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Back in April, video game rental service GameFly filed a formal complaint against the United States Postal Service for supposedly offering preferential treatment and care to Netflix and Blockbuster parcels, and none to its equally fragile mailers. Now, GameFly is petitioning for information relating to "Netflix-only" drop boxes present in certain post offices. Though the USPS filed a directive to employees two years ago mandating that these boxes be taken down to avoid legal ramifications, GameFly presented photo evidence of Netflix slots remaining in two California post offices.

GameFly has also continued its original complaint, claiming parcels from larger DVD rental services were being manually sorted to prevent damage and breakage. The USPS responded with a curt "all DVD mailers are not equal," and suggested that GameFly update its disc packaging to better protect its product.

When asked for comment on the complaint, a GameFly representative said, "Unfortunately, we cannot comment as it is a legal matter."

[Update: For visual aid, we've received the above image from a reader whose post office most certainly does sort Netflix and Blockbuster DVDs separately. He said they don't include GameFly DVDs because the rate at which encounter them "is much lower." Well, look at that.]

[Via GamePolitics]

Sure, it started in June, but Blockbuster's "Summer Escape Pass" still seems like something worth mentioning. The promotion, which ends September 7, allows subscribers to rent unlimited games and movies for just $10 a week. The catch? It's only one item at a time.

So, a normal Blockbuster game rental is -- according to the spokesperson -- $8.99 (for five days?). So, if you live near a store and are just spending your summer getting through last winter's backlog, one could do that very efficiently with this deal.

We were sent a tip regarding a new PS3 bundle that Blockbuster was supposedly selling, so we headed on down to our local chain to snoop around. What we found was the above image showing off a PS3 bundle consisting of a 40gb console, Transformers: The Game, Spider-Man 3 Blu-ray, PS3 remote, HDMI cable, and a 12-week rental card (which allows you to rent one movie each week), all for $359.99. What makes this such an odd story, however, is that this bundle isn't offered at every Blockbuster store.

We called another nearby chain and quizzed an employee on his store's bundle. He said that particular store offered a 80gb console, with Transformers: The Game, Click Blu-ray, PS3 remote, HMDI cable, and a 12-week rental card, all for $499.99. So, it would seem that each store has a bit of leeway with its bundle package. If you're in the market for a PS3 and thinking Blockbuster, give them a call before you head down. Both stores we talked to were all sold out.

We contacted a few American Blockbuster outlets and asked the folks on the other end of the line how business has been lately, and if they've seen an uptick in game rentals over the past couple of weeks. "No, actually, it seems kinda slow ... I guess maybe people are afraid to come out or something," we were told by an employee at the chain in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Calling another store in Madison, Alabama yielded vastly different results, where an employee told us, "The past couple of days it's increased. I think it definitely has to do with the Swine Flu worries."

While these testimonials do little for our theory that more folks are renting games in the States for the same reason, it's quite possible that us brazen Americans are simply turning a blind eye to the clear signs of end times. Hell, we're still planning on going to E3 2009 and that's a month away! We could all be dead by then!

Blockbuster announced today that it will begin offering game rentals as part of its Total Access online movie rental service. The company will start a pilot program during its second quarter, with a goal of implementing the integrated system nationally by the second half of the year. Essentially, Blockbuster is trying to morph Total Access into a Netflix meets GameFly offering. The question: Will the quality of service be as high as the two go-to names in the field?

Several details on how this program will work are missing from the company's press release. We've contacted Blockbuster and will hopefully speak with them soon. We'll update as soon as we hear back.

Update: We talked to Bob Barr, vice president and general manager for Blockbuster Online. He answers our questions after the break about the service and the possibility of integration with PS3.

According to the folks at NeoGAF, your local Blockbuster may be a bottomless well of golden gaming bliss right now. Up until January 5th, Blockbuster is holding a buy one, get one free promotional offer on games. If it's priced at $14.99 or lower, then it qualifies for this sale. According to some of the folks in the GAF thread, there's plenty to be had. We advise you check your local store to see what's in stock, because the GAFfers seem to be finding some steals.

Officially, the 40GB model has been discontinued by Sony, replaced by the new 80GB Core machines. However, a leaked Blockbuster memo sent to Kotaku shows that remaining 40GB systems will be getting a price cut this weekend. The system, which includes a Spider-Man 3 Blu-ray disc, will be available for $360 -- that's a savings of $40. (Perhaps Sony should've reconsidered the price of the system to something that doesn't evoke their primary competitor?)

Sony has been adamant about keeping the current price of the PS3 in an attempt to recover from the costly launch of the system. However, with Microsoft's aggressive cuts working their magic (in America and Japan), Sony may want to reconsider their position.

[Thanks, Trevor!]

PSN Cards are now at Blockbuster stores. Don't believe us? Watch the above video and check out the PlayStation Blog's Jeff Rubenstein as he confidently strides across the store and proves to you that they exist. Testosterrific! They're available in both $20 and $50 flavors and should be in stores nationwide. Hmmm, isn't WipEout HD around $20? How convenient! And it's coming out so soon, too ...

