Microsoft Points no longer 'mandatory' in Windows 8

[ComeTurismO]

Windows 8 will allow users to pay for game, movie and music content with a credit card instead of forcing them to use Microsoft Points, as it did in the beta.

Well, that's cheap.. I don't want my parents to use their credit card, with all the hacking and phishing that is going on, so I'm not comfortable with this. I guess I'll have to go back to blockbuster.

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[Gahars]

According to the first article, you can still use the points for purchases; they just won't be the only way to make purchases for some items. They're starting to cut out the middleman here, and I think that's a good move; I'll take the convenience of paying directly over the roundabout point conversion any day. When they phase the points out completely, I'm sure they'll still let you use pre-paid cards. They'd be losing money if they didn't.

As for your last point... I hate to break it to you, buddy, but I think Blockbuster is gone. It went the way of the dinosaurs and Rosie O'Donald's career.

 

[RupeeClock]

As for your last point... I hate to break it to you, buddy, but I think Blockbuster is gone. It went the way of the dinosaurs and Rosie O'Donald's career.

Maybe Blockbuster is still around in Canada?
We still have them in the UK.

Whatever, I can see Windows 8 totally floundering because let's be honest, most people use Windows as an operating system because everyone else makes the good software for it.
Only people who don't know better actually use Internet Explorer or Windows Media Player and the such.

 

[Hyro-Sama]

Blockbuster has removed all the their Canadian stores. So you're out of luck.

If you feel uncomfortable using your parents credit card online then just acquire a pre-paid credit card. Most banks have them now and you don't have to be of Adult age.

 

[ComeTurismO]

Blockbuster has removed all the their Canadian stores. So you're out of luck.

If you feel uncomfortable using your parents credit card online then just acquire a pre-paid credit card. Most banks have them now and you don't have to be of Adult age.

True, but I have blockbuster, still alive, have so many locations over here, just passed by a open one today. There's also HMV. Well, true, ima get a pre-paid credit card then.

 

[Hells Malice]

Blockbuster has removed all the their Canadian stores. So you're out of luck.

If you feel uncomfortable using your parents credit card online then just acquire a pre-paid credit card. Most banks have them now and you don't have to be of Adult age.

True, but I have blockbuster, still alive, have so many locations over here, just passed by a open one today. There's also HMV. Well, true, ima get a pre-paid credit card then.

Pretty sure they're still phasing out all the blockbusters.
It's very much a dead, or near dead name. They've all but flatlined. Mine closed months ago, so did my Rogers.

 

[[M]artin]

What about the useless 210 Microsoft Points I still have left over from years ago? How will I EVER use those?!

But in all seriousness, this is a step in the right direction

 

[ShadowSoldier]

Blockbuster has removed all the their Canadian stores. So you're out of luck.

If you feel uncomfortable using your parents credit card online then just acquire a pre-paid credit card. Most banks have them now and you don't have to be of Adult age.

True, but I have blockbuster, still alive, have so many locations over here, just passed by a open one today. There's also HMV. Well, true, ima get a pre-paid credit card then.

Pretty sure they're still phasing out all the blockbusters.
It's very much a dead, or near dead name. They've all but flatlined. Mine closed months ago, so did my Rogers.

I actually liked Rogers Video.

Well when I was a kid, they were in this one location, and the set up and everything was awesome, it was one of my favorite things to go there. It was sweet. Then they moved to this smaller store on the other end of town, and it just wasn't the same.

The only thing I miss about Blockbuster is at the time of Pokemon Snap's release, you could go in there and print out stickers.

 

[Qtis]

Points are one of the oddest features ever to hit gaming consoles. If you have to download the stuff from the internet, why not just hit prepaid vouchers with real money / use a credit card for everything? People still keep the excess money in the service via real money vouchers

Good to see some progress!

 

[Rydian]

Points are one of the oddest features ever to hit gaming consoles. If you have to download the stuff from the internet, why not just hit prepaid vouchers with real money / use a credit card for everything? People still keep the excess money in the service via real money vouchers

Good to see some progress!

Well "points" and "tokens" don't fall under the same regulations as "money".

 

[Qtis]

Well "points" and "tokens" don't fall under the same regulations as "money".

I guess that is true, but then again, buying those said tokens does. Sure it's easier to give a kid a few thousand points vs real money to play with, but it's just basically the same. Still gets taxed and all... :I

 

[ShadowSoldier]

Even though Nintendo's WiiWare thing is still somewhat the same, at least their system wasn't screwed up. 100 = 1.00. Not 80 = 1.00 or 1200 points = 10.00 bucks.

I don't know what the fuck Microsoft was thinking when they brought that into play. And the thing is, isn't this still going to be on Xbox Live? It's just not mandatory in Windows 8.

 

[Rydian]

Well "points" and "tokens" don't fall under the same regulations as "money".

I guess that is true, but then again, buying those said tokens does. Sure it's easier to give a kid a few thousand points vs real money to play with, but it's just basically the same. Still gets taxed and all... :I

Well, take these two situations.

1 - Person directly buys virtual software with cash. Said software does not even work (does not function as promised at all). Person can demand their money back or take the company to court.

2 - Person buys points with real money, then tries to use points to get virtual goods. Virtual goods do not actually arrive. Person cannot demand their money back or sue, because they purchased points, and they did get the points. The secondary exchange of points to virtual goods is entirely within the domain of the company.

Using points instead of direct-purchase gives companies a "you can't sue me for this" buffer, which, as we've seen with Sony and such, companies love.

 

[Fear Zoa]

Think this will make its way to xbox too? I can't say I'd really mind the tragic loss of "Spacebucks"

 

[chartube12]

Blockbuster has removed all the their Canadian stores. So you're out of luck.

If you feel uncomfortable using your parents credit card online then just acquire a pre-paid credit card. Most banks have them now and you don't have to be of Adult age.

True, but I have blockbuster, still alive, have so many locations over here, just passed by a open one today. There's also HMV. Well, true, ima get a pre-paid credit card then.

Pretty sure they're still phasing out all the blockbusters.
It's very much a dead, or near dead name. They've all but flatlined. Mine closed months ago, so did my Rogers.

Well Dish bought out blockbuster so they could absorb the studio contracts for digital streaming into themselves. Several weeks later they closed 1/4 of the BlockBusters in my country. I heard the US is the only country with them left, with the exception the big corporate stores stores.

 

[chartube12]

Even though Nintendo's WiiWare thing is still somewhat the same, at least their system wasn't screwed up. 100 = 1.00. Not 80 = 1.00 or 800 points = 10.00 bucks.

I don't know what the fuck Microsoft was thinking when they brought that into play.

The missing 20 cents per dollar was suppose to be taxes Microsoft was supposed to be paying. By charging everyone the same tax they avoided the need to make adjustments for different, states and countries. However, as it turns out, the IRS found Microsoft wasn't paying taxes with the 20 cents per dollar and was pocketing it. So now stores are supposed to be charging tax on the point cards. I have found many stores in my area still haven't began charging tax on the point cards. A few do but not many at all.