Sony offering free PlayStation 3 with HDTV purchase

[eth3rton]

"That's right, babies. We've seen Sony play this hand in other parts of our great big world, and now the S-gang is bringing this sweet bacon on home... er, to the States. According to a promotion we've caught wind of, if you get yourself approved for the Sony Visa, then promptly purchase a Sony HDTV at the Sony Rewards store (out of a pool of models from the BRAVIA and SXRD lines), the good folks at Sony will throw a free PlayStation 3 your way. Of course, there's a few hoops you have to jump through, the deal ends on December 31st, and obviously you'll need a half-decent credit score, but if the suits approve your transaction, this is a pretty solid deal. Hit the read link for all the info -- just make sure you read the fine print."

Original story located over at : Engadget.com (http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/28/sony-offering-free-playstation-3-with-hdtv-purchase/)

Sony's spreading the love... or something like that.

[WastelandDan]

While I had no desire to own a Playstation 3, I was actually looking at Vizio HDtvs at CostCO yesterday because they were so cheap. How good are the Vizios, because I may actually go buy one now.

Edit: Ah, only the Bravia line is applicable with this sale. That gets a big *fart noise* from me.

Edit Edit: Looking at CostCo they talk about the Vizio as if it were a totally separate company from Sony. I always thought they were Sony Vizios, like how the new line is Sony Bravia. Am I wrong or is CostCo's listing just crazy?

[TrackZero]

Uh, wasn't this posted a few days ago?

Edit: Ah, I was thinking of the story about it in Australia (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41693&highlight=Bravia).

[Vermillion]

While I had no desire to own a Playstation 3, I was actually looking at Vizio HDtvs at CostCO yesterday because they were so cheap. How good are the Vizios, because I may actually go buy one now.

Edit: Ah, only the Bravia line is applicable with this sale. That gets a big *fart noise* from me.

Edit Edit: Looking at CostCo they talk about the Vizio as if it were a totally separate company from Sony. I always thought they were Sony Vizios, like how the new line is Sony Bravia. Am I wrong or is CostCo's listing just crazy?

I'm pretty sure that Vizio has nothing to do with Sony. Vizio is a US company headquartered out of Cali. But this isn't the first time I've heard someone told that Sony owns Vizio.

Sony has some of the best tv's, they are just expensive (Bravia are great). Vizio is your high end Wal-Mart TV, not a high end all around tv.

It's an interesting deal, but I would never get a credit card to buy a game system.

[WastelandDan]

I'm pretty sure that Vizio has nothing to do with Sony. Vizio is a US company headquartered out of Cali. But this isn't the first time I've heard someone told that Sony owns Vizio.

Sony has some of the best tv's, they are just expensive (Bravia are great). Vizio is your high end Wal-Mart TV, not a high end all around tv.

It's an interesting deal, but I would never get a credit card to buy a game system.

I just wonder what the terms of the card are. Knowing Sony it's probably massive interest rates and a penalty to cancel the card.

[dirtbag]

While I had no desire to own a Playstation 3, I was actually looking at Vizio HDtvs at CostCO yesterday because they were so cheap. How good are the Vizios, because I may actually go buy one now.

Vizios are very good 'value' HDTVs. We've been very happy with the 37" Vizio LCD we got from Costco a few months ago.

[DylonCorp]

I just wonder what the terms of the card are. Knowing Sony it's probably massive interest rates and a penalty to cancel the card.

Well, it's a promotional store credit card, so shitty interest rates are pretty well guaranteed.

[Zander]

So you have to buy a Sony TV, from Sony Rewards, with a Sony credit card.

No thanks.

Wish there was a free PS3 deal when I bought my TV a year ago. Oh well.

[Switcher]

Is it just me, or does Sony come off as Gill, the salesman from the Simpsons?

"Come on! Ahh gee, my wife's gonna kill me! I need to sell these things! The wolf's at ol' Sony's door! Ahhaha..hhah..haa......"

[Drayven]

Kinda sucks that you can't buy the TV at your vendor of choice.

[92miata]

vizio's are not sony. they are actually made in china, but the company is in california.

the company was started by the same person who started viewsonic monitors. vizio is the top selling lcd in the country at this time.

nice tv for the price, but better quality is available for a higher price....:)

[Deadend]

the credit card has some shit interest rates, and lots of lovely fees. It would be cheaper to buy a Bravia and a PS3 elsewhere.