So now you don't need a credit card to grab stuff from the PSN Store. You Europeans can stop complaining about Entropay not working anymore, too -- you should be able to buy PSN Card codes far more easily now they're so readily available.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

The only time we ever saw a PLAYSTATION Network card was when Sony gave us one for Christmas. Never -- not even once -- have we seen these cards available at a retail store. This is easily one of the most demanded items from our readers, many who don't have a credit card to use for the PSN. Thankfully, support for these cards will expand in September to stores we've actually heard of.

According to the PlayStation website, these pre-paid cards can be found at Blockbuster, 7-Eleven and Rite-Aid this September. So whether you're renting a movie, drinking a Slurpee, or buying some condoms in a rush -- keep an eye out for these PSN cards.

[Via CAG]

The only time we ever saw a PLAYSTATION Network card was when Sony gave us one for Christmas. Never -- not even once -- have we seen these cards available at a retail store. This is easily one of the most demanded items from our readers, many who don't have a credit card to use for the PSN. Thankfully, support for these cards will expand in September to stores we've actually heard of.

According to the PlayStation website, these pre-paid cards can be found at Blockbuster, 7-Eleven and Rite-Aid this September. So whether you're renting a movie, drinking a Slurpee, or buying some condoms in a rush -- keep an eye out for these PSN cards.

[Via CAG]

Summer blockbusters aren't just good for propping up the sales of crappy new movie-based games ... it turns out they're also good for pumping up the prices of crappy old games based on the same characters. For proof, look no further than the always interesting Video Game Price Charts blog, which shows a distinct and recent uptick in the selling prices for older games based on the Speed Racer, Iron Man and Indiana Jones franchises. Never mind that these games aren't directly related to the new movies, or that the games are universally awful (well, almost) -- once that old clunker of a game gets attached to a hot new movie, the asking price can get inflated by up to 170%.

We can almost see the logic behind the increased demand, from the average consumer's perspective. After all, why waste $50 on the crappy new Iron Man game that junior is begging for when you can pick up a crappy old Iron Man game for half the price (even after accounting for the recent uptick). The little punk won't know the difference anyway, and the game will get him out of your hair so you can get back to having an affair with the pool boy. It's win-win!

Blockbuster wanted us to remind you of its plans to "significantly expand its games business," including the special $500 PS3 bundle comprising a 40GB console, a PS3 Bluetooth remote, an HDMI cable, Spiderman 3 on Blu-ray, the Transformers video game (for PS3, of course), and the opportunity to rent one free PS3 game or Blu-ray movie a week for twelve consecutive weeks.

To help you remember, we're giving away a 40GB PlayStation 3 without all the other stuff. All you've got to do to win (perfect timing for Metal Gear Solid 4, eh?) is follow these five easy steps:

• To enter this giveaway, leave a comment telling us where you buy your gaming gear from (we concentrate really hard and it just appears).
  
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec).
• Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day (comment more than once and you'll be disqualified, but try again tomorrow).
  
• This entry period ends at 6:00pm ET on Monday, June 16th. We'll randomly select a winner at that time (please check your email!).
• For a list of complete rules, click here.

While your local Blockbuster might already offer a selection of DS titles on its shelves, keep in mind that the same isn't true everywhere else. For reasons unexplained, up until now, the movie and video game rental chain has thought it wise not to make the Nintendo DS, whose hardware and software sales have been booming since 2005, a standard fixture in its video game aisles.

In an email press release sent out yesterday, Blockbuster announced its plans to introduce DS game rentals, as well as hardware and accessories, to all of its locations nationwide. Finally, gamers will be able to try out Godzilla: Unleashed Double Smash before deciding whether or not it's worth buying.

Next on Blockbuster's list of emerging platforms to support: pogs.

Days after confirming plans to stock Grand Theft Auto IV alongside movies on its outer release wall, Blockbuster today announced that the recently released Wii flavor of Mario Kart will make the leap as well. The move is part of what the rental giant calls a plan to "significantly expand its game business," which includes a greater emphasis on selling retail games and hardware, as well as stocking a larger number and variety of games to rent.

Blockbuster specifically noted plans to offer a special $499.99 PS3 bundle in its corporate-owned stores, which will include a 40GB console, a copy of the movie Spiderman 3 on Blu-ray, Activision's video game adaptation of Transformers, and the opportunity to rent one free PS3 game or Blu-ray movie a week for 12 consecutive weeks. However, while we appreciate the added attention Blockbuster is giving our favorite hobby, we doubt even this will sway us into venturing out into the sunlight to rent anything.

Starting with Grand Theft Auto IV, Blockbuster Video will begin adding video games to the "sacred" outer new release wall. Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes tells Variety that the GTA IV launch is a "real springboard" for the company and it plans to use it as a centerpiece for moving games to where only the latest Hollywood releases used to tread.

Now, granted, if this were before the advent of Gamefly this news would be much more exciting -- although, we'd still have to worry about pesky late fees. Blockbuster has been hurting in recent years as if faces competition from many angles, not the least of which is Netflix. This move for video games in Blockbuster doesn't seem so much like a sign of respect for the growing games industry, but as another desperate move by a company that's struggling to survive.