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Xbox 360 will be the exclusive launch console for Redbox Instant

Xbox 360 will be the exclusive launch console for Redbox Instant

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Redbox 3 1024

Verizon and Redbox have been slowly dropping details about the upcoming Redbox Instant service, which is currently in beta, but today Microsoft joined in the fray. The Xbox 360 will be the "exclusive console launch partner" for Redbox Instant — so if you're a gamer and wanted to get Redbox Instant on your TV, you'll want to be using Microsoft's console. Of course, you'll need to be an Xbox Live Gold subscriber, and you'll also need to sign up for a Redbox Instant plan, which starts at $8 and includes four DVD rentals per month from a Redbox kiosk as well as unlimited streaming.

Along with its place as exclusive console partner, Microsoft also let a few details slip about some additional features that will be included with the Redbox service. Perhaps most surprisingly, Redbox on Xbox 360 will also let users purchase and rent movies as you would through services like iTunes as well as watch streaming movies. That part of the service will be open to all users, regardless of whether or not they have an Redbox Instant subscription. We're less than two months away from Redbox Instant's planned launch, so we expect we'll hear more about these features and the service in general in the coming weeks.

Update: A Redbox spokeperson confirmed that while the Xbox 360 will be the official console at launch, the service will be available across a wide variety of devices. iOS and Android apps will be available, and the Redbox Instant app should also run on TVs from LG, Samsung and Vizio. The spokesperson also confirmed Google TV support, and we'd expect other consoles to get some attention later down the line.