Early 2009 Amazon jumped into the online distribution pool with its Game Download service. After download and installation of Amazon's proprietary download manager you get access to more than 1,000 available titles. As of now the selections is heavily leaning towards casual games with the occasional full price titles thrown in.
However, we've a hunch that this might change in the future to incorporate a more balanced portfolio.
On the other hand Amazon is one of the few places where you can shop for XBL and PSN games outside of the dedicated console shop. You buy a code that enables you to download the stuff onto your machine. Interesting: Payment and service comes with the typical Amazon smoothness.
Background Info
Since its launch in 1995, amazon.com has grown from selling books online to selling a variety of items, from furniture to video games, while expanding to include a full section of the site devoted to an online store for video games. With an account to amazon.com, gamers may purchase titles and choose from a variety of methods to download and play those games.When first loading the Amazon game store, a page appears that displays various gaming categories, with Core and Casual games featured prominently near the upper central portion of the list. Below these categories, some of the best sellers are listed within the central portion of the page, with links representing more specific genres stacked along the side panels. You will even find a section that enables you to download games after you buy online using Amazon. These are typically listed on the right, with the more specific genres (action, RPG, and so on) listed on the left. No special client is required to purchase and download games from Amazon. You will find that not all games are limited to computers. You can find many titles on some of the most popular systems, such as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. In fact, you may even purchase digital versions of some of these games from Amazon’s digital distribution system and then install them by entering a special key on the console. To purchase a game, first select the title you wish to buy. You may find titles by narrowing down your search with the genre links, or you may use the search bar near the top of the page (be sure to use the dropdown menu on the left to select video games first). The various titles will be listed as thumbnail links. When you click on one of these thumbnails, you will be presented with a description page featuring a brief overview, screenshots, the price, user reviews, and a button to buy and download the game. Once you have purchased a digital download, the title will be stored within your Amazon account, enabling you to download it again without paying extra should you need to replace your computer.
