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Microsoft's move to real cash hurts UK buyers, helps Canadian buyers
- Thread starter Gowans
- Start date
PsihoPerihelion
Member
lol everyone has been hating the points system for this entire generation. Now we get it converted to local currency and they complaint even more!
Never change, Cheap-o-GAF.
Never change, Cheap-o-GAF.
Miles Quaritch
Member
Well the prices are now in line with those on PSN, so I'm not sure how people at large will react....
Taco_Human
Member
So buy something before you update?
Miles Quaritch
Member
Exactly, like I said, trying to lose that dominance. The 360 did as well as it did largely because it was more affordable. UK market is dire right now gaming wise, and everyone is after a cheap deal. They've completely done a role reversal with Sony with the PS3 launch. To clarify, the Xbox One is launching here at £429. That's actually more than the premium PS3 ($599!) model launched in the UK (£425). By comparison, the PS4 is £349, £80 cheaper, that's just under $120 cheaper...
toythatkills
Member
Can you find a single example of a person actually going through any of these changes?
Lol at missing the point. I think most people wanted cash options, but just one's that lined up price wise to the current points system. Not a cash system that was more expensive than the points system. But you can't have everything I suppose.
Captain Tuttle
Member
But it wasn't a shitty system, there were discounted points cards for sale pretty often.
Samurai_Heart
Member
I blame this on you Canadians, why did your currency become stronger unlike the US and then you all started to complain about the Microsoft points being unequal to your currency worth, you ruined it for the UK, the country where Xbox is our No.1 console now.
Parody post XD.
So glad I'm not got anything to buy on the 360 thanks to lack of hard drive space XD
So glad I'm not got anything to buy on the 360 thanks to lack of hard drive space XD
People that buy one piece of DLC or two arcade games a year. They didn't like the points because they couldn't pay the exact amount.
Heavy customers like me liked the points.
3rdamention
Member
I wish, I would make more than I do as a 6th Grade School Teacher, that is for sure. But I wouldn't be able to sit here during the Summers enjoying all the fun of NeoGAF.
In all seriousness, I tried to think how this could be spun if needed, and that was all I could come up with. When I typed it, it sounded like something Mattrick might say.
Now I miss him! lol.
OK, do you have points currently sitting in your account? That's how Microsoft makes their short term cash. Because you've given them money, but you haven't redeemed all of it for purchases. That residual amount is effectively their net asset until you redeem it for a purchase.
I wish they had done this a few months ago in the UK, so that all the people who buy Call of Duty branded 1200 point cards could get home and find out Microsoft had ripped them off. The outrage resulting from that would have been the only way this could have been reversed. Right now I doubt many people care.
Just downloaded the update. Had 1200 points. They gave me £10.20 when converting. The things that were 1200 points before are now £11.99 so I lost out there. Was planning on downloading CoJ:Gunslinger but I now don't have enough in my account. Pretty annoying
Unless I'm missing something, there seems to be no way to subtract the balance of your account from a purchase if you don't have enough in your account to cover the full purchase, which blows if there isn't a way to do this.
Unless I'm missing something, there seems to be no way to subtract the balance of your account from a purchase if you don't have enough in your account to cover the full purchase, which blows if there isn't a way to do this.
Zombie James
Banned
Points were an easy way for MS to ignore currency value and this is why I rarely bought anything on Live. About time this changed, it only took eight fucking years.
Look, they had three options here:
1) Switch to real world currency and keep current prices, selling games and DLC cheaper than Sony or sometimes Steam. (Normally I don't lol but... lol. I mean, seriously.)
2) Raise prices to PSN levels, convert existing points to the new purchase value. This allows some people to stockpile on points -now-, bypassing the price hike for as long as their points last. Dumb. Arbitrary.
3) Raise prices to PSN levels, convert existing points to their original purchase value. Everyone gets back as much money as they spent. Everyone is affected the same by the new prices.
And well, then there's option 4 which would be keeping MS points and what I wished they had done... but reading this thread is a real eye opener: I guess they really were too complicated for some people.
For those in the UK, I suggest following me
Yeah, good call. I only did that a few months ago and I wonder why I didn't do it sooner. So, you'll migrate to Ouya, I guess? Because hell, PSN is apparently too expensive!
