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I scored one myself. It's pretty bitchin. Sadly, Emachines defaced their own machines with hideous stickers. I suppose it's common practice anymore. But damn, talk about ugly, useless stickers. Have they NO shame? Makes my desktop look like a store demo model or something. Wish the video card didn't share RAM. Now I'll have to buy another stick of ram to even play most games. But once I pop in that RAM, World of Warcraft, here I come. If I had a gym membership, now would be the time to cancel it. And stock up on hot pockets and Pop-Tarts. :) Enjoy your exceptionally cheap systems, everyone!

I'd like more details in confirmation of this. I'd love to get jacked up about it right now, but I hate to count my chickens before they hatch.

Well, I'd recommend you try talking to someone working in electronics. Just call them first. They'll probably tell you whether or not this is the model on sell. If they only have a few, I'd say that's probably it. They may also be offering different models at the same price. Talk to someone in electronics to find out and try to get the best bang for your buck. It certainly wouldn't hurt to load one in a cart and wait it out, but I'll bet you can find out whether you're wasting your time if you just ask. I also just checked on the emachines web site, and as it turns out, free upgrades to Windows Vista Basic will be given for this model. Unless you're a graphics whore lusting after the Aero interface, this upgrade is pretty sweet IMO. If you want the prettier eye candy, you'll have to pony up cash for an extra 512mb ram and an upgrade over the Vista basic. Good luck.

I called up my local Wal-Mart and found out that they have 5 eMachines desktops. Model W3506 http://www.e4me.com/products/products.html?prod=W3506 - Not sure what the other two models might be, but this system seems pretty decent to me. My laptop uses the same graphics chipset (ATI Radeon Xpress 200) and it plays Half-Life 2 just fine. Good enough for me. Plus, there's a PCI-E slot available if I want to upgrade. I think I'll be picking up a copy of WoW and breaking it in with a 48-hour gaming marathon, if I can manage to snag one. I'm pretty hardcore/militant about getting to Black Friday items. Should be easy. :) Only thing that sucks is, you need a monitor. I've got one... will be adding a better hard drive, a dvd burner, more ram, an extra fan, a better set of 2.1 speakers, a better mouse, and when I have the money, a new PSU and PCI-E video card. For $150, some spare parts, and a couple of affordable upgrades, I'll have myself a relatively kickass machine.

There were plenty at my local WalMart, but they were all the older versions, so I wasn't interested at all. The frontlit screen on them is actually pretty crappy. I would've bought it for $25, but any more than that is a complete ripoff for this crap, especially when you can buy a Nintendo DS for $130.

Some people have anger management issues. Did your read that the guy could end up spending four and a half years behind bars? The government has no common sense. People who molest children don't get much more time than this. Why should he have to go to prison at all? He didn't harm anyone... a threat to kill someone is almost never to be taken literally. They screwed him, he obviously has mental issues (can't control his anger), so now the government is going to step up to rape him without lube. Thanks for making my neighborhood safe from people who scream at incompetent Best Buy employees with this "justice," court system!

Thanks for replies. Does anyone know if WalMart would extend the deadline of the 16th for paying off layaway, if I were to ask a manager?

I got to WalMart at a little after 4 a.m., and was first in line, though a few other people were there earlier, waiting in their cars. I waited until 5, and ran directly to the laptops. I managed to snag one. Then, I got Burnout 3 ($8), a few $3.44 DVDs, a $20 RC Hummer, and a $14 256 meg SD card. I would've got a GBA SP, but as it turns out, they were selling the older version without the new, backlit screen, so I wasn't interested. I put it all on lay-away. Only problem is, I only have until the 16th to get it all off. Does anyone know if you can choose to pay the remainder of only certain items on your layaway order and have the rest of it taken off? Also, is the date negotiable, if say, you spoke with a manager and asked?

Awake... it's 12:45, and I'm not heading for Wal-Mart until a little after 3, so I' need to find something to do until then. Might watch a movie, and eat some leftovers. Yay!

Bring a fully charged MP3 player, if you have one (or a radio, etc.). This should help prevent depressing boredom. Definitely bring a light, folding chair. Bring a friend to hold your place in line while you take bathroom breaks, and vice versa, if you're not prepared to wet your pants for the sake of a bargain. Bring a couple of light snacks to keep awake. If you'll be outside, maybe even bring a comfy blanket. Yes, you'll look like a dork and have a blanket to lug around, but at least you'll be snug while everyone else is uncomfortably shivering. Consider bringing a backpack to stuff your crap in before they open the doors, so you don't have to worry about it. Bring a thermos of coffee, assuming you've got a friend to hold your place in line for breaks. Caffeine is a diuretic, so you'll be pissing like a race horse if you drink too much. Don't want that to happen. Don't be afraid to RUN, once you're in the store. Yes, RUN YOUR ASS OFF! Like your life depended on it, to get to the item(s) you want. Grab it quickly, and clutch it for dear life. If you can manage it, quickly get a shopping cart to put it in before running for the stuff. Some have suggested bringing your own carts, etc., (a stroller, perhaps?) if at all possible. Then, once you're sure you've got everything, don't dawdle. Get out as quickly as you got in, so you can avoid another HUGE line of people checking out. Just remember your mission, to be completed at all costs: get the item(s) as fast as humanly possible, and get out. At any and all costs. You've got to work to secure the hot items. Remember, the person in behind you might be too lazy to dash like a man man to get their TV, but you'll be the winner in the end, just because you pushed yourself harder. That's what it comes down to: show up early, MOVE FAST, fight to get what you want. Good luck. Oh, on a side note, take measures to avoid pick-pocketers. Word is on the street Black Friday provides them plenty of opportunities to steal and pick pockets. It couldn't hurt to have this base covered, you know.

Enlist homeless people to help with your BF shopping. If they can snag you an item you want, tell them you'll buy them a bottle of Crown Royal and a pack of smokes. Then, after you've got everything in your cart, tell the bum to leave before you call the police. Works very well.

http://www.biorelief.com/store/stadiumpal.html Problem solved... for males, anyway. It's $30, but it'd last you for years to come!

I'm royally pissed about the $110 price increase for the laptop in certain places (like my local WalMart). The WalMart bigwigs will probably all burn in hell, though, so that's one good thing.

That'd be the Nintendo Revolution, yet to be released (mid to late 2006). It will include GameCube disk support (as well as the new Revolution games, of course) built in. As for the rest of the earlier consoles, the games will be downloadable for a small fee, or maybe some sort of a membership system. If you're interested in learning more, check out IGN.com or just do a couple of Google searches. Actually, the Revolution offers a lot of cool features. Check it out.

The DS is the latest handheld from Nintendo, and is far more powerful than GBA (including SP and Micro) in terms of graphics, sound, etc. It also offers two screens and touch-screen input, meaning games can be controlled in more exciting and intuitive ways. It is also backward compatible with GBA games. If there is any confusion, the SP and Micro are both just reincarnations of the old GBA. I would recommend the SP over the Micro, but the DS is definitely the way to go if you have a choice, and it's priced right at $130.