“Microsoft will let independent developers sell video games for the Xbox 360 console — and keep most of the profits — beginning this holiday season, the company said Tuesday,” Barbara Ortutay reports for The Associated Press.
“Microsoft said it will let game makers who are members of its $99-a-year XNA Creators Club submit their games for peer review. If they pass, the game creators can sell their work on the Xbox Live Marketplace, the console’s online store,” Ortutay reports. Microsoft will let “game makers pick a price tag between 200 and 800 ‘Microsoft Points’ for their titles. Eight hundred of these points are roughly worth $10.”
MacDailyNews Take: Microsoft uses “points” instead of real money so that there are always “leftovers” which encourages pigeons to continue buying more points. More importantly, it’s also a very nice free upfront loan. You “buy” points from Microsoft – meaning you give Microsoft real money for nothing – and they invest it and generate interest for themselves until you eventually send/receive/setup/test/repack/return your six Red-Ring-of-Death’ed Xbox units, get one that seems to work, however temporary that may be, and eventually “spend” your points on “Drake of the 99 Dragons.” How nice of Xbox pigeons to loan their hard-earned dollars to Microsoft, a $236 billion company. To Recap: Microsoft’s “points” are designed to confuse consumers and generate interest income from “leftover” amounts. That’s exactly why “1 Microsoft Point” doesn’t equal “1 U.S. Cent.” The more suckers Microsoft can dupe into this Microsoft Points scheme, the more “leftovers” they get.
MacDailyNews Note: Apple uses real currency. No left overs. No “points” scheme. Just a single, simple, straight-up, honest transaction. Because they aren’t unethical greedy bastards.
Ortutay continues, “Developers will receive up to 70% of the total revenue their games generate. Microsoft will keep the rest, though its cut will be more than 30% if a game is prominently featured — which should mean it would sell better.”
Full article here.
Guy Dixon reports for vnunet.com, “‘Nobody has ever done this before,’ said Boyd Multerer, general manager of XNA, Microsoft’s game-development system. ‘We have high hopes that it will be a good business. We have no proof. This is what happens when you do something that’s never been seen before.'”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Sam Spade” for the heads up.]
MacDailyNews Take: “Nobody has ever done this before?” Sheesh. Shameless Derivativesoft even copied Apple’s App Store split percentages.
Me too!!! Me too!!!
Outstanding takes, MacDailyNews!!!
EXCELLENT NEWS!
Microsoft re-affirms its desire to die an ugly death.
What more could we ask for?
The only reason why I own an Xbox is because I can bootleg all their games.
Microsoft NEWS motto:
“We stole it here first!”
Do you remember the banners at (I think it was) 2004 WWDC “Redmond Start Your Copiers” and how there were objections that Apple was getting a bit to haughty?
All Redmond knows how to do is copy or steal or plagiarise – er ah – that’s all the same…
– The Department of Redundancy Department.
Microshaft: Once a Whore Always a whore ®
Anyone NOT surprised???
Peace.
Actually, everytime I buy a song with one-o-them-there gift cards, I have a penny leftover.
Now Apple must be hoping that I buy enough iTunes cards to make use of all those extra pennies.
Man.
Points is like keeping up with and trying to actually use your frequent flyer miles…what a hassle with arm-twisting stipulations. Thanks again, M$, for complicating and adding variables to our productivity. Just what new features will be added to the next Office to justify the huge price tag?
John Gee,
The very big difference is that those are still real pennies (actual currency) that can be used directly towards your next purchase.
Please Microscam sell me some points. Amazing concept.
Microsoft should be renamed MeTooSoft
“Sheesh. Shameless Derivativesoft even copied Apple’s App Store split percentages.”
They ‘improved’ the split to “up to 70%” compared to Apple’s promise of “70%”….
Msft will do anything for more bucks…. That’s why they’re loved.
Oh, come on now. They’re NOT ripping off Apple’s App Store.
They’re ripping off Nintendo’s Virtual Console AND Apple’s App Store.
