With Black Week upon us, PriceSpy, the fully impartial price and product comparison site,
is revealing its top game predictions ahead of the biggest of the sale days, Black Friday.

Before gamers rush to the malls to snap up the deals being offered by retailers, the pricing watchdog
is encouraging shoppers to carry out pricing research ahead of people buying and to look out for
products that increase in price across the big sale days.

According to new pricing insights released within PriceSpy’s new Black Friday Report, almost a fifth
(18 per cent) of all products listed on PriceSpy reduced in price by at least 10 per cent or more on
Black Friday last year. But, 12 per cent of products also received a price hike on the sales day (Black
Friday vs to 1 November 2020).

And if you’re tempted to shop early this year, especially with shipping delays affecting product
availability and customer demand skyrocketing for items like graphic cards, consumers should be
wary that not everything is necessarily cheaper.

So, how can shoppers seek out the best deals around? Here’s PriceSpy’s top sale shopping tips:

1. Check out the competition
   First things first – take time to check if an offer really is as good as it sounds by sussing out the
   competition. Is the same game, console or controller available at an even better price elsewhere?
   Using the PriceSpy app will help you do this, as it provides access to thousands of prices and
   products instantly.
   
2. Don’t get confused by the big discounts
   Even if the product you are looking to buy is being advertised with a price drop, don’t take the retailers word for it. Use a price comparison site or app, like PriceSpy to check out the product’s price history. PriceSpy lets shoppers see just how much price points fluctuate every day with the price history feature, providing full transparency to consumers, so they can see if a store has raised the price of the product ahead of the sale day to make the discount offered on Black Friday appear better than it is. It also allows shoppers to see if the product they are looking to purchase can be bought for less out of season or at a different time of year.

3. Preparation is key
   The best chance of finding a good bargain comes from preparation. If shoppers know in advance
   what they are interested in and have a rough idea of the price, they’re less likely to get carried away
   and buy the wrong thing during the sales event. Create a wish-list of products and keep it updated
   with different prices.
   
   And if the deal isn’t as good as what it should be, people should to be prepared to walk away.

But what about the winning?

Alright, calm down. PriceSpy has teamed up with 8-Bit Island to offer two lucky people the opportunity to win one
of the five most popular games listed on a platform of your choice. To enter, tell us what game you’re keen to pick up this Black Friday, and share our post on Facebook or Twitter. Don’t forget to like and follow us too; we’re fun.

Keep up to date with all the Black Friday offers on PriceSpy here.

The post Win with PriceSpy’s guide to winning at sale shopping and 8-Bit Island appeared first on 8-Bit Island.

If you’re a last minute shopper and need some quick and easy gift inspiration, PriceSpy is here to help you find that perfect something, so you don’t have to spend hours on end rushing around the shops.

Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett, New Zealand country manager for PriceSpy, says: “We understand that finding the perfect gift at Christmas can be both time consuming and costly, which is why we are sharing our top gaming predictions as well as our Christmas gift guide for tech lovers.

“According to our historical pricing data, for those that are looking to shop last-minute, this tactic can often offer shoppers a good chance of securing last-minute pre-Christmas bargains, as price points of goods will often drop the closer we get towards Christmas Day.”

Historically, PriceSpy data suggests prices tend to drop closer to Christmas

Source: PriceSpy

Liisa concludes:  “But we need to remember this is no ordinary year – and retailers are still massively affected by the impacts caused by Covid-19, which could affect both Christmas stock availability and price points.

“For those that haven’t yet started their Christmas shopping, the key thing to remember is to not panic buy. Instead, we encourage shoppers to use a price and product comparison site like PriceSpy.  Not only is it quick, free and easy-to-use, consumers can check stock availability to make sure products are available. 

“What’s more, by checking the price history on products, shoppers can feel rest assured they aren’t paying over-inflated price points – and are buying from a retailer that is offering the best deal.”

For those in need of a bit of gift inspiration this year, shoppers can check out the full PriceSpy Christmas gift guide, here

PriceSpy has teamed up with 8-Bit Island to give away two of the top two most clicked on games in September.

First prize chooses a copy of Cyberpunk 2077 (PS4) or Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (PS4) and runner up gets the second.

ENTER HERE

Entry only available to readers with NZ addresses.

The post Win 1 of 2 top games from September with 8-Bit Island and PriceSpy appeared first on 8-Bit Island.

New Zealand’s biggest price and product comparison site, PriceSpy, has revealed that Mighty Ape has been crowned Shop of the Year for 2020.

Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett, New Zealand country manager for PriceSpy, says: “For a third consecutive year, Mighty Ape has been crowned Shop of the Year by the dedicated and loyal users of PriceSpy.”

