New UK online videogame rentals company established

A new online videogames rental service has been established in the UK to offer gamers the opportunity to hire PlayStation 2 and Xbox titles, with membership rates starting at GBP 7.99 per month.

Boomerang Rentals uses the same principles as online DVD rental stores - customers receive games through the post and may keep them for as long as they wish, with no late fees to pay. Once a game is returned, the company will send out another title from the customer's favourites list.

The basic Value membership package costs GBP 7.99 per month and allows members to rent up to one game at a time, hiring a maximum of two titles in each thirty day period. The Unlimited One (GBP 9.99) and Unlimited Two (GBP 13.99) packages allow members to rent one or two games respectively, with no limit on the number of titles per month.

For GBP 15.99 per month customers can subscribe to the Unlimited Priority package - two games can be hired simultaneously, there is no monthly limit and members get guaranteed priority on new releases. The company is currently offering new customers a free 21 day trial to promote the service.

"We all know how expensive video games have become as development costs grow," said company founder Nick Palczynski.

"And with new consoles coming out all the time, offering even more power and graphic capabilities, this trend will continue."

"That's why, as a gamer myself, I wanted a cheaper alternative to buying games that meant I could not only play for less, but also try out games that I maybe wouldn't have wanted to buy," he added.