PS3 Fanboy

Morpheon Mods has crafted an incredible MGS4-themed PS3 system that's not only completely blinged out, it's signed by Hideo Kojima himself. The quantity and scope of the modications applied are mind-boggling. "The entire PS3 and controller is a combination of Carbon Fiber and Midnight Black done in our own digital camouflage technique ... The final product is a uniform finish that reflects like a mirror."

"It has been specially fitted with 15 white micro LEDs that back light not only the marquee but also the etching so the artwork is viewable in complete darkness." Best of all? You can actually buy this thing off eBay. Not only will you be getting the system, you'll also be getting an incredible grab-bag of rare MGS merchandise, such as a custom embroidered Otacon patch -- of which only 12 have been made in the world.

Finally, 15% of the sale's proceeds will go to Penny Arcade's charity, Child's Play. If you decide to make a bid, good luck. This really does seem like the most amazing piece of MGS fandom money will ever be able to buy. Go see the listing to find even more pics of this incredible creation.

It makes us sick to our stomach to hear that people who've snagged early copies of the now recalled LittleBigPlanet are selling the coveted discs on eBay. To make matters worse, some of these resellers have an asking price for up to 400% over the MSRB at $250. That's a ridiculous extra amount to pay for a game that's not even delayed that long.

With a reworked October 27 release date for North America confirmed, and Europe guaranteed the title by the week of November 3, we urge gamers not to give into these appalling resellers and just wait out the extra few days. It's really not that long compared to other delays we've seen in the past.

Despite the news of the LittleBigDelay, LittleBigPlanet is still the jewel in the eyes of many. It's the reason why there was such a boisterous response to the delay in the first place -- people still want need their LBP like it's PB&J. A testament to that, someone somewhere has gone and made a 7-inch clay figurine of Sackboy Kratos (pictured).

In fact, the guy who made the statuette is selling his creation on eBay for some other fan to enjoy. At the time of this writing, the piece was at a $31 bid. Bidding ends at 9pm today, but that shouldn't stop you from at least checking out more pics of the immortalized Sackboy Kratos.

[Via GameSniped]

One truly dedicated Metal Gear fan stood in line to pick up Hideo Kojima's signature on his incredibly rare Gunmetal PS3 system. And now, he's putting it up on eBay. For $5,000. Hey, at least shipping is free?

There's nothing wrong with making a buck, but this kind of extraordinary price scalping is rather unacceptable. What's the most you would spend on this system?

Missed your opportunity to pick up a Gunmetal PS3? Well, if you're willing to give this guy $10,000, you're in "luck." Gunmetal systems are slowly appearing on the always-lucrative auction site. Will anyone take this ridiculous lure? We're curious to find out., especially considering this seller has a rating of zero.

Also, let's not forget: a standard 40GB PS3 with Limited Edition Metal Gear Solid 4 will cost about $500. Will anyone pay 20 times more to get this rare system?

[Via PlayStation Forums]

Chock this one up to some weird collector who doesn't mind spending several thousand dollars on what is most likely a 40GB PS3 with a few cheap crystals in a separate container or glued on with rubber cement.

Either this is the most random fake eBay auction regarding PS3's to date, or someone really is able to commission a PS3 to be decked out with Swarovski crystals. Either way, you should at least watch the bid to see if someone actually buys it. We can all laugh at them, then cry when we see they have a PS3 carved from a single, gigantic crystal.

[via Kotaku]

Remember Ben Heck's magical PS3 laptop? Well, now you can buy one -- provided you have the cash. Currently available for $8000 on eBay, 100% of the proceeds will go to charity: the National Cancer Coalition. The laptop will come signed and well, free shipping will be thrown in. Not that it really matters when you're already shelling out this much dough.

[Via Joystiq]

If you're a big Killzone fan, you might've checked out the limited edition Helghast figurine from press photos of previous Sony events. The "figurine" stands at over six feet tall and, well, intimidates you into playing Killzone. Now you have a chance to own one -- someone has put one of these statues up on eBay for your bidding pleasure.

The statue is fiberglass and can be disassembled for ease of transport and you can tote the StA-52 Light Assault Rifle yourself if you want to go cosplay or something. Or ward off the ignorant masses. It's your call.

[Thanks Ether02!]

Got two and a half grand burning a hole in your pocket and an insatiable love for all things Resistance? Then this Ebay Live auction is for you. A replica of the skull on the game's boxart is up for grabs for those of you wealthy (and geeky) enough. The skull was used in an early TV advert for the game.

