Hardware deals headline Black Friday sales

Black Friday, the unofficial kickoff to the holiday shopping season in the US, usually yields good deals on a range of hardware and software. This year looks no different, with retailers offering price breaks on all the major consoles and some of the latest big releases.

While Black Friday deals typically vary by store, most advertised deals on the PlayStation 3 are boiling down to the same package for the same price. Retailers including Best Buy, Kmart, Walmart, and GameStop are all offering the 160GB PS3 holiday bundle containing the system, Little Big Planet 2 Special Edition, Ratchet & Clank All 4 One, and 30 days of PlayStation Plus for $200 on Friday. Current 160GB PS3 bundles sell for $250. Additionally, the PSP-3000 will be selling for $100 at Walmart, Kmart, Meijer, and Toys R Us, a $30 discount off its standard price.

The Xbox 360 is also on deep discount starting this Friday with a wider variety of specials varying by retailer. At Toys R Us, Radio Shack, and Meijer, $200 will get consumers 4GB Kinect bundles (usually priced at $300). GameStop and Kmart will have base 4GB console packages for $140 (ordinarily $200), and those looking for a $200 option without Kinect can grab a 250GB holiday bundle with the system, Fable III, Halo: Reach, and three months of Xbox Live Gold at Best Buy and Sam's Club (standard price is $300).

With the Wii U expected next year, this will be the Wii's last holiday on shelves as Nintendo's main home console. Retailers are marking the occasion by dropping prices to a single C-note, with Walmart and Sam's Club both offering blue Wii consoles for $100.

The Nintendo 3DS will also be available bundled with a game at reduced prices this week. The new Super Mario 3D Land and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time bundles will be going for $180 at Best Buy, and Target will have the same deal on the Mario offering. Kmart, Meijer, Sears, and more will be offering these bundles at their regular $200 price, with $10 to $30 of store credit included.

For those who already have systems, there will be a number of software deals as well. Many recent high-profile titles will be going for less than $30 at various retailers. The under-$30 club includes Batman: Arkham City at Best Buy and Walmart; Battlefield 3 at Best Buy, Walmart, and Meijer; Gears of War 3 also at Best Buy, Walmart, and Meijer; and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception at Best Buy.

Many of the aforementioned retailers open at midnight on Friday, November 25, but times may vary by region and location. A more comprehensive list of game deals can be found at CheapAssGamer, and flyers detailing a larger swath of offerings from various retailers can be seen at BFAds.