[Vandenh]

Almost certainly this is a "get fucked up the ass" deal.

BTW better wait until you get a free PS3 with a box of cereals.

[51|RandoM]

Any deal that requires you to sign up for a credit card you wouldn't otherwise want is a "get fucked up the ass" deal. If you can't afford a PS3 you don't need a(nother) credit card.

[Baron Samedi]

http://www.geekpulp.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/windowslivewriterhappybirthdayxbox360andps3-f065ps3cake54.jpg

[Karamazov]

I just wonder what the terms of the card are. Knowing Sony it's probably massive interest rates and a penalty to cancel the card.

I was mighty tempted to do this until I read the fine print on the promotions page.

PLAYSTATION 3 will be shipped approximately 8-12 weeks after qualifying purchase

All single sales receipt purchases made with your Sony Card within the first 45 days your account is open equal or greater than $299 ("Qualifying Purchase") will automatically qualify for a 12-month Deferred Interest Promotion (with payment). Purchase price must be paid in full within twelve billing cycles of the purchase date; minimum payments must be made on account; and account must not otherwise be in default during the promotional period or finance charges will be assessed from the purchase date. Length of the promotional period could be shorter depending upon the timing and amount of your payments and other account balances. After the expiration of the promotional period, any remaining blanace on your Qualifying Purchase will bear interest at the Purchase APR disclosed in your cardmember agreement. Promotional financing is offered in connection with Sony Card credit cards, which are issued by Chase Bank USA N.A., and subject to credit approbal. As of 10/15/07 and subject to change, the following rates and terms apply for new Sony Card credit cards,: Purchase APR 15.24% variable; Default APR 32.24% variable; Minimum Finane Charge $1.00. Offer available to new Sony Card accounts only.

And what about that instant approval?

In some instances an application may require additional processing in which case instant approval will be unavailable.

The expanded terms and conditions: http://www.sonyrewards.com/en/footer/terms_of_use/

[boratika]

Wow, for once Australia got the much better deal for something video game related.

Australia: Buy a Bravia from where ever, go online, get PS3. Duration: 38 days

States: Apply for Sony credit card, if approved, go to Sony store and buy a Bravia and get a PS3, purchase lube for when credit card bill comes. Duration: 3 days.

Those credit card terms look terrible to me. Though I'm not really a credit card fan. I've got a VISA debit card, which does all the same things except get me into self increasing debt.

[GunnyMo]

I'm impressed! 17 Posts and not one "PS3 is so bad Sony has to give them away" post! ;)

[Pluvious]

Regarding Vizio LCD's, I would highly recommend them! I bought my 37" at Costco (90 day straight exchange or refund) and I LOVE IT. Once my friend saw it .. he got one too. You can't beat the price for what you get. Other brands are still going for $1300-$1800 for the same size. Comes with 2 HDMI ports, 2 component, DVI and s-video. No dead pixel guaranty. http://www.vizio.com/products/detail.aspx?pid=16 Be sure to check the details tab as well on that link.

(having a 90 day return/exchange is a good selling point as well.. )

[Karmakin]

I'm impressed! 17 Posts and not one "PS3 is so bad Sony has to give them away" post! ;)

That's because it goes without saying ;)

[Baron Samedi]

I'm impressed! 17 Posts and not one "PS3 is so bad Sony has to give them away" post! ;)

They've gotta empty that back log somehow ;)

[Thumper]

Well I'm assuming this isn't available in Canada. But assuming one had the cash to go buy this thing and pay it off immediately, would there be any reason not to do it? Are there any actual FEES on the card if you never use it again?

[Disgustipated]

Regarding Vizio LCD's, I would highly recommend them! I bought my 37" at Costco (90 day straight exchange or refund) and I LOVE IT. Once my friend saw it .. he got one too. You can't beat the price for what you get. Other brands are still going for $1300-$1800 for the same size. Comes with 2 HDMI ports, 2 component, DVI and s-video. No dead pixel guaranty. http://www.vizio.com/products/detail.aspx?pid=16 Be sure to check the details tab as well on that link.

(having a 90 day return/exchange is a good selling point as well.. )

But is it 1080p? I'd like to grab a 1080p set... been looking at Westinghouse's stuff.

[Talanvor]

As far as I know, there aren't any fees to just having the card. No annual. I have a Sony Card from a long time ago, hardly ever use it either, hasn't cost me anything.

