Online games rentals are largely untested territory. Netflix seems to be riding the wave of brisk DVD sales, but throw the name RedOctane out there, and most people look at you like you just ate their pet rabbit. Well, if you haven't heard the name yet (and if you're a regular reader of the site, you've had to by now; we love the guys), you will soon. RedWho? No, RedOctane, the Sunnyvale, CA-based online games rental operation that's gifted in-the-know gamers with a bevy of different options across all major platforms and the greatest DDR pad this side of the uber-rare official Japanese Deluxe Pad.




With the recent drop in price of the Xbox and PS2 to $200, and the Gamecube to a paltry $150, more of those hard-earned greenbacks can be put to good use on games, buying or renting. Being purveyors of both commerce options, RedOctane has been enjoying brisk sales and a couple surprises when it comes to buying habits.




"We're expecting to see a steady growth in new members as a result of the lowered console prices," mused RedOctane CEO Kai Huang. "These lowered prices allow for more people to own the latest video game systems, and our service allows people to play games on them for very little money." Always the salesman, Huang was quick to point out that "by saving over $100 on the cost of a new video game system, a person could join our G2 program* and play as many games as they wanted for 5 Months."




"The increase in game rentals is leading us to believe that the price drop hasn't just attracted new gamers, but that many gamers are buying a second or third system," explained Dean Ku, RedOctane's VP of Marking. "Based on what our members are renting, it appears as if many gamers are choosing to own multiple systems. The video game industry has never seen the amount of cross-Ownership that it's seeing now. Brand loyalty is still a factor, but not nearly as much as what we saw between the SNES and Sega Genesis, or PlayStation and N64 systems."




"On average 42% of our G2 members have multiple systems. That's up from 19% just a year ago," Ku added. "The console price drop has really opened the doors for our customers to take full advantage of our service. A G2 member with multiple systems has access to twice as many games as they had before."




Games rentals increased across the board, but none more sharply as on the Xbox, where demand shot up a whopping 110%. The release of Resident Evil helped jump-start Gamecube demand, helping it rise 82% in the month of May.




Huang was quick to point out that, "before May, four of the top five most-rented games where dominated by PlayStation 2 titles, but since the price drops the two Xbox games, Spider-Man: the Movie and Elderscrolls III: Morrowind have taken over the top 2 spots. GameCube titles are also starting to climb onto our charts with Resident Evil attaining the highest spot for a GameCube game at the number 5 spot. By Christmas 2002, we're expecting to see Xbox, GameCube and PS2 games spread fairly evenly across our most-rented list."




RedOctane's most-rented list has seen a couple of shifts in popularity, with the usually PS2-heavy list giving way to a little more multi-platform goodness. Take a look for yourself:




1. Spider-Man: The Movie |Xbox|


2. Elder Scrolls: Morrowind |Xbox|


3. Medal of Honor: Frontline |PS2|


4. Grand Theft Auto 3 |PS2|


5. Resident Evil |GC|


6. Virtua Fighter 4 |PS2|


7. WWE Wrestlemania X8 |GC|


8. Hunter the Reckoning |Xbox|


9. Way of the Samurai |PS2|


10. Spider-Man: the Movie |PS2|