Here is from someone i trust on the poe-news forums. If you write or are in the industry, include that in the note.
Chet
Today, I am posting as a representative of the start-up online game rental company intothegame.com. We are looking for between 200 and 500 people who would be interested in participating in beta launch exercises to make sure the distribution system is set up properly.
Here’s how it’ll work. As with other online rental services, users will build a list of desired games, which will be sent out based on title availability. Because the company is still assembling, not much has been put into developing an inventory. In addition to testing the distribution system, beta users’ game lists would be used as an initial list of titles to be acquired. This will also help us get an idea for which genres/systems/etc. to put more weight on when ordering new inventory.
Participation in the beta launch will be free for the duration (estimated at somewhere between 30 and 60 days) and then once the site launches officially, people who participated in the beta launch can either back out, free of charge, or they can stay with the site at a special reduced rate. We’re examining pricing structures in order to determine the best way to pay for the site. Potential pricing schemes include monthly rates, semi-annual, or annual, as well as possible reduced rates based on which systems a person intends to rent for. (I.E. somebody only renting GameCube games might get a fee lower than somebody who rents on two or more systems). This is all being negotiated at this time, however, and things are subject to change.
We’re attempting to offer a service to gamers which is competitive, extensive, non-restrictive, and affordable. In researching other online game rental firms, we’re taking the best ideas from around the web and adding our own ideas into the mix. We’re trying to offer more to the user by providing satellite services. Forums, a recommendation system, stocking games for older consoles (such as Dreamcast, PSOne, even N64 and earlier), stocking imported titles, and the possibility of renting actual console units are all being discussed.
If anybody is interested in participating in intothegame.com’s beta launch, all you need to do is send me an e-mail with your first and last name and, if you prefer to be contacted through a different account, your preferred e-mail address. From there, the company will contact people on the list in order to gather the rest of the necessary information. If anybody is interested, please send an e-mail with “Beta Launch” in the subject line to [email protected]. Thank you.