Microsoft and act to reduce the amount of plastic used in game boxes, with games II and 2 the first to try out the new packaging.

The new boxes look the same from the outside, but the difference is on the inside where a pinwheel has been cut into the plastic on both front and back of the packaging. Reducing the amount of plastic used for each box has little impact on the cost of the packaging, but it does have the benefit of making it lighter, which in turn lowers shipping costs.

Nintendo is transitioning to similar boxes for titles in early 2010. The company told Kotaku that not only will the new packaging reduce the shipping footprint, but can even be recycled.

Now when you open that copy of Imagine Party Babyz for Wii as a holiday gift, you can do the right thing and recycle it.

By Tracy Erickson