Voted for by PriceSpy users, Shop of the Year is the people’s choice award – and one retailers should be extremely proud to receive.

Gracie MacKinlay, Chief Sales and Marketing Gorilla at Mighty Ape, says: “We are very humbled to be voted PriceSpy Shop of the Year 2020 for a third year in a row.  

“It’s been a turbulent year for many, so we are grateful to be in a business that has allowed us to continue to serve our customers. We’re very thankful to our customers who have trusted us to deliver throughout this time.

“Customers are always at the heart of all the decisions we make and we’re constantly looking for ways to be the best that we can be. 

“This award is an awesome recognition of our efforts by the public and we want to continue to wow and delight our customers.”

To help end this crazy year on a high and to celebrate this huge win, PriceSpy has teamed up with Mighty Ape and 8-Bit Island to give away a Mighty Ape voucher, worth $100.  To enter, jump on this link!

Make sure you download the PriceSpy app here as well to get all your price comparison needs in one app.

The post Mighty Ape is PriceSpy’s Shop of the Year Yet Again so it is time to win a $100 voucher! appeared first on 8-Bit Island.

Want a free headset?

I’m sure you do, well our friends at SADES have hooked us up with 2 SNUKs to giveaway to 2 of our lucky readers.

Click HERE to enter now!

The post Win 1 of 2 SADES SNUK Gaming Headsets worth $80 appeared first on 8-Bit Island.

Don’t pretend it’s actually July, we all know 2020 is a living nightmare.

8-Bit Island has teamed up with New Zealand’s biggest impartial price and product comparison site, PriceSpy, to give away two of the most clicked-on games from May to make things feel all the sweeter now that we’re back to (almost) normal.

Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett, New Zealand country manager for PriceSpy, says: “According to our historical click data for the month of May, gamers seem to be going all out for Nintendo, with the top two most-clicked on games for the month being Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure (Switch) and Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch).

Liisa continues: “Dropping two places in the popularity rankings this month was Final Fantasy VII – Remake (PS4) – and the old favourite, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (PS4), which originally launched in September 2019, placed an impressive number four eight months after it first released.

“The Last of Us: Part II (PS4) was found to be the fifth most clicked-on games for May, one month before it’s release, indicating it’s already going to be a bit of a winner!

Certainly Blair thought so in his review. And in his second, spoiler-filled review.

When looking to buy any games, whether it be a brand new release or an old favourite that stands the test of time, PriceSpy strongly recommend gamers do important pricing research before they buy, as this important step can help save hundreds if not thousands of dollars in the long run.

That’s money that could be put towards a new game or console… like, hmmm, a PS5 or XBox OneX?

Catch Up and Win!

If you’ve not yet managed to play any of the top games, the good news is PriceSpy has teamed up with 8-Bit Island to give away two of the top two games for May.

To stand a chance of winning, enter our giveaway below and remember, you can download the PriceSpy app here.

The post Win May’s top games with PriceSpy and 8-Bit Island appeared first on 8-Bit Island.

It’s game on between Nintendo and Sony PlayStation

New insights from the fully impartial price and product comparison site, PriceSpy, reveals Nintendo has pipped Sony PlayStation to the post this month, as Pokemon Sword claims the top spot as most popular* game for January.

Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett, New Zealand country manager for PriceSpy, says: “Based on our historical click data, even though four out of the five most popular games for January were found to be from PlayStation, the overall most popular game was Pokemon Sword for Nintendo Switch.

“Pokemon Sword launched in November 2019 with an RRP of $99.  Normally, after two to three months after a game has launched, we would expect to see it drop significantly in price, so help it appear more competitively priced against other new releases and to encourage further sales to occur.

“However, according to our historical pricing insights, despite Pokemon Sword being almost three months old in January, the price point remained fairly static, dropping just 12 per cent compared to the RRP price at launch.

“The same cannot be said for the other top four games from PlayStation.  For example, even though Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order launched around the same time as Pokemon Sword, our historical pricing data in January revealed it dropped in price by almost 40 per cent (39 per cent) compared to its RRP at launch.

“Similarly the third most popular game in, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, also offered gamers a rather attractive 39 per cent off its original RRP in January.”

Pokemon all the way to the bank

Liisa concludes: “Based on these findings, consumer demand for Pokemon Sword still remains to be fairly high, without the need for Nintendo to discount the product to entice consumers back in.  PlayStation on the other hand seem to be using a different tactic, offering gamers the opportunity to pick up a relatively new game at a bargain price a few months after release.”

“Interestingly, when you look at today’s pricing insights for all top five games in January, 80 per cent have increased in price, highlighting the need for gamers to always carry out important price research before they actually buy.”

