| Product: |
Xbox Live 2100 Microsoft Points Card |
| Date: |
11/04/07 (2396 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Great way to pay for extra content; buy arcade games 'night or day'; no credit/debit card needed
Disadvantages: No refunds, non-transferable; only '2100' points per card; fixed marketplace pricing
INTRODUCTION
Playing a videogame console used to be a simple affair; buy the unit, grab a game from the store and then away you go. Nowadays, things are a little more sophisticated in the gaming world; thanks to the always-on internet technology installed in most homes, new games are now only a button press away. Microsoft’s Marketplace has revolutionized the system, and to get in on this action you’ll need to grab some Gamerpoints.
Cue the handily titled, self-explanatory ‘2100 Microsoft Points Card’.
Available from all good high-street retailers, this card will provide you with sufficient points to grab several downloadable arcade titles and still have enough left over for various dashboard themes, music videos and expansion packs.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
Packaged in a traditional ‘Xbox green’ DVD jewel case, the card itself comes attached to a thick paper insert. This provides basic information on how to apply the points to your ‘Xbox 360 Live’ account.
Activation is pretty straightforward; it’s simply a matter of removing the card from the sleeve, scratching the foil away to reveal the 12-digit code and entering it into the system via the Marketplace blade. Once you’ve confirmed the code, your account is instantly updated with the extra 2100 points.
There are only two minor issues that bother me with the whole process: Firstly, the nasty silver foil isn’t the most pleasant of substances to deal with, so a coin is a must when scratching the surface away lest you wish to dye your fingers a ‘not too pleasant’ metallic colour. Secondly, entering the 12-digit alphanumeric code isn’t the most ergonomic of tasks when using a gamepad; why a more simplistic 8 or even 9-digit system wasn’t used is beyond me.
I’d also like to question whether the DVD slipcase is really required. After all, it’s only a tiny card and the box’s design means that it’s useless for any other purpose. Surely a more subtle ‘iTunes’ blueprint would save on costly packaging and shelf space?
VALUE FOR MONEY
Taking into account the estimated retail price of the card (approx £17.50), the transfer rate is roughly 0.83 pence per point. This translates to roughly £3.30 for a smaller retro game, £6.60 for a larger modern title and just shy of ten pounds for a top level game; you can expect to pay about £1.70 for extra themes & music videos, and more erratic rates for downloading bonus content for store-bought games.
Obviously, your mileage varies depending on what you buy. You could easily get lost in the delights of ‘Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved’, ‘Uno’ and ‘Robotron: 2084’ for the same cost as the ‘Lumines: Base Pack’ alone. The value of the content isn’t necessarily reflected in the price; for every ‘Castlevania: SOTN’, (that provides twenty plus hours of wondrous gameplay for the price of pint and a packet of crisps) there’s going to be a ‘Horse Armour Pack’ for Oblivion, which offers nothing but superficial content that previously would be offered for nothing!
It’s worth searching online for opinions and reviews of the content on offer at the marketplace – shrewd research is quickly rewarded and bargains are to be had if you know where to invest; you may even find the cards themselves for below RRP if you look hard enough, saving you even more money long term!
PLUS POINTS
The cards can be applied to your account at any time of the day or night. If you fancy toping up or buying content at 3 a.m. then you’re quite welcome to do so. This flexibility and freedom is most gratifying, and allows you to feed your gaming sweet-tooth regardless of public holidays or business hours. Using this content delivery system you never run the risk of the dreaded ‘sold out’ sign as stock is available 24/7 from the moment of release!
Thanks to the points card system, you no longer have to disclose or register your credit or debit card details allowing you to easily keep track of your marketplace spending and help prevent any potential abuse. Youngsters are now free to enjoy the wide selection offered by Microsoft’s marketplace without the need for a parent’s bank details first!
Microsoft’s Points cards are also a great gift idea if you have nieces and nephews that love to play videogames on their 360. You don’t run the risk of duplicate game purchases and your loved ones have the freedom to choose the games that they want! Better than ‘book tokens’ any day of the week!
MINUS POINTS
There are several negative aspects to the game card system. Foremostly, you’re paying cash up-front for non-transferable points; prices are fixed, no refunds are available for downloaded items and content becomes locked to the purchaser’s account.
Similarly, the number of points per card is rather perplexing. Why ‘2100’ per purchase? Surely a ‘2400 point’ (£20) card, for example, would provide enough credit multiples for several arcade titles: two full-, three mid- and six low-price games or a combination of the three.
As it currently stands, with the ‘2100’ cards, you’re nearly always left with a few hundred points that can only be spent on smaller chunks of content. Some may question whether Microsoft actively proposed this amount in order to encourage customers to consume more content, however, I still remain confident that it was merely a coincidental misstep, particularly now a (more divisible) ‘4000 point’ card is on sale for the US market.
OVERALL
‘Micro-Transactions’ are the way of the future, and Microsoft’s points cards are an excellent way to boost your entertainment quota without the need to go overboard. Whilst there are still a number of conceptual kinks to be ironed out, the ‘2100 point’ card will provide you with enough buying ‘oomph’ to be getting on with.
Summary: Still the best way to pay for Xbox 360 'Live Marketplace' transactions.
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