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Microsoft: "We Never Intended To Ever Mislead People" With MS Points

January 21, 2010 in News comments 8

Should Microsoft ditch MS Points for real currency or stay with the current system? It's a question that has arisen after a rumor surfaced that Microsoft might ditch the MS Point system for Xbox Live due to many 360 owners being confused with the system. In response to the confusion, Aaron Greenberg recently told G4TV that it wasn't their intention to mislead people with using Microsoft Points as currency.

Earlier this month, it was rumored that Microsoft might ditch the MS Point system for Xbox Live. In an interview with G4TV, Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg pointed out that it wasn't their intention to mislead people with using Microsoft Points as currency.

"We never intended to ever mislead people," said Greenberg. "We want to be transparent about it, and so it is something that we're looking at.

"How can we be more transparent and let people see it in actual dollars? You've got to think that we have one service that we’re offering around the world. The nice thing about Points is that no matter if you're on the JPY or the EUR or the USD – something that's 200 Points is 200 Points everywhere around the world.

"There's more technical complexities to being able to put local prices in. You have to do that for every product in every country and you then have to deal with currency fluctuations. So there's some challenges to that, but we absolutely did it with the Games on Demand, response has been good and absolutely it’s something we're looking at doing."
Miss Razz via bravenewgamer.com »
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  • 3
    kevcothirtythree Jan 21, 10
    The thing is, a lot of things are a bit cheaper if you use MS points than real cash - just check out the Games on Demand part of Games for Windows, there's a good couple of pounds difference...
  • 6
    Curt Connors Jan 21, 10
    I'm sure it wasn't their intent to mislead, rather it was to confuse us and make us disassociate points and cash so we spend them more freely.
  • 3
    Aussie Legend Jan 21, 10
    I've never really had a problem with the points tbh.
  • 0
    Slumpy monkey Jan 21, 10
    The points are there for the reason he put. Which I can understand I guess. IDC either way. Real or points, its all cool.
  • 1
    conel3 Jan 22, 10
    The points are there to make people spend money. The reason microsoft use points is because that way they can make people buy more points than needed. for example most things are either 400 points 800 points or 1200 points but on xboxlive you can only buy mulitples of 500 points so you'll always have some left over. If you have some left over you're much more likely to buy some more to spend it.
  • 0
    Bale Fire Jan 22, 10
    Personally I prefer straight up cash, you know exactly how much your spending, plus you don't have work out the exact worth of every purchase.
  • 1
    RabidChinaGirl Jan 22, 10
    MS Points on LIVE work the same way as any virtual currency or credit. People tend to be shortsighted and overspend because they do not associate it with real money. Companies know this.

    Take two seconds to think before confirming that damn purchase, and there's nothing "misleading" about it.

    So if Microsoft wants to further confuse consumers, bring it on. I'm ready for you, ya' bastards.
  • 0
    Daweii Feb 8, 10
    I will admit the points system made me spend without questioning when I had an Xbox 360. I ended up with like 80 XBLA games and all sorts of content I probably didn't need, where as on Playstation 3 I have bought things but I do think twice, as £12.50 for content means more to me as it's real money than 1200 points does. It is the same but for me personally my brain did not associate 1200 points = £12 which had it, I wouldn't have bought as much on XBL thats for sure.

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