GameFly opens first 'G-Box' game rental kiosk
by Xav de Matos 
{ Mar 5th 2009 at 7:50PM }
GameFly has expanded its reach to rental kiosks, the first having been spotted on campus at Texas Tech University. The Daily Toreader, reports the 'G-Box' kiosk allows gamers access to hundreds of Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii titles for a daily rental fee.Rentals range from $2.49 (Xbox 360/PS3) to $1.99 (Wii), appealing to those looking to try a new title for a short period of time and are without access to a local rental store. However, extended rentals from the kiosk may put a strain on students' wallets in comparison to GameFly's own monthly rates.
GameFly plans to launch the 'G-Box' throughout the United States, allowing consumers to rent using a credit card.
Recently, rental giant Blockbuster has extended its Total Access service to video games. With GameFly now tapping the physical market, it seems the battle for rental superiority is going to get ugly.
[Via 1UP]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
OMGOMG @ Mar 5th 2009 7:54PM
That's pretty damn awesome.
Kevin949 @ Mar 5th 2009 7:59PM
And within three weeks we will see the first attempt at theft of one these devices.
Rhamsey @ Mar 5th 2009 9:01PM
do you really give it three weeks? im pretty sure someone is trying it as we type.
D @ Mar 8th 2009 9:01PM
its located within the barnes and noble within the student union- which is locked up at closing.
Kevin949 @ Mar 9th 2009 4:00PM
Thus the qualifier "attempt", D. Also, humor is apparently lost on you.
Phil @ Mar 5th 2009 7:59PM
What the fuck, texas only?
Grrrr... You texans better make use of this so it becomes popular and those of us in PA get one. ~_~
bill51 @ Mar 5th 2009 8:10PM
Lubbock is hardly Texas, unless you're one of those damned Red Raiders.
Markez @ Mar 5th 2009 8:15PM
Lubbock is hardly TX... Must be from Austin, eh?
MBO @ Mar 5th 2009 8:21PM
and of couse, Canada will never get it :'(
MBO @ Mar 5th 2009 8:21PM
course*
marvin69 @ Mar 5th 2009 11:56PM
I don't see a beaver pelt slot for Canadan transactions.
To bad.
Maybe they'll put in a back-bacon return for the ever so popular Canadain bacon curacy.
Markez @ Mar 5th 2009 8:00PM
Per the source article - "It will cost $1.99 for Wii games and $2.49 for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 games, Spector said. The G-Box also will offer a rent-to-buy option."
The rent-to-buy option sounds just right for the poor college kid who loses the game under his futon. G-BOX EATS YOUR CREDIT NOM NOM NOM
Rhamsey @ Mar 5th 2009 9:04PM
i once lost one a movie from one of the boxes at price chopper, and they charged me for days till it was 20 bucks or something. stupid pile of clothes in the back of my car.
SoCoolCurt (PSN: KillaKornbread - XBL: SoCoolCurt) @ Mar 6th 2009 1:44AM
this sounds similar to the RedBox kiosk's. with those you just swipe your card to rent the movie ($1/day) and then they just charge you another $1 each day you don't return it before 9PM. then once it gets to $25, the movie is yours to keep. great for making sure those late fees don't get too unwieldy. i've even seen a RedBox with a buy option on there where the movies are like $7 and it's yours.
Clay @ Mar 5th 2009 8:06PM
I go to Tech, @ the blockbusters here suck hard so gamefly is a good option, but 2.50 a day, dunno about that
BxGT @ Mar 5th 2009 8:20PM
Blockbusters suck in general, they never have any fucking games.
MajorHoorah @ Mar 5th 2009 8:10PM
what is the late fee charge?
mynk @ Mar 5th 2009 10:56PM
i think it automagically withdrawals the listed price everyday from your credit card until you either reach the buying price or return it.
Tiptup300 @ Mar 5th 2009 10:56PM
2.5 a day
Jason @ Mar 5th 2009 8:14PM
honestly I am waiting for netflix to either acquire gamefly or offer there own vidgame service that would be sick. is it just me or does nebody else think of this scenario?
