I hate Microsoft Points. I always have. And not simply because they’re essentially a cheap scam to confuse you on how much you’re actually paying. It’s because this crappy “currency” doesn’t act like any normal currency in the real world.
Let’s put this in perspective for a moment. In Japan, the going rate for 3500 Microsoft Points is ¥5000 ($63) This price has not changed much since this fiat currency (break out your dictionaries kids!) was initially introduced back in 2005 (they did remove the additional 5 per cent sales tax in 2011). It was ¥5000 then and it’s ¥5000 now. Meanwhile, the price of the Japanese yen has shot up during that time from around ¥115 to the US dollar back in 2005 to the current ¥78 (roughly a 30 per cent increase in cost). Basically, where I used to pay around $44 for 3500 MSPs, I now pay around $64.
It’s not enough that people have to purchase points in blocks that are generally more than the content that is purchased, leaving them with excess wasted points, I’m now paying more for the same game content than my American colleagues, where it used to be relatively equal. It’s like getting price gouged at the petrol pump, but only one country is getting the shaft.
This is why when I heard that they were phasing out Microsoft Points for purchases in Windows 8, I was overjoyed. Perhaps at last things could be bought for real-world prices. But no. Microsoft has confirmed with The Verge that it will be retaining the MSP system for Xbox purchases. So basically the gaming community still gets screwed. Dammit.
Microsoft Points phased out in favour of cash in Windows 8 [The Verge]
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