Xbox 360 to continue to use MS Points system: Microsoft

Earlier this week, we had reported that Microsoft may be moving away from its Microsoft Points system for purchases made on the Xbox 360’s online store. In a new statement to The Verge, Microsoft has clarified that the Xbox 360 will continue to use the Microsoft Points system. Microsoft seems to be splitting the stores between Windows 8 and Xbox Live in a strange way – by giving users the ability to use actual currency on Windows 8, but forcing them to use Microsoft Points for making the same purchases on the Xbox 360. Users trying to make purchases on the Xbox 360 store will have to use Windows 8 to be able to transact in the local currency.

Microsoft Points have been controversial as the system never allowed users to buy only the exact number of points required. They can only buy the points in sets of 400, 800, etc. This could prove to be annoying with things costing, say 200 points. Users have 200 points to spare, and they feel as if they have been compelled to buy more points that they needed.

More from News & Analysis

What is the US HIRE Bill and why is India’s $250-billion IT sector worried? Is the internet dead? What's this theory that OpenAI's Sam Altman says might be true?

According to the earlier report, users can still use Microsoft Points for purchases, but the store itself defaults to using real money for transactions in the Windows 8 store. It has now been confirmed by Microsoft that this feature will not be making its way to the Xbox 360.

The Xbox 360 will continue to use Microsoft Points for purchases

Earlier this month, it was revealed that Microsoft will be launching its own Spotify-like music service for the Xbox 360. The service seems to be designed with Microsoft’s Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 in mind, as users will be able to store music from the service onto Microsoft’s cloud service – SkyDrive. The service will make its way to Xbox 360s in an upcoming dashboard update. The service will also get its own apps for iOS and Android soon after the release.

Recently, Microsoft started a rewards system for gamers with high Gamerscores on Xbox Live. The new rewards program is meant to reward gamers for their loyalty to Microsoft’s gaming console – the Xbox 360. The rewards come in three tiers and seem to be very miniscule. The first tier, called Contender, is for those with a Gamerscore between 3,000 and 9,999. This tier gets a ‘special gift’ during the gamer’s birthday month. The website notes that the ‘special gift’ will be valued at $0.25 (around Rs 13). The next tier, called Champion, is for those with a Gamerscore between 10,000 and 24,999. Gamers in this tier receive the ‘special gift’, along with a 1 percent rebate on purchases made on Xbox Live Arcade for every month. The third and final tier, called Legend, is for those with a Gamerscore of 25,000 and above. Gamers in this tier also get the ‘special gift’, along with a 2 percent rebate on purchases made on Xbox Live Arcade.

According to an earlier report, a supposed Xbox 720 “Durango” developer kit was posted on a developer forum and was introduced to the public for a price of $10,000. The developer kit resembles the traditional PC tower running a debug launcher, which caused many people to be cautious and sceptical about whether the prototype is authentic. EuroGamer’s Digital Foundry reached the source of the leak. After following up on the story with multiple developers, who are working on next-gen projects, they came to the conclusion that the hardware was real.