Yes, the Toys R Us trade-in program differs from many of their competition in that there is no cut-off point when a game is too old to be traded in. As long as the customer supplies the original game in the original packaging, they can exchange their games for store credit good at Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores, along with the corresponding online outlets.

"The video game trade-in program is another way we're providing customers with additional value when they visit our stores," said Bill Lee, Vice President, Divisional Merchandise Manager, Toys"R"Us, U.S. "This program is designed to make the exchange process completely hassle-free for customers by accepting games from even the oldest systems, including the original Atari 2600 and 32-bit Sega Genesis."

Outside of the odd vintage video game shop and online outlets like eBay, there really aren't many places you can take your old Intellivision, NES, or Sega Genesis games for store credit. Depending on the reaction to the program, this could make the Toys R Us used video game section a very interesting place to shop, with games we've not seen in ages popping up on store shelves.

As if I needed more of an excuse to visit Toys R Us.

Update: Just got a message from a Toys R Us representative explaining that the games will not be going up for resell in Toys R Us stores. "The games will be collected by a third party that will then resell the games to retailers across the country."

That's a missed opportunity right there.

GameStop addressed Best Buy's plans at their annual shareholders meeting in Southlake, Texas on Tuesday, explaining that their years of customer service give it the winning edge over cold, calulating machines.

"GameStop understands that trading in used games and consoles is a highly-assisted activity," the company said. "We are very confident in our business model that allows our expert associates to help consumers trade in product, a fact not addressed with a self-serve process."

Of course, the expert associates generally don't do more while trading in then look at the games and tell you the price you'd be getting, which is what the kiosks themseves do, but this is beside the point.

The point here is that GameStop isn't afraid of Best Buy. They aren't afraid of Amazon. And if you start accepting game trade-ins, they more than likely won't be afraid of you.

GameStop is unfazed by new rival in used-video-game market [Star-Telegram.com]

Video game specialty chain GameStop may have the lion's share of the used market currently, but the vultures are definitely circling. This week, several Best Buy locations in Austin and Houston Texas will be testing game trade-in kiosks, which allow customers to automatically trade their used video games for store credit without the need to clog up cash registers with complicated transactions. The machines work much like the ones Wal-Mart is testing in their stores, checking the discs for readabiity before accepting them. The main difference here is that instead of simply charging money back to a credit card, a process which takes 3-4 business days, the Best Buy machines will actually issue a Best Buy gift card, instantly redeemable towards anything the store carries.

Along with the kiosks, the selected stores will also begin selling used games as well, perhaps gaging how they fare against more traditional retail outlets.

The news comes by way of a blog post from Best Buy CMO Barry Judge, who explains the move towards used games is all about value and choice...and passion.

We're excited about this test, especially because we know how deeply passionate our customers and our employees are about gaming, movies and entertainment overall. And the trade-in and used value propositions will give those passionate customers even more choice and value at Best Buy.

With Wal-Mart's rather convoluted used game solution, Best Buy is currently looking like the best bet to peel off some of the used game business from GameStop. Not only will the kiosks provide instant gratification in ways that Amazon and Wal-Mart are not, it's all done without having to stand in a long line and dealing with a GameStop employee. I love my friends who work at GameStop, but if I can get similiar values without having to bug them, then that's what I would likely do.

New Places and Spaces - Used Games Launch [Barry Judge - thanks Jim!]

While direct comparisons between trade-in values at Amazon, who recently entered the used game trade-in business, and retailer GameStop might make it look like a close race, EEDAR's Jesse Divnich claims that Amazon doesn't offer the significant value needed to change the overall market. In fact, when GameStop's various trade-in specials are taken into consideration, the world's largest specialty video game retailer provides a great deal more value.

"In scenarios where a consumer either owns the GameStop Edge card and/or trade-ins more than 2 titles that takes advantage of the current GameStop trade-in promotion (trade in 2 games get 10% extra; 4 get 20% extra; 6 get 40% extra), GameStop provides a considerably higher value than Amazon."

During last Friday's midnight launch of Resident Evil 5 at my local GameStop, I actually chatted with several customers about whether or not they would consider trading in their games through the online retailer, and the result was an almost unanimous no, complete with a chuckle and an eye roll from the store manager.

People want instant gratification. On the rare occasions that I've traded in a game, it's generally because I don't have the money right at that moment to pick up something I really want. In those situations, I am not going to be inclined to ship my games away and wait for them to be processed, even if the value were substantially higher. Which apparently it isn't.

Analysis: Amazon No Threat To GameStop [Gamasutra]

In an extremely irritating live recording of a call from what sounds like a radio show to the EB GameStop customer support phone center, some galoot harangues a hapless phonemonkey about Hawaii's $50 trade-in policy. Which, while kinda outrageous, does not warrant the ill treatment of some $8-per-hour shmuck.

I once worked at a mail-order birthday party supply company in the phone center. They didn't let us read, draw, or surf. We were to sit, stare at our screens, and wait for calls. Nothing else was allowed.

Since then, I have realized the pointlessness of interrogating these poor, caged beasts. Eliza Gauger

Hear, and be Annoyed [AllGames, via Digg]