490°

Xbox Live evolves: no more Microsoft points, user ratings

ARS: Meeting with Microsoft's Scott Austin to talk about Xbox Live, there was little expectation of sexy reveals or big news, and what we saw during the briefing wasn't flashy in any way. But there was still some really good news for Xbox 360 owners: Microsoft is getting set to update Xbox Live in a number of ways to make it easier to find and buy content. The big news is that games will be priced in your local currency, and you'll be able to buy with a credit card, bypassing the point system altogether. That's not all.

"We're going to have 30 or more games launching in August, worldwide, in all markets. We'll also be adding new content in all of our markets weekly," Austin explained. This is the Games on Demand service that was announced after the Microsoft press conference: you'll now be able to buy full-sized, big-name titles directly from Xbox Live and download them to your console.

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arstechnica.com
kapedkrusader5441d ago (Edited 5441d ago )

...no one I hope. But MS people should really stop gloating when Sony implements features that gamers want, but were on on the 360 first. It's good for all of us when things like that happen. It makes the whole industry evolve and opens up room for growth.

JokesOnYou5441d ago (Edited 5441d ago )

Why would this have anything to do with copying sony at all. They are simply changing the method of payment, Live has been up and running with stuff available for purchase for along time the fact that you can now pay for the content in cash vs points does not amount to copying sony as if sony was the first to allow you to buy content online with a console. lol,

The big news here is Full Retail Games *worldwide, in all markets, available for download. Now thats a what I call "implenting features gamers want".

JOY

edit: Oh look, points are not going away. This is just a added option Thanks Kigmalvvvvv

Anon19745441d ago

Never liked having to buy points. I'll probably buy more if I can just charge it straight to my card. Good move by Microsoft.

Bnet3435441d ago

I'm going to type what I have to say in CAPS because I really am yelling over the internet and I want everyone to hear me:

CLICK THE DAMN LINK, HEADLINE IS MISLEADING, MICROSOFT IS NOT ABOLISHING POINTS.

gaffyh5441d ago

Ok so this is a good idea, but they should have had it since the beginning really. Good to see they are giving gamers the option of either using MS points of credit card.

jav09185441d ago

now how do you solve the problem of a 20GB harddrive and overpricing a 120GB when I payed 60 for a 500GB harddrive for my pc....

BRG90005441d ago

Kigmal is right, Microsoft has only announced that the full-retail game downloads will cost normal currency instead of points. Which makes sense because they are banking on convenience to get people to buy games online instead of in stores, and having to buy $60 worth of points is a big hit to the convenience factor.

This COULD mean that points go away altogether when the full retail game store opens, but that is not what MS has announced at this point.

Blaze9295441d ago (Edited 5441d ago )

THANK GOD!

kapedkrusader5441d ago

...It's not just the use of cash instead of points, it's also the selling of full retail games through download. I'm not LOOKING for a reason to say MS is copying Sony, I'm SAYING MS is copying Sony and it's ok. Stop antagonizing.

soxfan20055441d ago (Edited 5441d ago )

I've always disliked the points system to buy content. Imagine if you went to Gamestop to buy a $60 game, and you were told that you had to buy "Gamestop points", which were sold $100 at a time, and then use that to pay. That is how these points systems really work. Sure, you can use the rest of the points to buy other content, but you are screwed if you want just one game or Guitar Hero song.

Bravo to Microsoft for changing the system - let's hope Nintendo & Sony quickly follow suit - this is a win for all gamers.

FamilyGuy5441d ago

That was a smart move to sell their Xbox 1 games conveniently. Points won't go away because you can buy points cards in game stores using cash. Lots of younger gamers don't have credit cards so point cards will never go away.

SeNiLe9115441d ago

especially when I can get them cheaper then retail.

I bought over $400 in Microsoft point for $200 when the once upon a time Circuit City had a buy one accessory get one free deal going on and the MP were considered an accessory.

That was a huge score!!!

Megatron085441d ago

there are a lot of nice lil upgrades here for the xbl marketplace. However the whole paying for game ads to be put on your avatars is about as stupid as it gets

Defectiv3_Detectiv35441d ago (Edited 5441d ago )

You can only buy them in increments, which means your usually left w/ extra points your not using. So basically, you just invested your money in a worthless currency.

