Amazon now selling Xbox Live Arcade games
By Nilay Patel 
posted Apr 8th 2009 2:47PM
posted Apr 8th 2009 2:47PM
[Via Joystiq]
posted Apr 8th 2009 2:47PM
Number of PS3 consoles sold in Oct 2009.
Gaming industry numbers in October, 2009 showed the Wii to hold the top sales spot, followed by the PS3 and the Xbox 360.
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Hmm, either log into amazon, shop for it, enter in the code with your controller or remote (yeah keyboard works too but meh) then start the download
OR
go on your xbox and just goto the game and click 'buy' (if you run out of points and your credit card is linked to the system, it takes like 10 seconds to buy more points)
I say: Lame idea unless the price is significantly lower or you are buying as a gift.
you seem to have failed at quoting.
failing at quoting makes me blush...
And yet why MUST you use points? What is wrong with real currency, even as an OPTION? (This my BIG beef with GFW Live)
Further more, yes, I can see the annoyance of transferring. But maybe if it succeeds, M$ will let Amazon implement a mechanism that places your game straight into the XBL account. You always start out at the bottom with these sort of things.
MS requires points because: you buy points and then the points aren't really money anymore so why not get x and y as well, it's only 'points'...or at least that is what MS hopes. Also, items are 'priced' in such a way that you have points left over, so that purchase of z becomes easier with just a 'few' extra points to buy to get it.
It's all very sneaky.
I don't mind the points system but as MS is trying to integrate things like the Zune Marketplace into other areas aside from just the PC and Xbox, I think there should be at least an option to purchase songs individually seeing as the general public would probably prefer that. It also makes sense and could potentially make users purchase alternatively when they want just one songs, like from AmazonMP3.
first isn't always best... like being the first to get a venereal disease.
It's about time we can buy arcade games without having to worry about how many points they cost.
Point system=FAIL!
Me understand ca$h price...points iz 2 hard.
yeah, i think it was the biggest mistake on microsofts part to think that it's semi-mature audience would be remotely smart enough to divide by 4(00) and multiply by 5, or use the calculators lying around.
now that i think about it, it actually makes sense how most people wouldn't do the math and end up going on shopping sprees without really knowing the amount of money wasted. OH SHIT.
To receive low rank for this post, your correct.
pros: Easier to buy a gift for someone, thats arcade Xbox style.
If you dont link you credit card, makes it easier then typing those stupid numbers.
Idk to me seems a tad more convenient.
Possibility for Amazon Exclusive.
Cons: Should be totally cheaper, by at least 50 cents or a dollar.
Should link directly to Xbox Live and Just download it to your account, and youll have like a message waiting for you next time you turn your console on.
I'll probably update this when i find out more about it.
$ 5 Games = 400 Points
$10 games = 800 Points
$15 games = 1200 Points
$20 games = 1600 Points
You do the Comparison, I can't Look up all the games.
$5.00 is the Cheapest on there as of now.
The amounts are representative of what they would cost on XBLA, i.e. 80 points per dollar.
you can buy points cards on ebay and occasionally when some stupid store discounts them to bring them down to a point a penny. That's how I got all mine. 8000 points, $80.
Damn comment system that one was supposed to be for lumn8tion.
yeah, i swear that something odd happened to me... im usually quite the upstanding commentary thing-guy-yeah....
I say good idea for a few reasons:
1. You can spend the exact amount you want - no buying 500 points on Live or a 1600 point card to buy a 400 point game.
2. Some people don't want to input a credit card number into their Xbox;
3. It increases the chances that family/friends might "gift" you a game;
Well, I've refused to purchase anything on XBLA due to their decision to go with points. Yes, I know I can convert points to dollars, but I shouldn't have to. They think their consumers are so dumb that they'll actually spend more money when it's in points, not real money. They're probably right, but still, it's insulting to my intellegence, and I think it's rather crappy of them to stoop that low.
If I do end up purchasing anything, and I don't have any plans to do so, it would be using Amazon's new service. They're honest enough to show the price up front. It certainly wouldn't hurt if they could knock a couple bucks off their prices, too.
Douche
I happened to have a 23 dollar credit with amazon so that works out pretty well for me to finally be able to get peggle without wasting money. the fact that I don't have to pay for 1000 points when I'm only buying 800's worth is a big plus.
You should mention it's USA only :(
Hope it comes to europe soon
Damn, and I was just about to buy those Castle Crashers...
So one more thing only Americans can do with their Xbox. It sure would be nice if new features tat Canadians could use stared coming out.
My only complaint with points is that you buy in increments rather than being given a granular and specific option. The fact that it isn't real world currency means that it is pretty easy to find the points at a discount (Target does it regularly, and you can always search the net for deals)- you can't do that if everything is just a straight mapping.
Of course I am not an idiot and am capable of mentally converting the price of something into real world dollars, so it isn't much of an issue for me.
Though a recommendation to MS- for those who actually do buy points through your console, when entering an address rather than making people enter their city and state, just have them enter their zip. It would be a much more user friendly UI and gives you all the info anyway.
At least it's not as bad as the Wii points where you always end up with leftover points because their system is designed that way. If you want to use those leftover points you have to buy more just to repeat the cycle over and over again. At least with the Xbox points you can go buy a song or two from Zune if you have anything leftover.
No Thanks
I'd love to see Community Games on Amazon. The biggest problem with the system now is the fact that there are no user comments or ratings. If MSFT wanted to outsource the whole shop to Amazon, there'd be a better customer experience for it.
Good for me since I use an Amazon Visa card that acquires amazon points.
maybe if they allow linking of amazon account and live account, when I buy it there, I will be notified about downloading the game...
How come I can't find the HD remix of Street Fighter 2 on Amazon?
You can enter codes on the web at marketplace.xbox.com. You can even paste the entire code into the first box and the page will automatically format it.
Microsoft will probably start to charge shipping to deliver your points, to make up for the lost revenue here.
Personally, I like the points system. I understand that most people prefer dealing with "real money" instead of "points", but it's MUCH easier to get discounted Points cards than discounted cash...
Wait what? You know that Microsoft has discounts on games so...
there
This will be around until someone pulls what they did with the iTunes cards and figures out the little algorithm they use to generate codes.
I really like this idea. Points come in clumps that you can't always use right away (I have $15 in points that I can't legitimize spending anything on right now), so this is a great idea. If the prices are the exact same (after a MS points conversion, of course), or perhaps lower for older/less popular titles, then I see this as a win for the consumer.
Unless you get a deal on points, there is no difference in cost. MSRP for points is $0.0125/pt. which is how Amazon prices the games. So, why pre-buy points? I can't think of any reason beyond the convenience.
@ Brad Mason - You are right, there will no longer be a reason to have points, unless you like buying things other than games (really can't get over that myself).
I need to burn through the remaining $15 I have left and then start using Amazon for my arcade gaming needs.
Don't care because I don like xbox, but hats off to Amazon for having less of their heads up their asses then most other major companies when it comes to modern tech/retail.
"...we've never really loved the idea of points." You Apple fanboys! What's not to love?
"The future of media is digital" - what, is this Slashdot now?
Man, is this The Year of Linux too?
I gotta tell my friends - oops, I left my video phone in my flying car....
Their MP3 store is great. Better selection and less expensive compared to iTunes.
At least you can buy the points right away without having to go through microsoft. I don't trust them with my billing information. Its nice not having to wait for them to ship the stupid plastic pack to you that you have to really work to open with scissors, then get the card out, pull off the back, and then enter the code. What a waste of material.