Stole a few of your guys points for a reddit thread also.
http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/1hydx2/new_xbox_360_beta_increases_the_price_of_xbla/
I find it shocking of the lack of warning. Imagine having 1200 sitting waiting for something to buy then having it converted and having to pay more. We have protection against that in the UK/EU I hope people complain, the way it has been done is awful.
http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/1hydx2/new_xbox_360_beta_increases_the_price_of_xbla/
I find it shocking of the lack of warning. Imagine having 1200 sitting waiting for something to buy then having it converted and having to pay more. We have protection against that in the UK/EU I hope people complain, the way it has been done is awful.
No doubt, don't you remember agreeing to not publicly discuss the content?
Just had my Microsoft points 'converted' in the beta. They've given me around 2-3% more credit than they're actually worth, but they're still worth less than the 'new value'.
I had exactly 1600 in my account which has now been converted to £13.78 £1.21 less than their 'new value' of £14.99.
I had exactly 1600 in my account which has now been converted to £13.78 £1.21 less than their 'new value' of £14.99.
I can see loads of cases of that coming, or people doing it on purpose to make a point and complain.
Miles Quaritch
Member
Looks like they've also added £1 to £2 to all games. Just did a quick check and Minecraft is £15 on the marketplace and £14 on Game. Castle Crashers is £12 on the marketplace and only £10 on Game.
Jesus Christ, MS. What the fuck are you doing? Game, bloody Game is now cheaper.
What the fuck.
Anyone up for raising a stink about this on the beta forum?
Jesus Christ, MS. What the fuck are you doing? Game, bloody Game is now cheaper.
What the fuck.
Anyone up for raising a stink about this on the beta forum?
I didn't see that but the second they start messing with my funds that's got to be null and void.
We pay more on everything.
CrunchinJelly
formerly cjelly
There are already posts about it on there.
It says they've been added to "my Microsoft account", so I'm guessing it's all Windows platforms.
Neuromancer
Member
I'm not saying I'm not an asshat but I don't think I've ever once complained about the point system. It's served me well over the years.
Miles Quaritch
Member
You can now apparently buy WP games using MS account funds. I assume the same is true across the board for Windows Store content.
Delusibeta
Banned
800pt XBLA games will be noticeably cheaper on PSN/Steam. Good thing they moved on to 1200pts as being the standard, right?
People aren't complaining solely about the transition, people are complaining about Microsoft hiking the prices up by 33%. A 800pt game now effectively costs 1100pts, for example.
hmmm good news if it's truly just a balance in my microsoft account.
guess my xbox one will be discounted 66% thanks to stocking up on MSP from recent pricing glitch.
Miles Quaritch
Member
Yeah, I just noticed the posts. Lots of anger.
Are you logged into your account?
I guess we'll see, but I don't believe games will be more expensive on 360. They'll certainly feel more expensive now that we've lost the points benefits, but prices won't see a dramatic rise on 360.
They'll be standard across the board. £9.99 on PS3/Steam will translate to £9.99 on 360. MS would be insane not to ensure this happens...
In what way is this different from buying a $20 gift card? In fact, since dollar-amount cards aren't taxed, it's much, much worse. With a 1600 msp card, you can buy a $20 game. If you have a $20 gift card, you aren't able to buy a $20 game due to tax.
PSN has discount on pretty much every game that comes out since I'm a PSN member
This isn't about money, its about the fact that they essentially stole money from me
One of the many reasons why Xbox marketplace was much better than the PSN Storetoythatkills
Member
We're already seeing, right now. Literally every single thing on XBLA is more expensive than it was yesterday.
(In the UK)
Miles Quaritch
Member
That's due to the loss of the points system that benefited the UK quite a bit. I'm sure prices will normalise once the update rolls out to all users.
At least that's the hope....
peanutbutterlatte
Member
Wow. This is really shitty.
The people saying "THANKS A LOT NO POINTS GUYS.", really? Blaming other people for Microsoft's greed? Don't do that.
Miles Quaritch
Member
And? Fuck that noise. If they want people to maintain an NDA, they shouldn't so stupid shit that effectively (in the short term at least and hopefully it is only short terms) screws an entire country.