A Loss for Real Money
We enjoy Xbox Live a great deal. We pay money to use it. We even sat through hours of live 1 vs. 100 games on the off chance our dancing avatar might win some precious Microsoft Points. See, we love many of the things Xbox Live will trade a person in exchange for Microsoft Points, but we hate purchasing the Points themselves.
It’s an old complaint but a valid one. Microsoft Points must be purchased in bulk, and the bulk quantities don’t always match the most common prices for downloadable content. So, we’re often stuck with purchasing $20 worth of Microsoft Points to spend on a game that only costs $15 worth of Microsoft Points. We’re left with measly, near-useless Points we don’t want and won’t use. We’re not conspiracy theorists, but this smells of a scheme to con Xbox Live users into purchasing fake toy automobiles for their avatars. No dice, Microsoft!
Which is why we’re sad to learn that Amazon will no longer be offering download codes for Xbox Live Arcade games in exchange for actual human currency. Buying codes through Amazon added a step to the purchasing process, but it was worth it to know no cash was wasted. Well, assuming you didn’t spend your money on a code for Limbo.
Yes, the PlayStation Network does and always has used a system of real human currency for its offerings, but this is beside the point. The PlayStation Network, you see, is a miserable wasteland.
Mostly.