I don't see an anti-skimmer device like RedBox has. This seems rife for fraud.

Besides, this now means Wal-Mart is into Blue-Boxing, which will get them in all sorts of hacker trouble.

Could we put tiles in the box instead of the game? That'd be sweet revenge!

@OMG!StopItWithNASA!_GitEmSteveDave: LOL, good one!

In any case I hope they're verifying the discs are valid, like, humanly; what's to stop someone from putting blank CDs (or even a bunch of paper) inside the case? (I assume they're weighing it.)

@OMG!StopItWithNASA!_GitEmSteveDave: I assume the "a few days later" bit is to ensure that they have enough time for a human to verify that you actually returned Grand Theft Auto IV and not porn or a blank CD or something.

My question is: does someone put them in and verify they work? I've bought a couple gamestop games that were scratched before.

@OMG!StopItWithNASA!_GitEmSteveDave: WM's hacker name would be "Colossal Crunch" then huh?

(malt-o-meal knock off of cap'n crunch)

If those come here I'd like to test them out and see how their prices compare to gamestops.
I just craigslist my games though no worry about shipping can ask what I want and have them meet me some where and walk away with cash on the spot.

Is it a "chargeback" when a merchant credits money to your account?

But in all seriousness, let me see if I have this straight. I scan a bar code from a game box. I then hand over my CC# and the physical game/box to Wal-Mart. I then wait two or three days later and hope Wal-Mart credits me money, and if not, how do I prove that I gave them the game?

I honestly think someone in Wal-Mart is a Consumerist fan and came up with a program that would make every editor on this site drool over w/the possibilities for screw-ups and consumer screwing.

I am going to trade in ALL my video games. I hope they take ATARI early generation games. Hey wait there ain't no bar codes on these 1980's games. What a gipe. Anyone up for some TANK COMMAND?

I will never use this (not much of a gamer) but I'm also curious as to what happens if you don't get your chargeback "a few days later." From the info provided it sounds like you just be SOL.

On the topic of proving you traded in your game, presumably there would be an option to have a receipt emailed to you (like Redbox does)...if you don't choose this option, that's on you. Now if you do, and it doesn't send you that receipt, that's another matter.

@OMG!StopItWithNASA!_GitEmSteveDave: First you put in the disk and the system checks it, then if it accepts it you dump the box into the bin to the right.

@layton59: I'll pay you money to take the 12 copies of E.T. I have. Collector's edition my ass.

If I were Wal-Mart: I would put a human inside the machine? No, not for verifying if you wrapped a piece of rock or substituted the game disc with porn. Rather, resell the game right a way on the other side of the machine with a 300% profit margin.

Here is how I would set this up, you bring your game and box to the machine, Insert your card, the machine then takes a quick photo of you. You scan in the box, You then remove the CD from the case and insert it in to a slot, where the machine checks the CD for scratches, and to make sure it is in fact the game in question. If the game comes back as clean and correct, you insert the Box for the game, and the machine stores it and the CD in two separate piles, tagged to each other. You can turn in a CD without a case, and get less credit, and with some games, you could not trade in the case due to weird boxes. Oh well, thems the rules. Then nightly or every few days some tech comes over, and empties the machine and verifies the discs and boxes, removes them and ships them to the distribution center. Then you get your Credit. Ta'da!

@tobedetermined: And if I were GameStop, I would put a human next to the machine, soliciting with prospective seller to buy the game + $1 more than Wal-Mart. Still selling it with a 299% profit margin.

This sounds like a poorly thought out idea that will end in more consumer woe. If the price they give is variable what happens if people are unhappy with the assigned price? What if the human that looks at them decided the disc is too damaged to resell? What if the credit to your card gets lost and they have your game?

This sounds like a big potential for long drawn out problems if the system goes wrong.

Check your spelling - payed not played

@OMG!StopItWithNASA!_GitEmSteveDave: I would rather deal with Gamestop or DiscGoRound since the transaction is up front and done. They look at the game, offer you money, you decide if you like the deal, they pay you, you leave.

@Liam Kinkaid: The rest are in the same hole in the desert as the Apple Lisa's, or so I hear.

@tobedetermined: Another job for a greeter who will have no idea what a compact disk is.

"It said "verbatium" on it, and that sounded technical, so I assumed it was one of them new fangled nickleodeon platters."

@Synth3t1c: Actually, paid is the preferred spelling.

@YardanKabolla: Privacy people would have a FIELDAY with that. It's bad enough the airports steal your biometric data to merge with your DNA stored in the eugenics database, but facial scans?! j/k

Also, is there a system that can read ALL Disc formats such as DVD,BlueRay, HD, and also verify they are real games?

