I remember when Blockbuster first opened, you could rent a BetaMax tape, BetaMax player, VHS players, even rented a PS2 back in the day. Now, you can buy a console - or a Blu Ray player, even a video game guide, but can't rent a console. That would be a huge revenue stream for them.

Seriously, require a $150 deposit on the Wii, 360 and $200 deposit on the PS3.

What are your thoughts?

they rented consoles?
Well only in America :P
we cant rent wii games over here in the UK well not in Chain stores
Independent ones yeah

Either the risk was too high, or the demand was too low. Maybe both.

Consider the continual growth of the videogame industry. More and more households already have a gaming system. Increased ownership is probably driving down demand for rental.

yeah I remember my friend had a rented PS1 a while back, Blockbuster used to do it.

That would be great for the wii. Rent it and by the time its due back the novelty is gone anyways! ;) I'm kidding, I'm kidding

This is actually a question I have a definitive answer for. The answer is theft pure and simple. Most renters cannot afford to have stringent safe guards. Most patrons will refuse to fill out extensive forms, or even authorize back ground checks. A forged identification, and a stolen cell phone is all that is required to make off with a piece of hardware worth four hundred dollars. Further more the culprit has a lot of leeway. They simply get docked late fees, and by the time the renter has reasonable proof it is theft. The thief is long gone.

I asked why my local renter stopped providing systems, and the answer was simple. They just kept getting stolen, the police couldn't do anything about it, and it was costing them a fortune. They never ever recouped the price in rental fees before the machines were stolen.

Its one thing I suppose to lose a movie or even a game which might pay for itself in a month. Another thing entirely to lose a console with needs three or four months of fees to cover the price. However you can still rent consoles just go to a rent a center. They will rent you a console for a week or a month. Obviously however they have extensive background checks. So its really a bad idea to even consider steeling from them.

Some local rental places did rent put consoles a few years ago, but it is largely gone from Norway as well. There is a small place about a kilometer away from here that still rents out consoles (only PS2's though) but the consoles are in poor shape, the gamepads in even worse shape and the selection of games lackluster at best...
I can't fathom why they stopped doing this, I know one of the locals where I'm from made a helluva lot on renting out consoles and console games (he was nicknamed Tarzan!).
It was huge doing this around here until the previous gen started.

To much of a hastle, and besides systems are pretty much computers now. Do you know how hard it is getting someone to pay a $2 restocking fee! and they had the movie for like 30 days! imagin trying to get payment for a broken console!

Here's the thing - with the economic downturn, folks are selling their consoles. Being able to rent them would actually be good for folks who just want to play games when they have company/party or just want to do something different.

As far as risk, when I rented a PS2, I had to have a $200 deposit, in cash AND an active credit card on file too. They were well covered.

I wanted to rent a PS3 and a Wii when they first came out to see if I would like the systems. I wish I could have rented them. I have purchased several games I rented recently. Without renting, it's unlikely I would have taken the plunge.

Yeah. I rented a PS2 and played "GTA III" on it. I paid $200 refundable deposit, $20 to rent it and $5 for the game.

Fell for it. Returned it and bought a PS2 the very same day. I had played on one a few weeks earlier - some of my in-laws, both ex-felons at the time, were playing "GTA III." I didn't play - just watched them play it, and their convo was to die for.

"Man, jack that car."

"I am!"

"Stoopid! You can't jack it like that. That's how you got locked up last time!"

"In the game?" I asked.

"Nah, playah ... in real life!"

FTR - both of them are back in jail now.

They used to do this, but it makes sense not to do it anymore.

If you want to know what a console is like, play it at a friend's house. This logic isn't so vali for renting games, as you may not know friends with the game.

That said, I don't see any point to renting games either