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Saitek brings air combat control to home consoles

Home console flight simulator and air combat games just got a bit easier to control. Just in time for upcoming titles like Tom Clancy's HAWX, Saitek is introducing the Aviator, a flight stick fully tested to work Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games. That said, Saitek claims the Aviator will also perform well with the Blazing Angels series of games released earlier on.

Available for both platforms, each Aviator will also have the ability to work with PC games as well, doubling the compatibility. The Xbox 360 version (pictured) not only has the familiar silver Xbox guide button, it … Read more

Audiovox, PlayStation 2 roll out

The immortal PlayStation 2 undergoes yet another transformation, this time courtesy of Audiovox. This almost 9-year-old system is now officially going on the road. You may have seen a PlayStation 2 in a car before, but not like this.

The premier model is an all-in-one overhead unit that appears to look like an in-car DVD system but with the inner working of a PS2. Additional features include accessories such as a 16-channel wireless FM modulator, full color 16:9 wide screen, 10.2-inch display, two wireless game controllers, two fold-flat wireless IR headphones, and a wireless DVD remote control.

Audiovox … Read more

Broadband pricing holds steady, as TV rates inch up

Consumers are benefiting from competition between phone companies and cable operators when it comes to broadband pricing, but the same can't be said for pricing on TV services.

A report published by market research firm Pike & Fischer earlier this month notes that cable broadband prices have remained steady even though operators have been increasing speeds. The firm attributes this trend to more competition from Verizon's all-fiber network, Fios, which offers superfast broadband at competitive prices.

Average prices for cable modem service have remained steady at about $40 to $45 a month, the firm said. That's even … Read more

Amazon has Prince of Persia for $40 shipped.

Fans of Prince of Persia franchise now have chance to sink their teeth into the latest game in the franchise. Prince of Persia is usually $60, but for today's deal, Amazon is offering the game for $40 with free shipping. GameSpot even gave the game an 8.0, which isn't bad at all. Act fast, this deal expires today.

Click here for Xbox 360

Click here for PS3

-Till next deal, JT

What we Craved this week

You've probably been shopping your little consumer hearts out in preparation for the holidays. So if you didn't keep track of all the goings-on here at Crave this week, we understand. Here's a roundup of some of the week's best stories.

• Rumors surfaced that a touch-screen, OLED Sony Walkman will appear at CES 2009. Don't bet on it, says CNET's Donald Bell.

• Radio Shack will offer a $99 Netbook, but there's a catch.

• PlayStation finally opened its "Home" to the public.

• CNET's Stephen Shankland tried to get to the bottom … Read more

Video game sales keep bucking recession trend

While you may think that the economic news is totally bleak, the video game industry seems like it may well be one very bright exception to the worldwide gloom.

Bolstering the theory that the industry may be recession-proof, or at least better positioned to weather the storm than most, the video game business posted a startlingly strong November, according to figures released Thursday by the analyst firm, NPD Group.

NPD reported that overall, the industry posted sales of $2.91 billion, up 10 percent from $2.64 billion in November 2007. And for the year, sales stand at $16.04 … Read more

PlayStation 'Home' open beta launches

If all goes according to plan, PlayStation Home will be opening its doors to the public later Thursday. The PlayStation 3-exclusive allows gamers to interact with one another using avatars in a virtual environment via text or voice chat (think Second Life, but on the PS3). The free service is still in beta, but should be available to PS3 users worldwide by the end of the day.

Nintendo's Wii launched with support for player avatars that can be used in many of its games, and the Xbox 360 added avatar and enhanced community features with its November 2008 … Read more

Some Sony films return to Netflix-Xbox service

Apparently Netflix and Sony have solved some of their licensing issues. An unknown number of films from Sony Pictures that disappeared last week from Netflix's streaming service for the Xbox have returned, but still no word on when the rest might be back.

Steve Swasey, a Netflix spokesman, has declined to discuss licensing deals with specific movie studios since last week, after Xbox owners complained that Netflix' streaming service was no longer offering Sony films on the console. Swasey said some of the movies have returned but not all.

"We said earlier that titles come and go," … Read more

PlaySpan lands $16.8 million in funding

PlaySpan, a company that specializes in digital microtransactions and payment services, announced on Tuesday that it raised $16.8 million in Series B funding from Easton Capital Group, Menlo Ventures, Novel TMT Ventures, STIC Investments, and other undisclosed investors.

According to the company, the new funding will be used to expand its operation into Europe and Asia, which company executives believe are untapped markets that offer growth potential for PlaySpan.

"Online-game publishers and social-media application developers are looking for new sources of revenue beyond traditional advertising and subscriptions," Karl Mehta, founder and CEO of PlaySpan, said in a … Read more