[Talanvor]

But is it 1080p? I'd like to grab a 1080p set... been looking at Westinghouse's stuff.

Nope, it goes up to 1080i, that particular set anyway.

[Pluvious]

Vizio has 1080p sets that are priced well. I would not go with Westinghouse over Vizio.

[ElectricMonk]

I am in the market for a new HDTV... but I think I'm going to wait until the OLED tvs or the LCD w/LED backlighting come out.

[Wolvie]

Thats a pretty crafty way to get a PS3 into a someones home. I bet MS would do well to partner up with Samsung again and get a deal like this going for them.

[Disgustipated]

Vizio has 1080p sets that are priced well. I would not go with Westinghouse over Vizio.

I'll probably spend a few weeks researching before I buy. As bad as it sounds, I'd like to make payments on whatever set I buy to build credit and to save me the hassle of paying $1000 up front.

[LexeL]

Buyer beware on buying a sony rear-projection tv; sony's pulling out of the market: http://news.google.com/news?q=sony+rear+projection&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wn

[DarkDaY]

Buyer beware on buying a sony rear-projection tv; sony's pulling out of the market: http://news.google.com/news?q=sony+rear+projection&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wn

your point? its not like the tvs have to have software updates... if they fit the bill at the right prices and even go lower then I say go for it. This is the best time for all of us to get the best deals.

I generally stay away from sony products, tv's and the such, not including game consoles, "go away fanboys" mainly cause we pay a lot more for brand name. But I own a 46 in sony wega hdtv, paid a little too much for it back in the day, but I still love it, calibrated perfectly, has everything I want and need and has a kick ass image, not too mention amazing black levels.

buy cheep when you can, most wont notice.

[WastelandDan]

your point? its not like the tvs have to have software updates... if they fit the bill at the right prices and even go lower then I say go for it. This is the best time for all of us to get the best deals.

I generally stay away from sony products, tv's and the such, not including game consoles, "go away fanboys" mainly cause we pay a lot more for brand name. But I own a 46 in sony wega hdtv, paid a little too much for it back in the day, but I still love it, calibrated perfectly, has everything I want and need and has a kick ass image, not too mention amazing black levels.

buy cheep when you can, most wont notice.

I had a whole post written about your punctuation here, but I think I'll let better men speak for me:

http://www.angryflower.com/bobsqu.gif

[Ultima Thulian]

Vizio sets are great entry level HDTVs. And if you're using an old analog tv, you're going to need to upgrade anyway. I'm going to buy me a 37inch real soon along with a 60gb PS3. That's how I'm spending my Christmas/Birthday money (my b-day is Jan 10th).

And this deal is bullshit.

[LexeL]

Point being that if you're in the market for a sony hdtv you may want to wait till the next product refresh to see what concentrating their entire division on flat panels will produce.

[oldjadedgamer]

your point? its not like the tvs have to have software updates... if they fit the bill at the right prices and even go lower then I say go for it. This is the best time for all of us to get the best deals..

The point being that even when the company doesn't believe in the product anymore, why should you?

[joestein]

The SONY SXRD rear projection which is included in the offer is IMHO the best HD TV out there! It uses LCOS technology. The only other TV out there that used it is JVC HD-ILA, which I have. It is a mixture of LCD and DLP, the strengths of both and the weaknesses of neither. Everybody who comes over my house is blown away by it (including other HD owners). But the SXRD is even better.

If I need a 60" TV, I wouldn't hesitate to buy the Sony SXRD, as long as the price is good.

If you look at the list of TVs that qualify for the offer of a free PS3 (80Gig model) there are a bunch of older models that are not listed for sale on the regular website. One of them is a 40" Bravia LCD that is the base model, not an XBR. The orignal MSRP was around $2,000. If they are selling it for $1,500 or less, this could be a pretty good deal. Of course you can't see the prices of the sets untill after you received a credit card.

If anyone has seen the price, please post it.

Joe

[Gorvi]

The point being that even when the company doesn't believe in the product anymore, why should you?
That's a very odd way of looking at that. They're moving away from using outdated tech and continuing to produce TVs that are of a more modern design. Companies move on from older products all the time. Hell, look at game consoles. Just because an older product isn't made anymore doesn't automatically invalidate it's usefulness.

[Sl1pstream]

But assuming one had the cash to go buy this thing and pay it off immediately, would there be any reason not to do it?

