Does Windows 8 spell the end for Microsoft Points?
By Jess Colwill on October 9, 2012 at 3:55 pm
There have been rumours in the past about Microsoft eventually planning to switch its XBox LIVE service over from Microsoft Points to real-world currency. While there still hasn’t been any confirmation either way, Polygon‘s latest preview of Windows 8 adds fuel to the rumour fire.
The upcoming OS apparently uses local currency and credit card payments as default, rather than MS Points, for music downloads or movie rentals. In previous betas, the OS was still using MS Points for all purchases and rentals.
Microsoft haven’t commented on this change yet, and while the XBox LIVE service is still using MS Points, Polygon seems to think a switch over later this month is pretty likely.
Source: Polygon
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Analysts estimate 41% of all Windows 8 licenses sold aren’t being used
Only around 58 million Windows 8 PCs active worldwide.
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Still the only platform that doesn’t use real world currency.
Micro$hit.
I’ll stick with Windows 7 thanks, maybe I’ll even take another go at getting into GNU/Linux since Valve is taking an interest.
This is a good move. MS points blew, this makes it easier for me to be parted from my cash.
Possible, but if so there will still be a minimum amount you can spend.
I don’t like this as I feel it’ll be too easily abused by game publishers (see Games on Demand pricing as an example).
I’m of course referring to regional pricing. At least with MSP publishers couldn’t get away with making certain regions pay more in MSP for content (example: 1200 points for Minecraft in the US vs 1600 points in Australia) as it would be blatantly obvious.
With a switch to real world currency, this is going to result in a rise in regional pricing for certain regions (mainly Australia but Europe will most likely also get the shaft due to lazy publishers thinking that $1 = 1 Euro).
and yet Windows 8 still looks and behaves like a tablet… Come on Microsoft you just dont throw out 20+ years of your GUI’s being used in a similar manner… all out technology is based around the older system…case in point start buttons on keyboards (not needed now as there is no start button in windows 8) and mouse scroll wheels are for scrolling vertically not horizontally…
as long as MS points still exist for the XBox it shouldn’t be too bad…for buying stuff on PC yer go $ but for the console I like the MS Points system… means I kids can just buy a card at a shop and use it – no need for a credit card.
So people are still complaining about win 8? Have you actually used it yet? All I see when I turn my computer on is windows 7 with a different looking start menu… And it works fine on my gaming machine.
But back to the MSP, the change will be good, bring it in line with everything else which MS needs to do
As long as I get the correct dollars per MS points back I don’t care what they do with it. Besides its been a bit of a hybrid payment system for a while now where you can choose to pay with MS points or real money either on your Xbox, Windows Phone or Games for Windows Marketplace client on your computer.
“Does Windows 8 spell the end for Microsoft Points?”
does anyone care?
And it’s all tainted with regional pricing (especially with games on demand on XBL). I don’t want this to be a full switch across the board for that reason.