game rental
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Blockbuster including games in its by-mail rentals
It's almost inspiring, the way that Blockbuster bravely marches on, despite such moves as boning Total Access and cutting back on its new movie purchases. And the latest bid for relevance? If you're receiving your, um, "blockbusters" via snail mail you'll soon be able to add your Xbox, PlayStation, and Wii games to the mix (and by "soon," we mean "now"). Ready to add the latest installment of Splinter Cell to your copy of The Bucket List? Well, you should probably get out of the house more. Or you can click the source link to get started. [Thanks, Kevin]
Developers reportedly briefed on PSP rental service at GDC
Well, if today's batch of rumors are true, it looks like the PSP could be in for quite a few changes beyond the seemingly inevitable hardware revision. As Develop is now reporting, in addition to those rumored music downloads, the PSP could soon also be getting a full-fledged game rental service, which would, of course, be one more means of making a UMD-less PSP a more appealing device (for game developers and consumers alike). Apparently, the service was first pitched to developers at GDC back in March, and was again mentioned in a consumer survey that just surfaced yesterday. What's more, while complete details are expectedly a bit light, the service would apparently charge PSP owners a monthly fee that would allow them to download "a fixed number of games" during their subscription period, although it's not clear if you'd also be able to simply rent 'em one at a time.[Via Joystiq]
Xbox 360 dominates 2008 rental charts, GTAIV leads
Rentrak's list of the Top 10 most rented video games of 2008 reveals the Xbox 360 is a primary source of free-time destruction. According to Rentrack's data, which covers both online and offline rental destinations, Grand Theft Auto IV (X360) was the most popular rental of 2008 followed by Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (X360) and Halo 3.In the end, seven Xbox 360 titles made the list; Coincidentally all of which were rated 'M for Mature' by the ESRB. As a final nod to the Xbox 360's power on the list, Rentrak notes that Xbox 360's share of the rental market increased from 26.1 percent to 36.8 percent during 2008. The Nintendo Wii jumped from 7.3 percent to 17.1 percent and PS3 data was, strangely, absent from the list.Jump in for the entire Top 10 List.
Champagne room: Most rented games of 2008
Rentrak's list of the Top 10 most rented video games of 2008 reveals the titles we spent money on merely for brief companionship. Topping the "why buy the cow when you can get the milk for a nominal fee" list was Grand Theft Auto IV on Xbox 360. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Halo 3, both for Xbox 360, round out the top three. Rentrak's data covers both online and offline rental shops.Interestingly, the list is populated by only Xbox 360 and Wii titles. Rentrak notes that Xbox 360's share of the rental market increased from 26.1 percent to 36.8 percent during 2008. Wii jumped from 7.3 percent to 17.1 percent. Data for PlayStation 3 was not provided in an email from the company. The full rental list is posted after the break.
