While online rental services like GameFly, Netflix and LoveFilm have largely taken the place of the in-person video store, viewers who've missed the quick fix of an instant pick-up have seen their needs met in part by services such as Redbox, which offers a small variety of DVDs and, recently, Blu-Ray discs via computerised vending machines generally located outside of grocery stores and in McDonald's restaurants around the United States. Customers pay with their credit cards and are charged a small fee per 24-hour period until the rental is returned to the machine.
The frugal gamer-on-the-go, however, has had no such recourse, but that's set to change later this month as the aforementioned service has announced plans to begin distributing video games, Wii discs among them. These were previously available to a very small test market, and this marks the company's expansion to distribution on a wider scale. Make sure that you take a look at the Redbox website to verify that your area will be among those to which Redbox is currently expanding this service.
The initial Wii inventory is set to consist of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Deca Sports 2, Iron Man 2, LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, Mario Party 8, Metroid: Other M, NBA Jam, New Carnival Games, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Toy Story 3. Starting later this month, you can rent each for just $2.00 a night.
Note: We apologise for any confusion; we've contacted Redbox and they've informed us that the titles available differ from location to location. The above list may not apply to your area.
[source ebm.e.redbox.com]
Comments 52
Darn, Wii Fit isn't on the list. I was gonna make a joke about McDonalds.
wow that's pretty legit...good idea.
Brave and the Bold here I come...
Cool, but too expensive...
$2 a night isn't too bad. Based on the time it took me to beat Other M, it would have cost me about $8
Toy Story 3 is (sarcasm alert) THE best game on the list, hands down.
Not too bad a rate, I may start using this, I would just have to play nonstop to get my money's worth. Galaxy 2, Batman, NBA Jam, and Other M would be for me.
2$ a night forget that
Hmmm... not too bad at all...
awesome idea because the place that i rent games it cost $3 for one night. and that looks like there are really good games.
Lol, now i can play Other M for $2-4.
2 dollars a night is better than 10 dollars for 5 days. The local rental store only offers a week rental and they have very low selection. Go RedBox
So, do I put the money in before, or after I find out that someone has jammed a DVD case in there?
Perfect for Brave and the Bold!
@Robo-goose Actually, it reads a code on the discs, not the cases. I don't think I've been to a Redbox yet without "Empty Case" being one of my rental options.
launch titles looks good
Chicken+Brutus wrote:
And don't forget NBA Jam, Prince of Persia, and Spider-Man as soon as I have some money and a friend over! Hey, come to think of it, Funky Gamer is staying over later this month; this should be perfect! Even though we already have 20 other games to play, LOL...
This news made my day, BTW.
EDIT: Aw, nevermind, they don't have 'em where I live yet. Bummer.
@zkplan once, someone shoved a movie case in one of those things.
Actually, the only time I was about to use one, I found a DVD case jammed in it.
The case wasn't even red.
@Robo-goose Ahh, so someone just crammed something into it and messed up the whole machine, I gotcha. That's pretty bad, I guess peek in the slot and make sure first! That's never happened to me before, thankfully. I wonder if they'd reimburse you?
Actually, I never put the money in, I was just cracking a joke about the "losing your money" part. The DVD case was, however, firmly jammed.
hmmm, maybe now I can play Mario Party 8! We have one at the grociery store and at WalMart. And, if they get COD: Black Ops I can try before I buy! well, with any game I can try before I buy (with the whole game, not just a 1 level demo)
This is great! Finally got another reason to go back to RedBox! Best news today.
reminds me of renting games at block buster when i was a kid
this will have to work until nintendo learns to make more demos available.
theres nothing worse then wasting $50 on a new game that sucks
I work at Safeway, and would totally use this if we had a Red Box. Sadly, we do not. Sure, it's not far to other places that have them, but the convienience factor would've doubtlessly lead to me renting a lot more.
This might just be the first time I rent a video game.
YES. Oh heck yes!
@WaveBoy Redbox rents you physical discs, it's not a streaming service.
Old news. I learned that in August when I went up to a Redbox machine and it had wii games.
@luigirules There were a very few select test markets for games before this, but now they're being distributed on a much, much, much wider scale with full promotional support.
