Ben-DutkaSometimes, we all need to sit back and have a chuckle. If you're in need of a bit of comic relief, we're here to help you out this lovely evening.
Best Buy's Geek Squad has a great offer for prospective PlayStation 3 owners. As you can gather by the pic posted here, and as found by DualShockers , they will perform an invaluable service if you wish to toss 'em a few extra bucks. As most of you know, a PS3 slim typically costs $299 but at Best Buy, it might cost you $329…just don't expect a free game or accessory in the package. No, the geniuses in the Geek Squad did something else for your thirty bucks- they opened up the box, hooked up the system, and downloaded the most recent firmware update for you. …okay, now before you start laughing, we think we know why this new deal exists. See, the PS3 won't be able to support 3D Blu-Ray movies unless it has the new firmware update, so…unless, wait…don't PS3s ship with the latest firmware installed? Or don't they? I'm not really sure… But either way, it's $30 for something most everyone can do at home, and it's just plain amusing.
However, if anybody wants to come up with a more logical reason as to why this deal exists, feel free to let us know. It can't just be another big retail chain looking to milk the public for a few extra bucks, can it? …impossible.
oh wow. where are the business needs to turn a profit people? the same people who chastise some of us for not digging playstation plus are up in arms over this. as dumb as this may sound, some people don't have internet access or don't want to waste time downloading and installing an update. much like + if you see value in the offer, then pay the extra bones. if you don't then keep you change. it cracks me up how some of you are willing to excuse some companies for making a money grab, i.e. sony, but call other companies greedy and unethical. best buy is offering a service that some may use.
I am sorry but that is pretty shameful. Look, it could help a few folk out, but really.
Probably a little push from Sony to help combat the wild explosion of the jailbreak!
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
If someone actually paid get get the firmware updated, something wrong with them or just plain lazy and rich.
Not totally sure, but i'm fairly certain that it tells you how to update the firmware somewhere in the manual. I'm assuming it's idiot proof too.
This is despicable. Best buy's Geek Squad should be fired for even offering this. Praying on people's ignorance, so despicable.
Last edited by WolfCrimson on 10/6/2010 2:57:12 AM
dammit, I meant preying, not praying. Ben could you something about the 10 min edit limit? it's too short.
they dont come with the latest FW installed, never have!
a waste of money if you ask me, but i guess if you dont want to waste your download usage or dont want to take the risk of updating your system and having the new FW stuff your console its not a bad idea.
wish i had the opportunity to do this with the last FW, the one where sony had to quietly replace it with the correct check sums since it was going into a indefinite loop.
that way i would of been covered, i could of said its their fault they did it not me.
I don't see anything wrong but…….the price is absurd.
I can buy a Greatest Hits with that amount of cash.
Last edited by Snaaaake on 10/6/2010 5:07:09 AM
I guess it's aimed at those who don't want to hook up to the internet and aren't aware they can download it on their PC to a flash drive.
Maybe they don't have the internet at all at home but want the latest functionality?
Even if the above applies, it is still a scary cost I sure as hell wouldn't see value in paying.
who buys a ps3 with no internet? if you can afford a ps3 and internet you most likely have broadband.
there is in no way THAT many people who want ps3s without internet to make this a viable money maker. the reason they're doing it is for one simple reason.
cash in on the uninformed. its easy to take advantage of people who dont know things. the media does it every day…
i won't say any thing this looks like a job for my just read it.
I download my updates from Sony's website instead of updating directly to my PS3. My internet connection has cut off on me a few times and I don't want to take a chance on bricking my PS3.
I read somewhere that Sony has started storing the updates on the hard drive instead of the PS3's memory to prevent brick systems. Is this true? I know that a firmware update is used to update the hardware (like updating the BIOS in a computer). Maybe Sony figured out a way to prevent brick systems. Any thoughts Highlander?
I don't even know what to say to this… wow.
It's too bad that non-savvy gift buyers could easily be swindled by this handy scam.
And $30.00!?! really? I mean, to unbox, hook up, download, and install this will probably take maybe 15-20 min, at the very most. So these 'geeks' are getting paid the equivalent of $90.00-$120.00/hr to navigate to the built in update utility on your PS3 for you… GTFO!
Hmm…I think I'll stand outside Best Buy and offer to do it for $20. I'll even throw in a standard PSN account for free!
You sir are a business man of epic proportions!
Thank you. Now, how many can I sign you up for?
How much do you charge to change the background color and select an avatar?
Obviously as your financial manager hezzron ill be taking a 30% cut off that profit margin. just deposit the money at the safe house. you know where to go.
😉
This…doesn't surprise me in the least. I work in retail (Sam's Club electronics department) and there are alot of stupid people who try to buy electronics. And alot of them ask me if we can set up their TVs in the store…so I can't blame Best Buy for taking advantage of others' stupidity if the opportunity arises.
Your comment kind of takes me back to when I worked at Radio Shack (when it was still called that here in Canada). I can't count the number of times people tried to return something because they said it was broken, only to show them that it worked perfectly fine.
Once they open the box, the value of the PS3 should be cheaper than $299.
