Redbox launches $2 per day video game rentals for Xbox 360, Wii, PS3

Emil

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As expected, Redbox today started offering video game rentals at more than 21,000 of its vending machine locations in the US. Renting a video game will set you back $2 per day, complementing Redbox's current $1 DVD and $1.50 Blu-ray daily rental prices. Thankfully, you can reserve your copy online before heading down to your nearest Redbox kiosk and picking up a copy.

Unfortunately, Redbox is only offering video game rentals for consoles at launch (that's right: no Windows or Mac games). The company has games across the three major console platforms: the Microsoft Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii, and the Sony PlayStation 3. Video game titles range from top releases to popular family and kids titles. You can see a list of games over at Redbox.com/games – at the time of writing, there were 62 titles available.

In August 2009, Redbox began testing video game rentals alongside movies at 5,000 Redbox locations in select US markets. Redbox trialed its system in Reno, Nevada, Orlando, Florida, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Austin, Texas, Wilmington, North Carolina, and Corvallis, Oregon. Apparently it was enough of a success for the company to decide to move into the video game market in full force.

The trouble with renting video games over movies is that the consumer will likely require longer than 24 hours for the rental. Still, $2 is a very reasonable price for a day of gaming and it still puts renting a game for a weekend or even a whole week on the cheap side.

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Hopefully the kids, er 34 year olds, have already made up their mind as to what game they want to rent before they get there.

Considering the length and cost of most games these days, you can probably breeze through them in a day or two of dedicated gaming. $4 vs $60. No brainer there.
 
You can rent a game from hastings for the whole week for $7... Some of us have jobs/stuff to do and can't afford to play a game 24/7 to beat it. Personally I'm lucky to finish a 15 hour game in 1 week.
 
Yeah.... :( i didn't read the article, sometimes the headline is enough on techspot :)

Now, my true comment. - i'm a little disappointed with redbox, their selection per machine was like 1-4 per machine. Mostly they were kids games and a majority was Xb360 (inb4 ps3 no games) hopefully this will boost the selection in my local redbox machines.
 
tehbanz said:
Am i missing something? redbox has had them here for a long time now, unless my city was a pilot city?
Yes, you didn't read the article.
 
not to plug blockbuster but they give you unlimited days for $13 a month. if i was console gamer i would choose that

for movies redbox is the better deal since most movies suck and I only rent 1-2 per month
 
This news scares me.

What will happen to all the developers that want to focus on a Single Player only game? I'm sure rental stores have additional fees they have to pay to the publishers for rights to offer a game for rental but will it be enough to support those SPonly games?
 
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