GameZine did some snooping around eBay recently, and found some of the more rare PlayStation Home items were going for a surprising amount of money. Two examples were presented in an InFamous reaper costume that sold for $30 (that's like 18 Slurpees) and a Killzone 2 Helghast outfit that went for -- you may want to brace your hindquarters for this one -- a whopping $66. That is more than the frakkin' game!

So, Joystiq has come up with a plan:

1. Create a Joystiq-themed Home space (there may be some minor kidnapping of designers involved, but we'll flesh that out later)
2. Make sure it is the only one in existence
3. ???
4. Profit

Fool-proof plan, doncha think?

A visionary named Ivan Allen has broken ground in two ways: first, he has applied for a patent on an online multiplayer rock-paper-scissors game for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, and second, he has put the application on eBay. He's set up the eBay account "videogamepatentseller," so it seems likely he's planning to do this again.

Now, before you get too excited about spending $90,000 (or more, if there's a bidding war) on the rights to an online rock-paper-scissors game, notice that the auction is for a provisional patent application, and not an awarded patent. If you want to own that patent, you'll still have to file a non-provisional patent application before February of 2010 (one year after the filing of the first application). So, really, you're buying the possibility of getting a patent on the idea, maybe. The perfect Christmas gift!

[Thanks, Luis B.]

eBay is running another one of its daily deals, this time offering 12+1 months of Xbox Live Gold membership for the very reasonable price of $27.99. Compare that to the full price of $49.99, and we don't have to tell you how appealing this deal is. So, if you're going to take the plunge, act now. The deal ends Jun 28, at 8AM PDT.

[Thanks, Bikram!]

If you're coming dangerously close to renewal time for your Xbox Live Gold subscription, then you may want to keep an eye on eBay. The online auction site provided a sneak peek at tomorrow's deal earlier today, and it's set to offer the subscription card as its daily deal tomorrow.

The exact sale price has not been revealed, though. Hopefully it'll be something a bit more substantial than a few bucks off, and, if that's the case, we'll be sure to let you know.

Nintendo has announced that it has reached an agreement with Amazon and eBay through which the shopping sites will prohibit the sale of the R4 and other DS flashcarts.

"Nintendo is pleased with the co-operation it has received from both eBay and Amazon to prevent the sales of game copying devices," Nintendo's global head of anti-piracy, Jodie Daughtery told MCV. eBay has actually pulled auctions for copying devices for years (presumably as an "item encouraging illegal activity), so if there is a policy update, it involves even more vigilant policing of auctions.

Amazon UK games director Chris Poad told MCV that Amazon has a "notice and take down" process for its third-party Marketplace. "So where a third party believes that their IP has been infringed, they can highlight it and we can take it down. This is what happened in the case of the R4."

Now Nintendo just has the rest of the Internet to deal with in its efforts to curtail DS piracy (and, as an extremely unfortunate side effect, homebrew).

A recent auction for a new-in-box copy of Earthbound revealed a level of Earthbound fandom rivaling Starmen.net (of which the high bidder was probably a frequent visitor!) The boxed SNES game, originally acquired by eBay seller dave2236 for $25, ended up selling for $1,025.01, or 128.17 times what a Virtual Console download would cost.

The big cardboard box that Earthbound came in was never "factory sealed" in the traditional sense, so unlike most "sealed" games, it would be possible to (carefully) open and play this game and look through the player's guide without causing any physical damage. But we can guarantee that will not happen.

[Via GoNintendo]

Collectors, listen up: One Nintendo-loving eBay user has dug through his/her Nintendo collection and decided to give up a few rare (and autographed) collectibles. Included in the auction are four gold and black N64 controllers (won during a Star Fox tournament) signed by legendary developer Shigeru Miyamoto and ex-Nintendo president Minoru Arakawa. The auction also includes a copy of Next Generation magazine signed by Miyamoto and Arakawa as well as former Nintendo executives Howard Lincoln, Peter Main and others.

It isn't the sexiest auction available but at $21.48 (as of press time) it may be the cheapest way to grab classic Nintendo autographs... or at least a half-dozen N64 controllers.

[Thanks, Charles P.]

One more sign we're moving towards a world where marketing for all media is intrinsically tied together? OTX Research today announced plans for video game market tracking, firing a warning shot over the bows of GameSpot's Trax service and IGN's GamerMetrics, not to mention NPD and EEDAR. Rather than offering various metrics based on target audiences (in the case of IGN and GameSpot) or retail sales numbers which exclude a variety of alternate purchasing options (in the case of NPD and EEDAR), OTX plans to track online retailers and has brokered a deal with GameFly and AERS (eBay data handler).

"We range from people who spend three hours a week on Yahoo Games to people who spend 50 hours a week on Xbox Live," OTX's director of gaming Nick Williams told The Cut Scene, referencing the company's data gathering methods. OTX has been interviewing large sections of folks that play games, mirroring the model used by the film and television industry. OTX also says it's looking to move into other media, combining the research found in games with film and television to predict sales trends across multiple entertainment mediums. "You can look at that model and say, 'Don't launch game X when movie Y is opening.' Because all these things are interconnected now." Or at least they will be, Mr. Williams. These things do take time, after all, so you'll excuse us if we don't hold our breath.