“Using a website or app like PriceSpy can help shoppers save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in the long run.”

Win with PriceSpy and 8-Bit Island

If you’ve not yet managed to play any of the top games, the good news is PriceSpy has teamed up with 8-Bit Island to give away two of the top two games for January.

To stand a chance of winning, enter our giveaway below and remember, you can download the PriceSpy app here.

The post Win January’s top games with PriceSpy and 8-Bit Island appeared first on 8-Bit Island.

To celebrate the launch of Concrete Genie, PlayStation NZ has given us a super cute Concrete Genie goodie pack to give away to a lucky CultureJam reader!

The Prize Pack includes:

• Concrete Genie Digital Code
• Concrete Genie T-Shirt
• Concrete Genie Plush
• Concrete Genie Sticker Pack

To enter, follow the instructions below.

Win a Concrete Genie Goodie Pack with PlayStation NZ and CultureJam!

The post Win a Concrete Genie Goodie Pack with PlayStation NZ and CultureJam! appeared first on 8-Bit Island.

According to new data insights from PriceSpy, the fully impartial price and product comparison site, it appears gamers are shopping smartly, waiting for prices to drop for the most popular games of last year, as all top five games are now priced under the $70 mark.

PriceSpy’s five most popular games in May 2019

Liisa says: “Based on historical clicks received, despite launching over a year ago, God of War (PS4) has claimed the top spot as most popular game in May, ahead of a brand new release, CTR Crash Team Racing – Nitro Fuled Edition (PS4), which is due to launch later this month.

“Our insights indicate gamers appear to be shopping smartly, holding out to purchase last year’s most popular games once the initial launch hype has died down and the price has dropped.  This is great to see, as shopping like this can help gamers save hundreds of dollars in the long run.”

God of War (PS4) originally launched with an RRP of $120. According to pricing insights from PriceSpy, it can now be purchased for just $48, 60 percent less than 15 months ago. Liisa concludes:  “The price drop has certainly resulted in consumer demand picking up in the game again, as previously the last time God of War (PS4) was the most popular game, was back in August 2018.

Win God of War and Red Dead Redemption 2 on PS4

PriceSpy has teamed up with us to give away the top two games for the month of May. To stand a chance of winning, enter our giveaway below and don’t forget you can Download the PriceSpy app here.www.pricespy.co.nz

The post WIN – God of War the most popular game in May, 15 months after it was released appeared first on 8-Bit Island.

To celebrate the release of Blood and Truth on PlayStation VR, CultureJam has an amazing prize for all you budding crime lords, courtesy of our friends at PlayStation NZ.

This prize pack includes a copy of Blood and Truth (which is pretty bloody good), a PSVR Starter Pack, and a couple of Move controllers to help you navigate the underbelly of London with grace and gusto.

To enter, let us know where you’d like PSVR to take you after you get back from Blood and Truth’s gritty London. Lisbon? Los Angeles? The literal Moon? Nothing’s impossible.

Competition closes at 12 noon NZT on Friday, June 21. Find images of this amazing prize pack below.

The post Win big with PlayStation VR and CultureJam appeared first on 8-Bit Island.

Based on historical click data insights from PriceSpy, the fully impartial price and product comparison site, Marvel’s Spider-Man (PS4) has once again claimed the top spot as most searched-for game for the month of January, four months after its initial release.

PriceSpy can also reveal since first launching in September 2018, Marvel’s Spider-Man (PS4) has undergone significant price drops, with the biggest savings being offered during the months of December 2018 and January 2019, at $39 (56% off the original RRP).

Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett, New Zealand country manager for PriceSpy, says: “The revived interest in Marvel’s Spider-Man (PS4) goes to show just how much price can influence consumer buying choices.

“Based on today’s pricing insights for Marvel’s Spider-Man (PS4), we can still see huge discrepancies, with a difference of $67 between the lowest and most expensive options. 

“For those looking to buy a new game, we therefore recommend consumers download the PriceSpy app.  This way they are can stay connected to live pricing information to ensure they are always buying products at the best possible price. 

“The data below also shows if consumers are prepared to wait a little longer until some of the initial hype dies down on a new product release, they can potentially pick themselves up a bargain!”

*Prices taken from PriceSpy.

For those yet have the chance to play Marvel’s Spider-Man (PS4), PriceSpy has teamed up with us to give away the top two most searched for games for the month of January, Marvel’s Spider-Man (PS4) and Kingdom Hearts III (PS4).

To stand a chance of winning these two games, enter our giveaway below and remember, you can download the PriceSpy app here.

The post WIN the Top 2 Most Searched Games from January appeared first on 8-Bit Island.