This is far from the first time this rumour has popped up. We heard last year that Microsoft was planning this, but as the reveal of a new Xbox console – and a new Windows update – draws closer, we’re hearing it again. This time a little more convincingly.
The Verge reports that Microsoft will soon be killing off the points scheme in favour of a universal “gift card” that could be used across all of the company’s platforms and be purchased in real-world currency.
It’s also shared images of what it says are the cards in question, which clearly show an Xbox controller on the front, as well as space for actual dollar amounts.
Please be true. Of all the things we’ve had to adjust to this console generation, having to constantly convert points into dollars – and being stuck with leftover points in your account after a purchase – have been about the stupidest.
We’ve contacted Microsoft for comment, and will update if we hear back.
Microsoft killing off Xbox Points in favour of currency and gift cards system [The Verge]
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25 responses to “Microsoft Killing MS Points? Please Be True.”
Same net result if it’s a $10 card, and XBL items cost $8.75.
I’d assume as it’s based on a real money amount instead of points, you could get a card for $10/$25 and the balance would remain on your account/the card. but transactions straight through the nextbox would be for the for the total of the game instead of for a predetermined amount.
That wasn’t mentioned in the article. Only gift cards. I hope you’re right, but honestly, I’ll believe it only when I see it, and maybe not even then 😛
Shanes right though, if you’re left with $1.25 here and there for example, it’s the exact same net result of a mass of useless points building up until useable over a number of transactions. If however like PSN, you can simply select ‘PURCHASE’ and buy for 8.75, well, then I’m all for it!
I’m a hopeless optimist … why must you use logic?
Hahaha logic has never been Microsofts strongpoint with online purchasing lol. I think when they finally do move to cent for cent purchases like PSN has, it will all be better.
Although PSN does have a minimum purchase (or, rather, a minimum amount you can add to your wallet) of $10, so if it’s $8.75 you’ll still end up with $1.25 left in your wallet 😉
If it’s $10.01 or more, though, then yeah you can pay the exact amount.
Going to have to agree with you, I got left over credit on my Nintendo E-Shops and PSN accounts, doesn’t really change anything.
Only difference is EB Games can no longer charge $55-60 for 3000 point cards.
Alternatively means that there wont be ever able to be picked up on the cheap
Sure they can, I see iTunes prepaid cards selling below their branded price all the time.
20 – 25% off all the time in JB 😀
Pretty much. While it will be nice to see the end of points, there’s only any gain (for those people who care) if you can buy anything in full in a single CC transaction if you so choose. I can’t say that I like having points “leftover”, but it doesn’t exactly upset me either.
Nintendo have actually done purchases correctly with the Wii U. I’ve paid for 30c games in a standalone transaction. Sure, it means they’re not making much profit on it after fees, but they make it back on full price downloads anyway.
It’s a bit of a shame that MS points were never used correctly, though. I always though that the original concept was to enable true microtransactions. i.e. pay 1 point here for a character’s hat, 3 points for a polka dot horse, etc. But then people chose to pay dollars worth of points for these things and, well, suddenly points make no sense whatsoever.
The whole idea of using points makes far more sense.. Look at itunes – where most of the time you can end up getting double the value you actually paid for.. If I buy $20 of something and my account shows as $40 I KNOW that something is either so overpriced that it makes no difference for them to halve the price of their dollar – OR I wonder who they think I think is contributing this mysterious extra money. Nobody is. They’re assigning dollars an arbitrary worth that varies depending who buys their dollars, and where and when.
It makes no sense. Just use points, then you can assign whatever value you want in a far obvious way. $20 buys a fixed number of points, whos value varies for sales etc etc.
Why not just use a real currency and if they want to discount something make it cheaper for a period of time? Surely it is much easier to see what you want to buy listed in the same currency you use for almost EVERYTHING else you purchase in your life rather than some closed system of points. I find your argument/comment pretty flawed and a little contradictory….
The only thing that makes no sense is everything you just said… I don’t even understand what it is you were trying to say? Where abouts do you buy $20 of something and end up with $40?
Very often on you can buy (for example) two $20 itunes cards for $25 from places like Big W. I forget the exact specifics of that deal since i’m not an apple user, but they’re frequently advertised on Lifehacker.
Fourty “dollars” that you buy for twenty dollars? I would like to live in the world where that made sense in any other way than a marketing sense.
It’s no different from buying groceries on sale… That’s exactly what those things are, a retailers sale. Not Apple giving you some magical number for less. It’s usually $30-$35ish gets you $40 by the way. Half price is exaggerating.
It is different though, because such companies also frequently offer a discount on one specific product rather than all products as itunes usually does with its sale, it becomes basically impossible to work out how much a song is actually “worth”.
It’s a very common marketing technique designed to obfuscate things true value, but I don’t know the name of it.
I think of it more as either a coupon that you can use at your leisure on whatever purchase you like, saved up for a rainy day, or – if you believe that all prices have been marked up artificially high to allow for these random discounts – an occasional opportunity to get the real price on things.
I see where you are coming from, it’s like buying tokens for cigarette machines or an arcade. But we really need to focus on the problems associated with using token or points based systems.
The general issue with using a generic “points” system is that people don’t really have visibility of how much they are spending and the immediate financial impact of buying something for X amount of points. I’m aware of stories of kids running rampant on the Xbox store with a credit card that was linked to the account by their parents. Sure their parents should be more careful, but buying things in dollars, pounds, rubles, whatever is far more meaningful to a child than some “points” that magically appear on their account.
It doesn’t make any difference for US, but it will be actually only worse for Australia.
Right now we can buy region free MS Points codes for US prices on Amazon, for example. It eliminates “Australia tax” basically. If something costs 800 MS Points in US, it will cost 800 MS Points in Australia and they don’t care where I bought my points.
RRP for 3000 MS Points in AU is AUD50. For $50 you get 4000 MS Points in US. We’ll just be paying 33% more.
Just look at Australian prices in real money in PSN store. Same items always cost more than in US. Do I want the same for my Xbox? No, thanks.
You can buy 400 point bundles from Amazon? I don’t suppose you could provide a link, that sounds great.
From 400 to 4000: http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-LIVE-Microsoft-Points-Online/dp/B001V7QIDY/
Not sure about 400, but always bought 4000 and it worked for my Australian account.
The current system is a shmozzle for Australians. Games cost increments of 400 points yet we can only buy points in lots of 500 unlike Americans who buy their points in lots of 400. This is bizarre because in the family gold pack the head account can give MS points to any of the other 3 accounts in 400 point increments. So If I want my son to have 800 points to buy an 800 point game I have to buy 1000 points and give him 800. Also, our dollar is equal to the American dollar but we pay an extra 29%, For example, if you break down the cost, 80 points equals $1 US but 80 points for an Aussie sets you back $1.29 AUS. So when a US site says a 1200 point game will cost you $15, it’s actually $20. But then you gotta take into consideration that you’d need to buy 1500 points to cover the 1200 which would set you back $24.75.
It’s a joke. I wish they just just say “hey, this game costs $7.25, that’ll be $7.25”. Whenever I shop anywhere online that’s how it goes.
Couldn’t have come sooner.