Redbox announced that it will begin offering video games for the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 21,000 of its 31,800 self-service kiosk locations around the country starting June 17.
According to the company’s press release, Redbox has been testing video game rentals alongside movie offerings at 5,000 locations since August 2009. “Redbox has rented more than one million video games in less than two years at these locations, underscoring the popularity of video game play in America,” said Mitch Lowe, president of Redbox.
Redbox parent company Coinstar Inc. believes the select market testing suggests that the company can potentially “increase revenue by replacing 10% to 15% of the DVD slots in its kiosks with games.” (Each machine holds between 70 and 200 titles.)
Games – ranging from Call of Duty: Black Ops and Mortal Kombat to Super Mario Galaxy and Star Wars III – will cost $2 per night (compared to the $1 rental fee for DVDs and $1.50 for Blu-ray discs). For a complete list of initial game offerings, visit the Redbox Games page.
Related Home Media Magazine article (with interesting financial stats): “Redbox to Increase Video Game Presence” (4/28/11)
Last week Microsoft announced its Xbox 360 will include subscription movie and TV service Hulu Plus, starting April 29. The subscription cost will be $7.99 per month (with limited advertising). Additionally, Xbox LIVE users will receive a one-week free trial sponsored by Jack Link’s Beef Jerky.
Hulu Plus will also add Kinect support, enabling users to control programs with their voice or via physical gestures. According to the Hulu blog: “With Kinect for Xbox 360, you can simply say ‘Xbox, pause’ or use gestures to rewind, pause and fast forward your way through your favorite shows.”
In related news, Gamasutra reports that a record number of Xbox 360 console sales contributed to Microsoft’s 13 percent year-on-year revenue increase for the first three months of 2011. A new quarterly record for the gaming console was set, as 2.7 million Xbox 360 units were sold (up from 1.5 million for the same period last year).
For complete details, visit the Hulu Plus on Xbox LIVE page.
Watch the video demo on Engadget: “Hulu Plus on Xbox 360 launches tomorrow, all members get a free week thanks to beef jerky” (4/28/11)
Related PC World article: “Making Sense of Streaming Media Options” (4/30/11)
Related Home Media Magazine article: “Six Questions with Microsoft’s Senior Spokesman, Jose Pinero” (4/29/11) Featuring everything from Netflix to ESPN, Microsoft wants Xbox to be the media hub in the living room. Jose Pinero, senior spokesman for Microsoft’s interactive entertainment business, chatted with Home Media Magazine about where live TV fits into the Xbox 360’s future, how the addition of Kinect might be a game-changer in the console wars and whether a Blu-ray Disc drive will ever be included in the Xbox.