Nintendo’s 
looking to smash up E3.
While Wii U sales languish and fans wonder where the big games are for the system, Nintendo has announced that it will once again bypass the traditional E3 press conference circuit, instead hosting its own ‘digital event’ that will be broadcast directly to fans on Tuesday June 10 at 9:00 am, PST.
The 
countdown is on for the launches of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but the next generation won’t be cheap. The PlayStation 4 carries a price tag of $400, while the Xbox One is $500 — and that’s not including extra controllers, subscription fees and, oh yeah, the games.
The good news? Those systems sitting in your entertainment center can help you bridge the financial gap. But they may not get you quite as far as you were hoping.
There’s 
been plenty of new chatter indicating that leading video game retailer GameStop is a prime buyout target. How likely is that scenario, and if it happened, what would it mean for publishers?
Video game consumers have something of a love-hate relationship with GameStop. So do publishers.
For that matter, so do investors. And over the past couple of days, Wall Street insiders (and the financial blogosphere) have been whispering furiously about the possibility that GameStop could find itself on the receiving end of a buyout offer at some point in the future.
The sky is getting pretty 
crowded these days.
The already competitive cloud music space has another competitor stepping into the fray. Best Buy today unveiled plans for its own service, letting people access their digital music collection from virtually anywhere.
When Dead Space 2 hit store shelves on January 25, it 
cost roughly $60 — no matter where you bought it. By mid-February, you could find it on sale at some big online retailers like Amazon.com and BestBuy.com for anywhere between $40-$50. Meanwhile, more than three months after the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops, that game hadn’t gotten a penny cheaper. What gives?
The pricing of videogames might seem entirely random, but there is a logic to it. And understanding that logic can actually explain why we’re seeing so many games with “2” and “3” at the end of their titles these days.
Nintendo has some pretty loyal fans – but none of 
them can compete with Isaiah ‘Triforce’ Johnson.
Johnson was the first person in America to buy a 3DS when they went on sale Sunday, waiting for five chilly days outside a Manhattan Best Buy to claim those bragging rights. As signs of dedication go, it’s a pretty hard one to top — until you realize that five years ago, he spent more than 200 hours in line to be the first to buy a Wii.
Another big-box retailer is looking for a cut of the lucrative 
used video game market.
Target has kicked off a pilot program in Northern California allowing customers to trade in their used games, as well as old electronics devices, for store credit. By year’s end, the company plans to expand the program to 850 locations.
When Wal-Mart purchased Vudu in February, it 
was really just a matter of time before other big box stores launched their own streaming media services. Now Best Buy is joining the race.
The retailer will launch CinemaNow later this month, letting owners of LG’s Blu-Ray players rent (and buy) downloadable video. Rentals will run $3-$4 each – roughly the same as Vudu. They’ll be available the same day as film and TV DVD releases, which gives the service a slight let up on Netflix, which remains the top dog in the streaming video category.
Chris Morris: Journalist 