Last edited by AcHiLLiA on 10/6/2010 8:59:36 AM
yeah, say its been 'used'
I'm curious if this would void the warranty somehow?
Best Buy are notorious for charging massive fees for things that the everyday man and woman can do. Sadly, people still shop there.
sounds like GAME in the uk. 85-90% of the time they are a complete rip.
Services like these are a cash cow for the retail market. $30 of pure profit margin is more valuable to them than selling a couple movies, or a game.
An angle they use when selling it is "we'll run the updates, and we can also confirm that the system works fine. If not, we'll swap it out for another one."
CompUSA was doing a similar thing with computers… before their retail stores went out of business 😉
That's a bad omen from CompUSA.
Correct me if I am wrong, but Circuit City did the same thing also. I miss the 2 for $30 deal Circuit City use to have on PS2 games back in the day.
The people who actually pay for this service would have a heart attack if someone mentioned "remote play" to them.
capitalism at its best
PS3s come with a recent update but it isnt always the most recent one… but it can be done at home.
but it makes business sense to me, there are going to be plenty of noobs/first timers who are a bit out of their depth perhaps, and wouldn't mind paying $30 for something they dont understand.
The only use would be to someone without an internet connection. But I'd say that someone who wants a console as expensive as a PS3 or a BD player would be a little tech savvy and would most probably have an internet connection.
Also, what moron has enough free time that they've thumbed down every single comment? Go ahead you can do it to mine as well.
"Also, what moron has enough free time that they've thumbed down every single comment?"
The genius working at Best Buy that thought up the idea, he's a bit sensitive that people are criticizing his brilliant idea.
If some poor schmuck is that gullible enough to get scalped by the Geek Squad, then those same guys will have no problem bringing in their SNES's to get updated too
i would probably say its for those very few people who do not have internet capabilities. Can't get the new firmware if you don't have internet access. Still a rip off though. I mean come on… $30. That's just plain crazy. The mark up on that service is stupid ridiculous. Say it takes maybe 10 minutes, if that, to hook it up and install the new firmware. Thats like $180 an hour!!! LOL.
Money for nothing.
kicks for free.
Well, you know they gotta install microwave ovens, custom kitchen deliveries, gotta move those refrigerators, gotta move those color TVs…
Dire Straits FTW!
This article isn't a chuckle, it's insulting. Imagine how many parents, or non-gaming adults will be buying a PS3 as a gift for someone else.
Then comes some rep who helps them pick it out and the buyer puts their money and trust in their judgment. So the buyer has the potential of getting schooled with the extended warranty, accessories, and now some hoax they call "latest firmware update".
That's not fair, especially when the consumer thinks they're doing there best in offering a "complete" gift to a loved one. Only to find out later that they've been had.
I don't mind that they offer to update the firmware for their standard minimum $29.99 fee (some people have crappy slow Internet at home), but they shouldn't be overselling/pushing it on people.
For the holidays, it's also verifying the unit works (not usually a problem) and that the most recent firmware update (assuming a newer FW update isn't released the few weeks before Xmas) doesn't brick it (again, rare, but who wants a non-functional PS3 on Xmas day?).
Really, anybody in their right mind wouldn't buy anything extra from Best Buy unless its for a TV or something. That's where they make their money. Not in the big products them selves. I would recommend to never trust a best buy employee with really any information. Most of them are seasonal workers who are working over christmas break or summer break. Most of them don't know what they are talking about.
A quick remedy to that would be to do your research before you step foot inside the door. You'll always have the upper hand if you do your research on anything they sell. The $40 HDMI cables will cost you like $5 with shipping on Amazon. When you buy any type of hardware, from tv's to cameras, don't believe what they tell you. They are trying to sell you something after all regardless of how crappy of a product it is. Also, if you look at any of Best Buy's return policies you'll see that they are not interested in helping people, just fattening their pockets. Kind of the way a lot of companies work.
HAHA!! Little do these foolish consumers know, there will be ANOTHER firnmare update waiting for them to download when they hook up their PS3 at home!
At least it seems that way sometimes…
There's only one case where this makes any logical sense, and I'm not sure how likely it is these days: If the newly purchased PS3 will be in a home without broadband internet access. In other words, if someone out there is buying a PS3 and they don't have any internet access at all, or they're limited to good old fashioned analog modem and therefore won't be able to connect their PS3 to the internet, then updating the PS3 in store makes a certain amount of sense. Of course, they might be able to get a neighbor to put the update on a flash drive or do it themselves at work, but it's the only reasonable and logical market for this "service."
Ugh.. The higher ups at Bestbuy are goddamn pricks. Having worked at one before I got fired, nothing they offer as a bonus is worth it. Unless you're getting stuff bundled. But I'm sure you guys already knew that.
If anyone pays $30 for this, both Best Buy and that person should be ashamed of themselves. Best Buy because they are fleecing their customers, but the customer also for their ignorance. The updates are free, and without them you cannot connect to the internet. You are notified when the next update comes out too.
Something arrogant this way comes….
The rebuttal from Best Buy…
Best Buy Unapologetic About Charging $30 for PS3 Firmware Updates
http://www.industrygamers.com/news/best-buy-unapologetic-about-charging-30-for-ps3-firmware-updates/