Woohoo! I'll be getting some good use out of this service. Luckily, my subdivision is off a street with 3 Redboxes close by (McDonald'a, 7-11, and Walgreens).
By the way, it should be noted that you have to be 18 with a valid debit or credit card to use Redbox.
It also reminds me of the days of renting SNES games at Blockbuster for $4 for 2 nights.
you messed up it is deca sports 3 not 2 ima get
super mario galaxy 2 and keep it until i beat it since no replay value
metroid other m it has missed reviews probably 1 day then buy it or not
spider man shattered dimensions(xbox 360) look above
@mecoy Strangely, the front advertisement shows Deca Sports 3 while when viewing the full catalogue, Deca Sports 2 pops up. We'll investigate further. Thanks for your attention to detail!
Xkhaoz wrote:
Imagine the slot where the discs come out spitting out a Balance Board.
Wow this is actually pretty big news considering how popular RedBox is becoming.
Hey, I saw this like 3 months ago at this place in lake Tahoe...
can not wait
Redbox is overrated. It offers too little of a selection to actually have a chance against BlockBluster, PSN, the upcoming 3DS movie thing, and DEFINITELY not Netflix.
@42 It's very cheap, it doesn't have a monthly fee (unlike Netflix), and the selection is basically the most recent releases, which are the ones you usually want to rent, anyway. On the rare occasion you want to rent an older movie or game, you can go to a rental store, but for everything else, Redbox is great!
@43 Redbox does rent discs (including Blu-Ray) like the video stores.
After mulling it over a bit, I think I'd give this a shot if I ever saw it at my local Redbox. It'd be especially good for demoing Batman, Spider-Man, NBA Jam and Prince of Persia (and any further games added to the list I'm interested in)...
This is VERY cool. It has PS3 games too! $2 is a great price also.
Too bad my area is NOT one of the areas thats getting this. sigh
I hope we do sooner or later.
I dont know I have done research on Redbox vs Netflix and overall Netflix is the better deal. Redbox is good for the occansional renter like one movie or game a week but if you are like me than than Redbox is too expansive.
If you rent less than 5 days a month Redbox is cheaper but if you rent more than that you might as well pay the 9 bucks a month for unlimited rentals from Netflix.
If you want games Blockbuster Online has the same deal as Netflix 9 bucks a month for one game out unlimited for the month. If I want I could pay 12 dollars I think a month for online and in store rentals. I just switched to Blockbuster Online from Gamefly and so far Blockbuster is winning surprisingly.
I know Redbox might be good for some people but I tend to keep my games for a few days at least so after a while I would be racking up quite a bill with Redbox.
It's not just about which is cheaper. With Redbox, you don't have to worry about those highly annoying monthly bills.
@ Bulbsaurus Rex: Yeah but if you rent or keep movies/games from Redbox longer than 5 days at $2 a day that would be more than the $9 a month that Netflix or Blockbuster Online charges. So which would be more annoying a $9 a month Netflix charge that lets you keep the item as long as you want or being Nickle and dimed which is what is happening when you get a movie from Redbox.
I'd love for something like this to show up in Denmark.
We have Blockbuster here, but they don't rent out games, only sell them. I don't think I've ever been priveleged with renting a Nintendo game on these parts.
There needs to be more rental services near where I live. This Redbox fee of $2 sounds somewhat reasonable. I'd love to have options of more than one rental service. I'll have to pay careful attn to stores in my area.
This can really come in handy for those like, 10 hours or less types of games. For $2 I can smash those in one night and toss it back. I'm looking at you PoP:TFS and Batman:TBatB.
This is a great idea, vending machines that let you rent games! Hope something like this becomes available in Europe, it could catch on.
@WaveBoy: I am not sure about that since I dont have an HDTV or a bluray player so I never looked into it. Sorry I cant be more helpfully.
Seems like a no-brainer for a short game like GOW3 or a 1 night rental with friends coming over for MarioPArty8 or NSMBW.
Netflix vs. Redbox is a moot point since NF doesn't carry games and I doubt ever will.
Alas, about 35 Redbox kiosks within 10 miles of my house carry blu-ray but not games. bummer
@Strofan7 You do realize that you could have gone to another RedBox location and returned it there. You can return any DVD you rent at "any" RedBox location.
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