Back in 1988 or so, some guy working in an "authorized Nintendo repair center" saw this yellow cartridge as nothing more than a tool, just another part of his mundane everyday routine of testing the functionality of NES systems. In 2009, it's an extremely rare collectible being sold on eBay for $1,050.

This NES Joystick Test Cartridge is, functionally, a rather unexciting item: it merely responds on-screen to controller input, allowing the user to determine whether all of a controller's buttons work. It's the sheer scarcity of these items, as well as the lure of owning NES memorabilia that was never made available to consumers, that drives the price up.

If you buy this and decide you aren't done blowing cash, why not collect more NES test carts? There are cartridges for controller ports, Power Pads, an NTF2 cartridge that tests the various microchips, and even yellow-cartridge versions of Duck Hunt and The Legend of Zelda (which happens to be available for just $999).

[Via Engadget]

The custom Master Chief Transformer we wrote about last year? It's so last year. There's a new green custom 'bot on the (auction) block, and it -- quite fittingly -- becomes a Warthog in vehicle mode. Its creator (and eBayer) built the 5 and 1/4" tall marvel out of a McFarlane Toys Master Chief figure, an Actionclix Warthog and an actual Transformers toy (Hound, in case you're wondering).

Want this one-of-a-kind Halo artifact on your bookshelf? Be prepared to pony up a hefty sum. With 52 bids as of this writing, the figure is currently going for $320 -- with an entire week to go before the auction closes. Click through after the break to see it in Warthog mode.

[Thanks, Rev Freakshow]

This item, currently being auctioned off by eBay seller jewelryking, is perfect for the discerning customer who is:

1. insane about Nintendo
2. stuck in a Brewster's Millions-type situation, and
3. probably the regular kind of insane, as well.

You are looking at a gold Mario pendant covered in 14.5 carats of round-cut diamonds, somehow in the appropriate Mario colors. This is, apparently, a real thing that somebody thought it would be a good idea to make, and then to let other people know that they made. According to the seller, the retail value of this Mario bauble is $11857.00, but you can Buy It Now for just $7,000.

This represents a missed opportunity for jewelryking, who we assume to be the creator of the pendant. Charles Hamilton is a rapper and thus a member of the only profession that could actually get away with wearing this monstrosity -- but he's a Sonic fan.

Update: commenter Rich points out something that we should probably say explicitly just in case: the chances of this thing being made of real gold and/or diamonds are very, very low. But that shouldn't matter because you were not going to buy this anyway.
[Via GameSniped]

Up for auction on eBay at a starting price of just $275, is a custom made, expertly detailed and almost deadly replica of a Halo 3 Brute Spiker. It's being made available just in case someone has to exterminate Covenant forces on the home turf.

The quality of the Spiker looks to be on par with the props WETA creates, seeing that it's cast in urethane plastic, uses real leather, boasts shiny LED lights, features a worn paint job and has shaped aluminum blades that are "pointy but not sharp." Even though we prefer sharp objects and think Halo's "can opener" (aka the Brute Mauler) would be more fun to wield, the Spiker can dish out pain and is almost worth the requested cha-ching.

[Via halo.bungie.org]

We always secretly enjoyed the low-brow hijinx the fellas over at Gamecock Media Group frequently found themselves carrying out -- particularly the monkeyshines of the indie dev's CEO, Mike Wilson. We were appropriately bummed when Gamecock was bought out by publisher Southpeak, but we had an inkling that we hadn't seen the last of Wilson. If recent rumors are true, he'll be making a reappearance soon enough, bringing his inimitable brand of tomfoolery to the esteemed realm of gaming journalism.

Of course, Wilson couldn't enter said realm under unremarkable circumstances -- New York Times recently ran an article about Hardcore Gamer, the mag that was on the eBay auction block earlier in the month, in which they revealed that "an entrepreneur who had recently sold his video game business" purchased the mag minutes before the auction closed. Wilson, who fits this mold, confirmed to Kotaku that he has been in talks with the mag's owner, but denied that he was dropping the 42 G's required to purchase it.

Whatever dealings that did go down are expected to be finalized by the end of this week -- hopefully, we'll be finding out more about the fate of Hardcore Gamer (and Wilson's presumptive involvement) soon.

We're always talking about bargains, and with good reason, but today we want to discuss the other end of the scale: your most outrageous, costly gaming buys.

We're talking about the $980 you dropped for that rare Hot Summer Phat, or the $90+ you put on your flatmate's credit card for Electroplankton. Obviously, it'd be nice if you could keep this DS-related, but you're welcome to mention non-DS rarities you forked out for.

When Swedish eBayer Mikael was lucky enough to win a Shigeru Miyamoto-autographed DS at E3 2005, he did the only sensible thing: he sealed it away from the harmful effects of light and dust forever. Or at least, until now.

This pristine, fingerprint-free Pearl White model is currently on eBay, where it lies at the $760 mark with over a week to go. Is it worth that? For something you're likely not going to use, probably not, but this is easily one of the nicest autographed DSes we've seen. The combination of gold on white reeks of class, and Miyamoto's famous signature is, as usual, fun and playful. The fact that it's a Phat only increases its appeal to us.

See also: A very special deal on a Miyamoto-signed DS.

[Via Kotaku]