Auction opens on March 28th at 11am PDT, for those who are interested in bidding (or who, like us, are intrigued to see how much it sells for). As huge fans of Resistance as we are and as cool as this item would be to have floating around the office, $2.5k is a little too rich for our blood.

[Thanks Kjetil]

Tough luck! Let's quickly breeze over the new rule for eBay in the UK -- British eBayers can't sell the PS3 until February of 2007 and can only offer one PS3 that was purchased within the UK. All right, now let's go over the new US rules. First, you've had to have taken part in 50 auctions (I've been on it for four years now, and only been in about 20). You need at least 98% feedback. Only then can you try to sell your PS3/preorder. You must guarantee a 30-day dispatch, provide a photo of the pre-order receipt, and have the item listed as an auction, not a "Buy it Now".

Why? eBay's Cathy England gives her explanation: "a high number of well-intentioned sellers [were] unable to meet obligations due to restricted supply" in past console launches and she'd like to avoid a repeat situation. This is also a quote from the original article -- it bears no changing by us. "Reports are also circulating that Japanese gamers are driving up the price on PS3 orders in the Far East in order to disrupt the practices of sellers who queued up to buy a console they specifically intended to resell." So... be careful, eBayers. There may be a coalition of people growing to screw you out of your genius plan. But probably not.

Supply and demand, eh? Seems demand was overestimated for this Canadian who popped his PS3 preorder up on eBay. Maybe it was because he ordered two games with the system as well, maybe it was just bad luck, but the guy spent over CA $900 and got back only CA $735 -- about $651 US dollars (a deal anyone would kill for... a 60GB PS3 and two games!). Let's not even mention the console got a measly two bids before the end.

What does this say? Well, if anyone is putting their receipt on eBay, be forewarned -- people don't want more than the console itself, apparently. Either that, or thanks to the information highway that is the internet, people are actually hesitant to bid on the things thanks to all the crazy issues going around. What do you guys think caused this? Was it bad luck? The extra games a turn off? Canada? Shipping costs? Give us your opinion. Also, props to the winner of the bid. You are very special.

Yes, this will be an attempt to educate you. No, it won't be painful. Let's first talk about what is ethical and what is legal. By the end, you may or may not agree, but the conclusion is that buying a system and re-selling it on eBay is, indeed, illegal and unethical.

Let's first look at the act of buying a PS3 and turning around with the full intent to sell it at a much higher price. Note, it is your intent to sell it at a higher price. This is called scalping (think of the people who by popular football game tickets and tries to sell them for a very high price outside of the stadium) and scalping is illegal.

Secondly, the act is unethical (more subjective, but think about the definition of ethical) because it is not honorable nor moral to buy a system with the full intent of making a profit off of someone who is desperately trying to get a hold of the system (maybe their job hinges on getting the system for some odd reason).

With these perspectives in mind, can we blame eBay and Sony for taking down PS3 auctions? We say no. In fact, I support the move. In a perfect world, the people who truly want the system for personal enjoyment should be able to get it without having to pay a foolish amount. No, they aren't being told to pay that higher amount, but what other choice do they have if they want to get it for little Timmy for Christmas, or so they can properly report and review new games that come out? Commence counterpoints or applause. Applause is nicer, though.

[update: it should be clarified that the auctions being removed account mainly for the violations of the Terms of Service on eBay -- not so much "for the heck of it"... and there's no personal agenda here (no mention was made of the three people in line in front of a certain person who made it clear they only intended on reselling on eBay), just an interesting perspective on "American capitalism" vs. "Moral views". Thanks for all the responses! They're all great.]

Ever wanted to be in a video game and beat the crap out of Buddha, Jesus, Thor, or some other religious figure? Well... you can't, but you can get front row tickets! An interesting auction on eBay is for the upcoming title Battle of the Gods, not yet announced for any particular system, but considering any and all. It's basically a sacrilegious (to some) brawler where you can play as a multitude of dieties. As the auction states, "this game WILL make history, be a part of it!" Why not? It's only over $3000 right now.

Your pretty penny nets you a t-shirt, a 3-d model of you animated by the production staff, a commemorative plaque, first dibs on playing the finished product, first viewable thing in a chosen level (most likely cheering on the mayhem), and two copies of the game signed by the whole staff, with you added to the cover. Truly, it sounds like bunk. The game isn't popping up on Google and if it's not on Google, where is it? Hopefully it's real. Probably not. Still, it's an interesting marketing quirk. If you want to check out the auction and see what goes down, feel free. It's funny, if nothing else. Think it's for real?