Every thing should just be at face value, like Nintendo or PSN do it. There is absolutely no excuse for using points, it is simply skeeming your customers.

And like other people have pointed out, when you buy a PSN game you can share it. That far outweighs whatever points you might find discounted. You shouldn't have to go to the trouble of finding a deal for points every time you want to buy something online.

kewlkat0075441d ago (Edited 5441d ago )

Where do you live a Close Communist State?

The beauty of Capitalism is Competitive markets and finding Bargains(well because you can) of course.

You act like it's sin to look for better deals and/sales/bargains through different merchants and online.

The thing about MS points is you can get Bargains for cheaper than what they are worth. Though you probably wouldn't know that.

Defectiv3_Detectiv35441d ago

And I am well aware of the fact they have bargains online for MS points, but that still doesn't make it better. Why should you have to jump through all those hoops in the first place?

You call that a good business model? PSN's structure is much more consumer freindly. I have over 10 PSN games on my PS, and only 3 of them i bought. And I didn't have to jump through any hoops or buy into a misleading point scheme.

IaMs125440d ago

please support PayPal options up front. Its so much safer/easier

cherrypie5440d ago

What Copy sony by selling things in dollars? Huh?

I was never bothered by Points, I understood why MS used them (to price things in a way that they could be dicussed internationally ie; 400pts is 400pts no matter what you paid for the points, therefore, you were always given a local-currency-agnostic price..). I dont know, maybe I'm not bothered by Grade 4 math required to understand 400pts == $5.

I find the Awards idea intersting, not a suprise really, they've talked about just such a thing for some time. It will be interesting to see in action. Ie: Can i *play* with my RC Warthog?

I'll be suprised if MS isnt moving to some kind of "open world" (yes, SDF, like "home", but much less a kind of Second Life and more a abstracted space like Wii has) where avatars cant interact with all this stuff that they are awarded...

+ Show (14) more repliesLast reply 5440d ago
caffman5441d ago

It means that I can buy points for cheap and get bargains. For instance the COD 5 pack was £7.99 on PS3 or 800 points on 360. This worked out to (due to cheap points from whsmiths (2100 for £14.85)) £5.65. That to me is a bargain

kratos1235441d ago

lol but if you buy them on ps3 you can gameshare up to 4 times
just telling the truth here

caffman5438d ago

they have the content on their 360 and can play it as well

iHEARTboobs5441d ago

Finally, I don't want points lying around.

Godmars2905441d ago

You'll just have to worry about a penny here and their. Just like Sony.

Carl14125441d ago

Actually if the total is more than £5 it uses up all of the credit in yor wallet, so you have £0.00 left, no stupid pennies left

Godmars2905441d ago

Dude, you do realize that if you're paying £5 for a PSN game that's $4.99, one of us is really getting ripped off. And it ain't me :p

Eiffel5441d ago

I really had no problem with points, I know the point price range so I was never bothered by this.

TheColbertinator5441d ago

Glad they are getting rid of points.Now I can purchase content without having to get a bundle of points with it that I don't need

Show all comments (60)
60°

Pacific Rim Pinball comes to Pinball FX

This could be fun as they make great tables. Go big or go extinct. Prime your senses for a neural handshake and step into the cockpit of a Jaeger. It is on you to cancel the apocalypse when Pacific Rim Pinball comes to Pinball FX on May 16.

130°

Looking Back At 2008, An Unbelievably Incredible Year Of Video Game Releases

Huzaifa from eXputer: "2008 was home to the likes of Call of Duty: World at War, Dead Space, GTA 4, Far Cry 2, Left 4 Dead, and many other hits, which is outright remarkable."

ChasterMies3d ago

Some of these low paid video game “news” writers weren’t born before 2007.

just_looken2d ago

Here here

Those that were around before 2000's i am sure are like me that think we entered a world of non readers or those that follow without question.

