Renting video games online vs. offline: Pros & Cons
We live in an increasingly wired world. Purchase decisions that once took hours of driving and searching are now made in an instant, and consumers expect far more from the online services they patronize. Although much of the shift in online commerce has been toward virtual storefronts and downloadable software, the Internet has yielded some services that do not fit neatly into either category. One of the biggest? Online rental.
Major services like Netflix have blazed a trail toward a new model for rentals, one which foregoes late fees and supplants them with monthly memberships instead. Today the same model is being applied toward all manner of entertainment, including gaming. If you have been wondering whether to rent your games online or at the local store, you may find it useful to crystallize the advantages of each.
The principal advantage of offline rental is instant gratification. No matter how good the shipping companies get, there is simply no way to select a game in your Web browser and have it in your hands within hours. Brick and mortar stores let you bypass the wait time, hop in your car and have everything you need within minutes – including popcorn. For gaming freaks who cannot bear the thought of delay, this solution often represents the best compromise between price and satisfaction.
But there are some things stores cannot do. No matter how much square footage they offer, no store can offer a complete catalog that stretches across every platform and back through the decades. The celebrated “long tail” of modern commerce means obscure titles will always be in demand, and that means you simply need more powerful search tools if you want to get your hands on a perfect match. Online rental depots offer an advantage because they aren’t limited to a single physical location. Often these virtual storefronts hide staggering selections from every era in gaming.
Another advantage of going the online route is that you get access to a wide range of reviews, opinions, and insider tips that you cannot find in meatspace. Let’s face it: browsing the shelves at your local game shop can be a lonely and anonymous proposition. When you rent online, you can instantly dial up user reviews, screenshots, even dig into “favorites” lists from fellow gamers whose taste you trust. The world is just a little bigger on the Net.
Online rentals are also better positioned for the future of gaming. Today all games come in physical media such as DVDs and Blu-Ray discs, but the day will come when they will be manufactured, marketed and shipped as software only. Online gaming downloads are already making waves with the latest generation of hard-drive-equipped consoles, and it won’t be long before they come to dominate the industry. Set up an online rental membership today and you will be positioned to take advantage of these future innovations.