Nic’s blog

I write about building businesses, failing and building a life, not a legacy.

Nic Haralambous Nic Haralambous

Tony Hawk Project 8 and edreams

So I stuck to my word and used one of the sites that I reviewed a short while ago.Edreams was the first choice to experiment with. I decided to buy myself Tony Hawk Project 8. Firstly let me say, WHAT A GAME. I think that this is one of the best games I've played in a while. It's creative, different, interesting, cutting edge and very user-controlled.Then on to the Edreams issue. There was none. Not a single issue. It makes life easy when shopping online if you have access to a credit card (preferably your own).Simply enter your street address for delivery and pay via credit card and your set. The most impressive thing about this site is that I received my game in under 24hours. Brilliant.I also received a call from a nice guy called Dillon at 9am yesterday to confirm that I would be home to receive the game, or someone else could receive it for me if I wasn't home. About an hour after the call I happily received my game, popped it in and played Project 8.

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Nic Haralambous Nic Haralambous

Buying Xbox360 games online: An SA website comparison

Since my purchase of the fantastic Xbox360 I have been searching for the perfect site with the perfect prices and the perfect delivery package to buy my games from online.In this post I will be comparing three sites that I have found.For this comparison I will be looking at three main criteria: Cost of game, delivery package (incl. cost) and variety of available games.The Websites:dp_mainlogo.gifdigitalplanet.co.za - This site is not exclusively about gaming. You can buy various other products and software. This sort of broad service always puts me off. The site is manageable enough for me not to feel lost.You are able to search through the Xbox games by price tag (R0-R99, R99-R199 etc etc), alphabetically and by page. Nice and easy.take2_birthday.pngTake2.co.za - The great thing about this site is that I've actually tried and tested it. And it works. On top of that their game-filtering system, or search facilities are great.You are able to search within the specified list of games and filter the search. Filters include asking for what's in stock, sold out, pre-order, local, international and more. You can then sort your filters alphabetically and a variety of other ways. Very handy if you know what you are looking for.clouds.jpgEdreams.co.za - This site has done a lot of promotion on Facebook with banner ads and in fact that is how I found this site. That immediately, for some reason, puts me off. Although I have friends who swear by this site in spite of a couple of late deliveries. This is definitely the most visually appealing of all three sites and is probably the easiest to navigate. Edreams also sells various other products which as I have said, I don't like (although I can't imagine there is a lot of money is an exclusive Xbox or Gaming website).Cost of games:I will be looking at 5 games and comparing their prices across the three sites. The reason for 5 games is that I wanted to look at the most recent (pre-order) games as well as older more classic games.The games and their prices:tigerwoods08.jpgTiger woods '08Digital Planet: R 421.20Take 2: R 453Edreams: R441Cheapest: Digital Planettonyhawk.jpgTony Hawk Project 8Digital Planet: R 336Take 2: R 361Edreams: R274Cheapest: Edreamslostplanet.jpgLost Planet: Extreme ConditionDigital Planet: R 513.63Take 2: R 538Edreams: Not on saleCheapest: Digital Planetrockstartennis.jpgRockstar Games presents Table TennisDigital Planet: R 250.80Take 2: R 270Edreams: R137Cheapest: Edreamscallofduty.jpgCall of Duty 2Digital Planet: R 237.60Take 2: R 256Edreams: R260Cheapest: Digital PlanetOVERALL CHEAPEST WEBSITE: Digital PlanetThere could be a better mix of games but this is what I have chosen.Delivery Package:Digital Planet: Delivery fees range from R30 to R250From their site:

Currently we have a few delivery options. The delivery price is dependant on the size and weight of your product. Delivery fees range from R30 to R250. Please call our call centre on 0860 245 000 for any queries.

Take 2: Shipping to South Africa only - R29From their site:

Deliveries to towns outside of the major Metropolitan Areas ( Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Kimberley, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, East London, Port Elizabeth, George, Nelspruit and Pietersburg) will be done by means of Speedservices Couriers. It will therefore be delivered to the post office where you have a post office box or private bag. If you only have a street address, it will be delivered to the nearest post office. We will notify you by email as soon as your order has shipped and your Speedservices tracking number will also be provided. In most cases the items will be delivered to your post office within 24 hours of despatch.

Edreams:From their site: Calculated by weightFrom their site:

All our shipping rates are calculated according to the total weight of your parcel and destination of delivery.

Variety of games:From the review above it seems as though the only site that is lacking in games when I searched for them was Edreams. The others seem to have availability on most games available and Take 2 will even source and deliver from overseas distributors at a cost.The end result:Overall I like the results that Digital planet have presented. I suppose it really is a matter of choice and experience with each individual site. So if you have experience with any of them please let me know!I am going to be trying out all three sites over the next while and will update as I do. For now, make your choice and get gaming.

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Nic Haralambous Nic Haralambous

I'm not tight, I just prefer Xbox360

tootoight.jpg

I recently purchased an Xbox360. I deserved it. I worked hard for it and I didn't need it.Buying something that you want is always more rewarding than buying something you need. I need some new clothes - I'm tired of losing the office fashion show - and I need to get myself mobile internet of some kind. These things can wait. I WANTED AN XBOX360! So I got one. Simple.My tip to make you feel good today: Go and buy something that you really want. It doesn't have to be expensive, just make it something you want. Trust me, after the initial guilt settles, you will be the happiest person around even if it is just for one day.

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Nic Haralambous Nic Haralambous

PS3 vs Xbox 360

Wow, I just saw an advert for both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Now I am an Xbox fan myself (yes, yes Microsoft and all that) so I am a bit bias. But be serious here for a second and look at the price difference between the two systems. This is ridiculous. Any day of the week I will choose a cheaper system with as much to offer as the more expensive system.

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