Other than the fact that you can't? They want to sell you their credit card. That's why they're having this deal.

[tiremfej]

Thats a pretty crafty way to get a PS3 into a someones home. I bet MS would do well to partner up with Samsung again and get a deal like this going for them.

Last I checked, MS is doing quite fine with the 360. No need for gimmicky sales...unless you're a 360 HD-DVD player.

Screw Sony TV's as well, you can get much much better for less...

[iTroll]

Last I checked, MS is doing quite fine with the 360. No need for gimmicky sales...unless you're a 360 HD-DVD player.

Screw Sony TV's as well, you can get much much better for less...

I second that. Samsung or Sharp.

[LexeL]

...or Pioneer Kuro Plasmas. In my case at least, plasmas were prohibitively expensive ~2 years ago and were therefore not considered by me (and a lot of other people) despite having the best regarded HDTV picture. A lot of people who didn't want to wait for prices to come down and the tech to mature turned their attention to LCDs as they didn't mind settling.

Now, plasma prices have come down, Kuros generally review as some of the best televisions ever manufactured, SED is all but dead (no point in waiting), and OLED is finally emerging (another 2/3 years till they are serious contenders).

Perfect time to buy a plasma--it'd be a shame to spend money on tech that's at the end of the line (rp-hdtv).

mho

[oldjadedgamer]

That's a very odd way of looking at that. They're moving away from using outdated tech and continuing to produce TVs that are of a more modern design. Companies move on from older products all the time. Hell, look at game consoles. Just because an older product isn't made anymore doesn't automatically invalidate it's usefulness.

Again, why would I want to buy outdated tech? A perfect example of this is 480p/1080i only TVs. In my opinion they still provide the best picture quality of HDTV's but the majority of PS3 games don't support those TVs in HD resolutions including the two best selling games for the system.

[dirtbag]

Vizio sets are great entry level HDTVs. And if you're using an old analog tv, you're going to need to upgrade anyway. I'm going to buy me a 37inch real soon along with a 60gb PS3. That's how I'm spending my Christmas/Birthday money (my b-day is Jan 10th).

And this deal is bullshit.

That's some serious birthday money!

[Ultima Thulian]

That's some serious birthday money!

Actually, I'm probably only going to get maybe 40-60 dollars for my birthday. This is cash I've been saving up for a long time. Cash mostly through work and bartering. It also includes a healthy dose of Christmas cash. Fuck gifts, give me money instead.

Though my sister gave me Guitar Hero III, which is quite spiffy.

[Dirty Harry]

As far as I know, there aren't any fees to just having the card. No annual. I have a Sony Card from a long time ago, hardly ever use it either, hasn't cost me anything.

32 percent APR is fucking intense, i work for a credit card company and i gotta tell you even with the default pruchase finance apr of 16.xx% its still harsh.

[Gorvi]

Again, why would I want to buy outdated tech? A perfect example of this is 480p/1080i only TVs. In my opinion they still provide the best picture quality of HDTV's but the majority of PS3 games don't support those TVs in HD resolutions including the two best selling games for the system.
What the hell does that have anything to do with the conversation at hand? Or did you just feel like throwing in a random bash?

[Vanthar]

What the hell does that have anything to do with the conversation at hand? Or did you just feel like throwing in a random bash?

And his point doesn't even make sense? The rear projection TV's that I see almost always support up to 1080p or 1080i minimum (including all lower resolutions). It's not like your pissing away money by going for a rear projection because they're generally some of the cheapest to entry HDTV's on the market in terms of size/cost.

[oldjadedgamer]

And his point doesn't even make sense? The rear projection TV's that I see almost always support up to 1080p or 1080i minimum (including all lower resolutions). It's not like your pissing away money by going for a rear projection because they're generally some of the cheapest to entry HDTV's on the market in terms of size/cost.

The point was, that even if they work with the standards today that there is no reason to assume they will in a short few years.

Companies were still selling 480p/1080i TV's when the PS3 was released. If Sony is going to get out of a market of selling a certain kind of TV, there is a good reason for it. The 480p/1080i example was to show that even very recent technology can be outdated super fast and the best you can do when investing a bunch of money into a TV like that is to make sure you have the latest and greatest so it will last you a long time.

If you go the cheap route and willingly invest in a TV that companies are leaving behind, you may end up with a situation like the PS3 480p/1080i situation were you are just left out in the cold.