Video Games - Play More Pay Less!

Thursday, Redbox announced that it is going to add video game rentals to an additional 5,000 of its highly visible kiosks beginning around August 1st.



Last month the company announced that game titles for the Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation will be added to 16,000 more redbox kiosks toward the end of June, and that the total should reach 27,000.
Mitch Lowe - company president made the statement, “More than 1.5 billion movie rentals and the positive consumer reaction to video games highlight the ongoing demand for physical media.”



Since all game titles carried in Redbox kiosks can be rented for $2 per night, it makes sense to "try before you buy" a game that can cost $40 and up. Also, for those who don't play the games often, but want them around for grandkids or holidays, renting is the perfect option!



Presently, Redbox owns and operates approximately 33,000 video rental kiosks across the nation, and the company made no indication of if or when video games would be added to the remaining 6,000 kiosks.



Joes Resnik, Vice President of video games at Redbox states, "Whether customers are playing a new game or genre, trying a game before they buy it or simply entertaining friends and family, they’re embracing the availability of games at Redbox."

EA Games makes a smart move - No 3D

At todays annual EA games meeting, one of the shareholders asked chief executive John Riccitiello what he thought about stereoscopic 3D games.

His reply:

“We have not seen a big uptake for 3D gaming,” Riccitiello responded. “We have not seen a big uptake in 3D TVs in the home. We are not here trying to drive a market. We are here to react to what consumers want.

It seems the TV industry isn't learning anything from the movie industry. TV manufacturers would love to sell 3D TV's at exorbitant prices, but strangly - the public isn't buying. Heck, they just had to shell out a month's wages for a new HDTV, and they expect that to last at least 3-5 years before they'll be willing to buy a newer technology.

Not to mention the problems of headaches and eyestrain that may NEVER be overcome. Let's face it - your eyes aren't meant to see through green and red (or horizontally and vertically) polarized filters.

I do own a couple of games with 3D technology myself, but frankly - they suck. The games are great - but the 3D leaves quite a bit to be desired on my 2D HDTV, even in 1080p. And I'm not sure I want to trade in my tremendous picture anytime soon for a new set that will guarantee I'll get more headaches.

Read more at http://www.electronicstheory.com

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