StLouisRibs7734 @ Mar 5th 2009 9:01PM
Creators of netflix are sorta friends with gamefly people. They said if it will happen, it wont be for another 5+ years. Netflix advertises for gamefly.
Tegolin @ Mar 5th 2009 8:14PM
Bring those over to Florida!
Tesley @ Mar 5th 2009 11:16PM
They already are in Florida. What school do you go to? because they are already at Florida International University (FIU). I've only spotted one on campus. to be more precise, the book store. pretty neat tbh
Lieutenant @ Mar 5th 2009 8:25PM
Companies start competing, consumers start winning.
I hope you can return games through this machine, FastReturn is nice but still isn't great.
shadowhowl1900 @ Mar 5th 2009 8:41PM
Please come to Canada. We get deprived of EVERYTHING...
Xav de Matos @ Mar 5th 2009 11:31PM
Canada has a similar service called Game Access (snailmail rentals). Not as good but check it out.
Danny @ Mar 5th 2009 8:54PM
Maybe they'll have more than two copies of every game! I use Gamefly but sometimes I wonder why because they NEVER EVER have anything in stock.
Rhamsey @ Mar 5th 2009 9:01PM
hell, it seems to work great for those movie ones that i see at every price chopper, why not for video games. cant wait to see one out in the wild.
Luke @ Mar 6th 2009 12:38AM
What is a price chopper?
SoCoolCurt (PSN: KillaKornbread - XBL: SoCoolCurt) @ Mar 6th 2009 1:49AM
i think he's talking about Wal-Mart and the like.
and im not so sure about how efficient it will be for games honestly. when i rent a movie for a $1, i know im going to watch it that night or the next so it can be returned after one sitting. games take much longer to complete so that $2.50 is going to add up fast. i mean if i take a week to beat a game, i might as well have just gone to Blockbuster.
only way i could see it really coming in handy are if you just want to test a game out for a night to see if you like it (if it doesn't have a demo i guess), or if you know you are going to be entertaining guest and need a party game quick. other than that, i dont know if this will stick.
KevinK @ Mar 5th 2009 9:28PM
If these are anything like Redbox's around here that rents dvd's there will never be anything in stock worth renting. I always check the website if there is anything worth renting before heading out to one of the nearest Redboxes.
Professor Lario @ Mar 5th 2009 10:09PM
If it is like a RedBox you may be able to reserve a title too - which would be sweet.
SoCoolCurt (PSN: KillaKornbread - XBL: SoCoolCurt) @ Mar 6th 2009 1:55AM
RedBox always has a very decent selection of new release movies. but at a $1 (or free with the text message code), there aren't many i haven't already rented now. if there is something i know im going to want, i just reserve it online before i make the trip, im guessing there is a strong chance this would work the same way.
but with games taking much longer to finish than movies, i think they are more prone to out of stocks. which is why im not completely sold on this idea like i am with RedBox already.
GLP @ Mar 5th 2009 10:55PM
Interesting idea. I just wish they would focus on upping their stock so that they can actually send me a game or two from my queue. I shouldn't still be waiting for a chance to play NBA Live '09 (for the Xbox 360), but I am. Great service Gamefly.
jcmschwa @ Mar 5th 2009 11:02PM
gamefly wins...blockbuster is seeking advice for refinancing...just a step above bankruptcy
greg (peevmyster) @ Mar 6th 2009 12:03AM
I have game fly, it sucks, i always get like my 5th choice. Hollywood Video has game pass for 20 bucks a month, and u can usually get what you want from the one here in this small town. No blockbuster around, and 2.50 a day is WAY too much, who wants to rent a game for 1 day.... usually at least a week, and that's almost 20 bucks.
BPMOmega [gamertag] @ Mar 6th 2009 2:20AM
Good thing they didn't call it the G-Spot.
Brucie_K @ Mar 6th 2009 5:44AM
Are you kidding? That would have been awesome.
''Yeah, I'm going out to rent some games at a G-Spot.''