Will Microsoft Points be replaced with real-world currency?

January 24, 2012 By Rick Marshall

A new rumor suggests that Microsoft will switch to real-world currency for digital goods by the end of 2012.

If you’re tired of trying to figure out the exchange rate between U.S. dollars and Microsoft Points, a new rumor making the rounds should give you hope.

According to Inside Mobile Apps, Microsoft will abandon its proprietary Microsoft Points currency by the end of the year, and begin a more direct system of exchanging real-world money for digital goods.

The move will take effect on Xbox Live, the Zune marketplace, and Windows Phones, bringing Microsoft’s platform-wide system more in line with Apple’s App store and the Android marketplace. And while it’s still an entirely unofficial, unconfirmed rumor at this point, it’s that last element (the need to compete with Apple and Google markets) that seems to give it the most credibility.

The report indicates that developers with DLC and in-app purchasing options on the way have been asked to make sure their products are in line with the new currency system, as all Microsoft Points will be converted to regional currency when the change takes effect.

Inside Mobile reports that Microsoft declined to comment on the rumor.

Showing 5 comments

Miles Rose at 1:04pm 24th January 2012 Alright! Now if we could just be able to gift content...
Kenneth Lorenzo Jones at 7:52pm 24th January 2012 About time. MS Points were just a way of generating extra revenue for Microsoft. You had to buy the points in groups of like 600, but everything cost 800 or 1200 points, so always end up with a remainder.
TechFreak at 11:33am 24th January 2012 I have been waiting for this forever. The Zune marketplace was a terrible infrastructure and using credits was a joke. I always wound up with an odd number of credits leftover, so basically I was wasting my money in the process.
Andrew White at 7:13pm 24th January 2012 it's better than sugarcoating it. i always thought MS points were a pretty foolproof way of making people think they're getting more than they're spending.
Sean Bahaking at 6:34pm 24th January 2012 Welcome to the 21 century M$...