better decision making when it comes to buying video games for the household.

It should be known that Best Buy is the first retailer to use Common Sense Media reviews as an online guide. They plan on expanding from video games to movies as well. The vice-president of entertainment at Best Buy, Jill Hamburger, had a lot to say about their decision of adding CSM reviews to their site.

At Best Buy we understand the importance of giving customers clear and accurate information to help them make good decisions about the video games they buy. The information from Common Sense Media provides guidance about both the content of a game and its entertainment value. We want parents to be confident they are buying games that are appropriate for their families and fun to play.

Common Sense Media reviews games based on childhood development criteria for age-appropriateness. The organization has even developed their own ratings system which the press release claims to give "parents detailed information about the content of video games – including violence, sexual content, and profanity – as well as guidelines to help parents find great titles fast." 

James Steyer, the CEO and founder of Common Sense Media, also spoke about their organization's goals and the implementation of this new campaign.

Our goal is to give parents the information they need, when and where they need it to make the right video game choices for their families. With Common Sense’s video game reviews incorporated prominently throughout BestBuy.com, we hope to help parents find the games that are right for their kids, whatever their age and their family’s preferences.

The CSM information will be accessible via a link on the page for all game titles that have been reviewed. It will be right beside the ESRB Ratings information for that game. The added input is said to further enrich the ESRB Rating information by providing comments and reviews from people who have tested the game.

 After the creation of the solar-powered Wii station, TwitchGuru responded to a request to build a solar-powered DS Lite, and as such has produced it. Many people commented on the solar-powered Wii Station that was created by Tom's Hardware Guide and even requested a solar-powered DS Lite to be created, and as such, one has been created.

Taking no more than a slightly modified cell phone solar-powered charger and a DS Lite, TwitchGuru has modified their DS Lite to run solely off of the power produced by the Sun. Many were agitated that the device would be running off of battery power and will be recharged with solar energy, however this modified DS is solely powered off of solar energy.

With two solar panels, closely the same size as the NDS Lite folded out, the modified DS folds up into a nice small package not much longer than its original size. You can attach the solar panels however you would like but this modified DS features it attached to the top of the DS Lite's top screen and seems to balance out just fine. Now all we need is a sun-friendly Nintendo DS as it's not pleasant to play in the sunlight with any product that features a LCD. You can view the instructions after the jump and watch the video via the link below -

Watch: [Tom's Workshop Video]

If you're looking for a new memory card to hold your files, then you might want to check out Best Buy. The company's currently advertising that SanDisk 2GB Secure Digital Memory Cards can now be bought for US$ 29.99 a pop. That's twenty bucks off the regular price of US$ 49.99.

That's also US$ 50 cheaper than, for example, a PNY Secure Digital memory card with the same storage capacity. Yeah, it's a pretty OK bargain, if you ask us. Of course, with Best Buy's recent admission of the existence their secret Intranet site (which was "never meant to mislead customers," or so the company says), you might want to be extra careful.

Thanks to jpcguy89 for the heads up!

 Best Buy admits it - they have an intranet site that prevents customers from getting cheaper prices at Best Buy.com. In a statement sent to Courant, Best Buy claims,

Although we have an intra-store web site in place to support store operations (including products and pricing), we are reminding our employees how to access the external BestBuy.com web site to ensure customers are receiving the best possible product price.

Earlier, a company spokesperson for Best Buy said that there is no internal website accessible only to employees. Now, because of state investigators, the retail company admits that it's true they have an intranet site, citing the above quote as explanation of this.

Best Buy began to be investigated when Courant reported how two employees failed to give a discount on a purchase through the intranet site. Supposed to be manned by tech-savvy staff, BestBuy pins the blame on its employees who have somehow forgotten to access BestBuy.com from the store.

We wonder how the company will get out of this net this time? Most especially, we hope that they would better retain their memory from now on.