GameStop and friends are about to get a whole slew of canceled preorders. Bethesda has just announced the Fallout 3 Survival Edition, which takes the regular Collector's Edition and dials things up to eleven. Really there is only one difference, but it's a pretty big one - a life-size replica of the Pip-Boy 3000, the wrist computer worn by players in the game. While not actually wearable (until modders get their hands on it), the Pip-Boy is painstakingly replicated in every detail and retrofitted with a digital clock so as to be useful as well as ornamental.

?This is an exciting day for Amazon customers and Fallout fans,? said Greg Hart vice president of video games and software at Amazon. ?We?re delighted to be the exclusive destination for Fallout 3 Survival Edition; this is a great example of the continually expanding selection we offer to gamers.?

I've not ordered a new release video game from Amazon.com in over five years, and here I am pondering the possibility anew. The only thing that could stop me is the price...$129.99 is a ton of cash to spend, and with the regular CE at $79.99, that means the Pip-Boy is costing you another $50...but it's a Pip-Boy! This is a decision that shall weigh heavily in my mind indeed.

Fallout 3 Survival Edition Preorder [Amazon.com]

Bethesda Softworks® and Amazon.com Announce Fallout® 3 Survival Edition

Fallout 3 Survival Edition to be Available Exclusively on Amazon.com

June 6, 2008 (Rockville, MD) ? Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, and Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced the Fallout® 3 Survival Edition for Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Games for Windows. The limited Survival Edition is now available for pre-order exclusively through www.Amazon.com/fallout3.

This ultimate Fallout 3 package includes a life-size replica of the Pip-Boy 3000, the wrist-mounted device worn by characters in-game. The Pip-Boy 3000 has been painstakingly recreated and modified for real world display as a digital clock. In addition to the Pip-Boy 3000, the Survival Edition will include all of the items included in the Fallout 3 Collector?s Edition:

o The Fallout 3 game;
o Customized, metal Vault-Tec lunch box;
o 5? Vault Boy Bobblehead;
o ?The Art of Fallout 3? hardcover book; and
o ?The Making of Fallout 3? DVD

?We?re thrilled to be working with Amazon.com on this exclusive edition,? said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. ?The Survival Edition offers gamers the unique opportunity to own a piece of video game history along with a collection of limited edition items ? it?s the definitive Fallout 3 package.?

?This is an exciting day for Amazon customers and Fallout fans,? said Greg Hart vice president of video games and software at Amazon. ?We?re delighted to be the exclusive destination for Fallout 3 Survival Edition; this is a great example of the continually expanding selection we offer to gamers.?

Fallout 3 features one of the most realized game worlds ever created. Create any kind of character you want and explore the open wastes of post-apocalyptic Washington, D.C. Every minute is a fight for survival as you encounter Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders, and other dangers of the Wasteland.

Currently under development at Bethesda Game Studios ? creators of award winning The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion®, the 2006 Game of the Year ? Fallout 3 is one of the most anticipated games of 2008 and is slated for release this Fall on Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION®3 system and Games for Windows.

Fallout® 3 has not yet been rated by the ESRB. For more information on Fallout 3, visit http://fallout.bethsoft.com.