Microsoft Abandoning Points

Update 2: So, looks like I was right two months ago… my assumption of how it was happening was simply wrong. Is Microsoft Finally Abandoning Microsoft Points? – Source: IGN

Update: I just had the incredible (dis)hono(u)r of being corrected by none other than Ben Paddon from Game Journalists Are Incompetent Fuckwits (actually, it was his off-topic blog, but whatevs.) Thanks for pointing out that I’m dumb!

Original critique below:

    One thing that has been universally panned in this generation of consoles is the use of points instead of, you know, real money, for the consoles’ online digital storefronts. Sony, despite its failings with the Playstation 3, is to be commended for introducing and offering PSN content at recognizable price points (such as $9.99, $29.99, etc.) from the get-go; Nintendo, to a lesser degree, as they used a one-to-one conversion between points and cents on the Wii, and then followed Sony’s lead with the Wii U’s eShop. Microsoft, while leading the pack in almost every other way, really dropped the ball in this respect with its wonky 80-points-per-dollar spacebucks. So imagine my surprise when I booted up my 360 to check out Microsoft’s special deals this week and saw this: While there have already been reports that the Windows 8 real-currency system would make its way to Xbox Live, I didn’t expect to see it until they unveil the next Xbox. Now I’m just wondering what kind of problems they might have in taking both points and straight dollars. Will Microsoft make the transition for all of its Live content now, or is this just a quick test for the model before Durango is revealed. I guess we’ll see soon (whether that’s at Microsoft’s rumored pre-E3 event or this holiday when we get our hands on the new hardware ourselves.)