Blue Ray goes in one slot, and DVD games go in the other. That is pretty much all you need reader-wise I think.

Also no one is forcing someone to use the machine as far as biometric data goes, the taking the picture is there for your protection. To make sure someone, did not steal your card, and your games, then go have a field day with them. Its there so you can dispute the charge and possibly get your games back.

@OMG!StopItWithNASA!_GitEmSteveDave:

I'm sure there's a receipt somewhere in there that proves you turned in the game-- I'd say you'd probably have to have a receipt physically printed at the time.

@YardanKabolla: Which was almost instantly defeated by Jeremy Clarkson in a Bill Oddy mask! :D

@YardanKabolla: Just put a survelliance camera on the machine, this way if anyone is trying to scam the machine, it is caught on tape. Since these cameras are everywhere already it shouldn't invade on your privacy.

I bet these end up mostly unused. I can't see somebody waiting 2-3 days for a chargeback when going to GameStop gives instant gratification.

@OMG!StopItWithNASA!_GitEmSteveDave:

LOL, Awesome. ^_^
Not so much however, its not measuring anything, if some one comes up in a mask, you can dispute the transaction, get your game back, and the credit is automatically sent back to Walmart.

@OMG!StopItWithNASA!_GitEmSteveDave: Better than blue-balling, and much less painful.

@CrowMignon:

I know what you mean. Most people are idiots with their money.

With a little patience and effort you can always get more.
Whether it is selling the game to friend, using Ebay or Craigslist or even just shopping around town for a better deal.

Most of our Economy is based off of a "Fool and his money are soon parted". Oh well, you can't hold someones hand all the time, nor should you.

This is going to last about two seconds once they start getting empty game boxes back.

This reminds me of a beer commercial I saw once.
A guy goes up to a newspaper machine, puts his money in, opens the door and pulls out a beer. He starts to close the door, pauses, then looks around and reaches in and grabs 4 or 5 more before running away. The announcer then says "See people? That's why we don't sell it that way!"

@AtConsumeristPanel_GitEmSteveDave: Well, if you look at today's Blu-Ray players, they can read both Blu-Ray and DVD discs. The older PS3 models could read both Blu-Ray PS3 games and DVD PS2 games. Xbox 360 games and Wii games are also DVD-based. There shouldn't be a problem as far as the format goes for modern games.

The only tricky thing I can think of is obtaining the reading software to determine the game by decoding the data for verification, and doing that reliably cross-platform.

This can only end in blood, tears and piles of blank DVDS...

@OMG!StopItWithNASA!_GitEmSteveDave: Agreed, but the waiting period I guess is so someone can actually physically check that the game disk is in the box and good, rather then just a blank.

Don't get me wrong, I hate WalMart and everything it stands for, and will never go in their stores again. But this is my guess why it takes a few days. Also, credits do take 2-3 days to pend to CC's sometimes.

@diasdiem: Hence the 2-3 day waiting period... I bet someone has to check the box before that credit is released.

@nforcer: While I have no desire to dispute the finer points of privacy regulations, I do believe this effort pretty much has failure written all over it.

I just use [www.goozex.com] to trade all my old games. Works great and I get the stick it to the man!

Yeah the most you will get for a game from them is $25 according to their site. With Gamestop and/or Amazon promos you can get more for games. Plus Goozex like thekicker said is an awesome service, as long as you aren't trying to get brand new releases. Last gen stuff or handheld stuff is pretty easy to get from Goozex.

Theft control? If someone steals the game from walmart and goes to gamestop, they won't be caught. But when the idiots take the games and go straight to the walmart machine, walmart will have the evidence as well as the credit card info of the thief.

@AtConsumeristPanel_GitEmSteveDave:

The box gives you a receipt. If you don't get the credit, etc etc etc.

@RandomHookup: *snort*

@Corporate_guy: Why would you steal a brand new game and sell it to a machine when you're only gonna get half, and when it can track your identity? If I was a thief I'd sell it on ebay, craigslist, something like that.

@italianscallion33:

Most Criminals are idiots.

So you and nine buddies go trade in one legit copy of Grand Theft Auto and nine empty boxes, then let Wal-Mart try to prove who turned in what. Fun!

Hey now, most GameStop clerks think it's a racket too. There's just nothing they can DO about it.

"wait for a chargeback"

I think you mean a credit. But this is pretty cool.

@diasdiem: I was thinking of when Homer got Maggie stuck in the paper machine w/the big hat on.

@AtConsumeristPanel_GitEmSteveDave: Wait, I think I mixed The Simpsons in w/Dumb and Dumber

What happens if you grab a game off the shelf, tear it open then bring it to this machine for a refund? Not like the paralyzed midget they got hustle'n security would make it there in time to catch you in the act.