What is the little black tab that is stuck onto the inside of every video game case?

Question

Today I was looking at my Resident Evil 5 (X360) and realized a small rectangular black tab on the lower inside of my case. I decided to take a closer look at it and used a philips screwdriver to pry it off. The tab came of like a strong sticker, and on the other side of the tab was an extremely thin sheet of a metallic material. Are these little tabs responsible for sending off alarms at electronic stores when run across them? Then again, in my "Call of Duty: World at War case, there is the same tab along with a small square patch that when shown up in the light, reveals a hidden chip!

Does anyone know more about these little devices? I'm very interested in learning more about these cool little security devices.

Please get back to me on this one, any answer or bit of information contributed always helps!

Thanks!

Answer 1

Yes, those are the security "chips" that make the gates beep when not deactivated. Sometimes they are white tabs, sometimes black, but yes they are security devices. That's why they swipe it over the magnet to turn it off. The same goes for some clothing where they stick it through and use a different set of magnets to remove those.



Hope that helps.

Answer 2

Yeah they are security devices, that's what makes the alarm at the door at walmart go off if you steal the thing it's stuck to. You can deactivate it with a magnet. That's what they use at the register to keep it from going off as you leave. I don't recommend stealing anything. It's harder than just grabbing something with one of those in it and simply trying to deactivate that thing since you don't know where it is in a game case or movie case. That and they will probably see you trying to deactivate it and see you putting it in your pocket. They have cameras all over walmart and other large stores that sell that type of thing in mass quantity. Like Target or Best Buy.

Answer 3

Its just a security thing that sets off the alarm at the door thats why they rub the game on those magnetic things when you pay for it

Answer 4

Yup - you got it. These are the security thingies. You will also see them also on DVD's, computer software, and some clothes these days as well.

Answer 5

So you cant steal them