When my xbox 360 died after 2 years, Microsoft took it in and repaired it no questions asked… and rightfully so.
When my iBook decided to burn itself out after 12 months of use, Apple didn’t want to know.
+1 Microsoft
Boy in the Bubble,
It’s called a warranty, moron.
Xbox has major issues: $1-3 billion in costs for MS. They have to replace them because of rampant manufacturing flaws:
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/14187/
You want a longer warranty on your “iBook?” It’s called “AppleCare.”
If you’re too cheap, too stupid, and/or too short-sighted, don’t blame Apple for your inadequacies.
Apple does not charge more for prominently displaying your iPhone App in the App Store, the split is always the same.
Microsoft to XNA developers “We’ll charge you more if your game is popular or if we pick it to feature/promote!”
@James
In 2004 I said no to the Apple Care program and after 4 serious falls including a counter top and a fire stairwell, and one “mistake” by TSA my PowerBook still works nicely thank you.
As for inadequacies, my Viagra/Cialis cocktail helps me out with that. But I doubt users of the XBox app store would understand what I use it for.
P.S. – 50 MS points for the first person who creates an XBox app that’s NOT a video game. (I wonder if OpenOffice.org will submit something.)
“Xbox has major issues $1-3 billion in costs for MS. They have to replace them because of rampant manufacturing flaws:”
Yeah, the G4 iBook’s motherboards were a real monument to quality control….
“If you’re too cheap, too stupid, and/or too short-sighted, don’t blame Apple for your inadequacies.”
Typical mindless fanboy insult. Good example why Apple has 3% of the world market – and a great example on how to treat your customers…
Let me say for the record, my iPhone crashes about 3 times a day since I updated to 2.0, MobileMe totally sucks, and I put Tiger back on 3 of my Macs cause Leopard is Apple’s version of Vista (Slow, Sluggish, Crash Prone)…
So Apple is now moving into a bigger market, … one not dominated by mindless robots like you .. ie. “Oh, it has a few problems but look how pretty it is, Go STEVE!!!”…. Sorry, in the real world people expect their products to work. I could care less how Pretty, Sexy, gorgeous, or elegant a product is if it doesn’t work as it should and/or falls apart in a few months, … Apple’s quality has dropped 100% since I first “switched” 4 years ago…
Apple makes millions on currency conversions that are almost always in Apple’s favor. The US dollar is in the toilet compared to other currencies. The price differential on most Macs is so great that most Europeans can buy round trip airfare, fly to America, buy their Mac, fly home and still be money ahead.
And yes, Microsoft does the same things with overseas Windows and Office prices.
“Because they aren’t unethical greedy bastards.”
Does that make Apple ethical greedy bastards?
You guys are ridiculous. Microsoft has had this XNA plan in place and talked about it long before Apple ever breathed a word of Apps Store. Get off your horse.
As for the points…yeah, I don’t really have anything there. It’s pretty silly.
Actually, Microsoft IS an innovator. They focus all that innovative power into copying their competitors faster than their competitors can build market presence. That takes skill, and quite a large marketing and legal team to do.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
Jordan,
“You guys are ridiculous. Microsoft has had this XNA plan in place and talked about it long before Apple ever breathed a word of Apps Store. Get off your horse.”
So you are saying that Apple stole MicroSoft’s new and innovative idea?
“moron”, “too cheap, too stupid, and/or too short-sighted” and “your inadequacies”….. wow… feeling a little insecure today?
Calling people names is generally viewed as a childish activity… something better suited to the school playground than a message board not frequented by children.
Do yourself a favor and try to make your points without the name calling. You’ll get much further in life.
MDN = jackasses as usual. The store was announced before iPhone 2.0 software – let alone an app store – was even mentioned.
Furthermore the way it’s community driven is something Apple don’t even have the cojones for. It’s entirely peer reviewed and you don’t have to sit and wait around for Apple to get their collective finger out their hiney.
As always, MDN, you are mere trolls.
P.S. mass transactions = cheaper conversions = cheaper fun for everyone.