Trade-in programs for electronics have been around seemingly forever, but more attention has been paid to them more recently. Just this month, for instance, Microsoft started offering a trade-in program to improve sales of its Surface tablets, while Walmart added tablets to its trade-in program after starting to accept smartphones last month.

Alienware has had a trade-in program for years, but it hopes to boost sales of its desktops and laptops by adding gaming consoles to its list of hardware for which it will provide credit. While the gaming PC maker had offered trade-in credit for consoles in the past, its recent decision to accept them again is hardly coincidental. With the impending release of the Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One, PC gaming will face yet another challenge to its popularity.

Because Alienware is an online seller, the trade-in process is a little more convoluted than just bringing your old console to a location and receiving on-the-spot credit. You first have to purchase an Alienware PC, then you need to complete an online process before sending in your hardware for cash back. Obviously, your console has to be in working condition to qualify, and you need to provide your banking information to get the credit transferred to your account.

Alienware will offer $200 back for a PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, or Nintendo Wii (though not the Wii U). The trade-in program may be particularly enticing to Wii owners, as you will barely receive any trade-in credit for the system from other retailers. The company continues to offer trade-in credit for desktops and laptops with fairly recent processors.

Would you trade in your current videogame console for a $200 credit from Alienware? Let us know your thoughts in the Talkback section below.

[Via IGN]