You read that right. Redbox, our beloved source for movies, has now released video games for rent in their existing big red machines. This service has been in place for testing in a few areas, but today is the official start date of this service. The cost is $2.00 a night, plus tax. This has sparked a discussion in the gaming community over if it is worth the cost.
For those of you who haven’t used the Redbox services before, its simple. Walk up to the machine, pick your title, swipe your card, and out pops the movie, or in this case, game. You are charged a price for the movie or game for however long you keep it. After 30 days, it becomes yours. You are then charged for the item, straight to your card you are using.
This seems like a pretty good deal, seeings how most games these days will run you $60.00. If this works out the way the movies work out, you are only charged half of that price for the game. The only downside to this is that a lot of games come with some sort of code, that unlocks the features of the games. Video game companies do this to make renting games less attractive to the gaming audience. The codes only work once, but generally you can buy that locked content for $10.00. It has been rumored though, that after 30 days, Redbox will send you the box and the manual, hopefully with the code. But that is still a month without the unlock code.
Will this new service boost Redbox’s popularity? And will the gaming community shift to them for their gaming needs? What do you think?