I can not wait to see fallout 3 a goty game even though it was about water with non content until you add the dlc/updates then you got the performance/crashing

CrimsonWing693d ago

I don’t think anything can compare to 2023

lucasnooker3d ago

1998 - the best year in gaming! Metal gear solid, crash bandicoot 3, medievil, half life, ocarina of time, thief, tenchu, resident evil 2, Spyro, tomb raider 3, oddworld abes exodus, banjo kazooie.

It was a different breed of a gaming era. You’ll never understand what it was like back then. The aura of gaming, it was different!

KyRo3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

I second this. Gaming was a lot more varied and fun than it is today. I'm 35 so getting on compared to some here but I got to see all the changes from NES up to now but I've never felt so disappointed in any generation than I have this current gen. I was expecting more from this generation rather than prettier versions of games that came before it. Game mechanics have become so refined that alot of games feel the same and has done for a while now.

Maybe it's time to have a break for a while. I love gaming but I don't feel I get much fun in the traditional sense out of it anymore.

CrimsonWing693d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil 2, Abe’s Exodus, and Ocarina of Time are the only things from that list that I liked.

Here’s the 2023 game releases that I personally liked… and big releases that I didn’t care for:

- Dead Space Remake
- Wo Long Dynatsy
- Resident Evil 4 Remake
- Diablo 4
- Fire Emblem Engage
- Hogwarts Legcay
- Street Fighter 6
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Like a Dragon: Ishin
- Octopath Traveler 2
- Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters
- Final Fanatsy XVI (actually ended up not liking this, but it was still a big deal release)
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
- Lies of P
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Starfield (Ended up hating this one, but big release)
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (I’m an old-school Zelda fan, but didn’t really enjoy this game)
- Alan Wake 2

I mean, honestly I’ve never seen a year of major IP releases like that, ever.

Profchaos3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Isn't it just a generational thing realistically.

I've been gaming since way back and I some of my favourite games go as far back as the late 80s for me each generation has a year or two of game changing releases one after another before an inevitable dry spell.

I kind of agree gaming had a different feel games hit different because we didn't have the internet nothing got spoiled and you really had to put in the effort to beat a puzzle which could set entire groups of people looking for a solution. But most importantly games were experimental and not as cookie cutter as today even basics like controls were not universal today r2 is shoot l2 is ads garunteed you can't deviate from that in a shooter back then it could of been square, R1 or R1 and circle nothing was standard.

But as time moves on a new generation picks up their controller they are going to be interested in different things that PS1 demo disc with the t Rex blew our primitive 16 bit brains back on launch but to kids today it's laughable.
The new gen of kids coming into to hobby seem to value different things to us there seems to be a huge focus on online play, streamers, gaming personalities, and social experiences, convience of digital downloads. To me I value none of that but that's ok like my parents not liking the band's I would listen to its just the natural cycle.

Gameseeker_Frampt3d ago

Just about every year in the 7th generation was great and something we most likely won't experience again.

2009 for example had Assassin's Creed 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Dragon Age: Origins, Uncharted 2, Halo 3: ODST, Killzone 2, Borderlands, Bayonetta, and Demon's Souls to name a few.

just_looken2d ago

It still amazes me we got over 7 rockstar games ps2/ps3 but 3 for the ps3/ps4/ps5

Dragon age 1-3 and mass effect 1-3 in 7ish years what a generation.

120°

6 Fun Games Where You Actually Play As The Bad Guy

While the mainstream media always sees things turning in favor of the hero, here are 6 games that own being a bad guy.

Profchaos3d ago

Pretty much all of these games listed are based around a morality system you don't have to be bad and you don't have to be good.

It seems to have left out some real amazing games like red dead redemption 1/2,ass effect and true crime la/ny

Tacoboto3d ago

Armored Core VI?

Ok, I'm really missing something here. Just beat chapter 3 earlier this evening, unlocked A-rank Arena fights. I'm not seeing or sensing any branching paths or morality system and I've done every side mission and arena fight available to me up to that fight.

Is something big coming soon to branch the story?

banger883d ago

No mention of Grand Theft Auto? Saints Row (original trilogy), Manhunt? Also The Suffering (depending on the ending you get).

ChasterMies3d ago

Trevor in GTA 6 is a sadist and psychopath who dabbles in cannibalism. Should be top of the list. These game “news” sites should hire people that know games.