Game On with Dish Network

Satellite TV provider Dish Network is rolling out DishGAMES, a monthly subscription offering of onscreen video games via interactive TV technology.

Maybe everything old is new again. Satellite TV provider Dish Network is expanding its interactive TV offering with DishGAMES, a new application available via its “DishHOME” interactive channel number 100.

DishGAMES will offer 16 onscreen games from PixelPlay including Asteroids, Centipede Mega, Missile Command Mega, Yahtzee, Scrabble, Super Breakout, Boggle, Chainz, and Monopoly. The offering will also include prizing, score submission, leader board, and tournament capabilities.

“These new offerings are a great example of DISH Network’s ability to enhance DISH Network’s viewers’ set top boxes with the latest iTV technology,” said Scott Higgins, DISH’s director of Interactive TV Programming. “DISH Network continues to offer the most interactive TV content over any other pay-TV provider for the enjoyment of its over 11 million interactive households.”

DishGAMES is available for $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year. In a somewhat inexplicable move, subscribers will have access to all sixteen games for the first five weeks, then games will rotate out on a week basis from an “extensive” library. Demos of all games will be available to non-subscribers.

At first glance, DishGAMES seems kinda wacky: a remote control isn’t really the best interface for interactive games like Asteroids or Missile Command, and it’s gotta be cheaper to pick up long-obsolete console versions of these games via eBay or a local garage sale than to deal with your favorite game disappearing after a week or two once you’ve already paid for access. But maybe Dish Network customers know something we don’t.