Hold the phone, we’re actually going to get rewarded for our achievements? There’s something to be gained from that little number we’re all passively (and actively) increasing?
Yes, you read that right. Microsoft has just announced that your Gamerscore will now factor in a new metric called MyAchievements. You’re eligible as long as you are an Xbox LIVE Rewards Gold member.
This new program is meant to validate those hours you’ve spent collecting and blasting away on your Xbox 360. The tiered reward systems is as follows:
- Contender: Unlocked at 3000 – 9999 Gamerscore. This tier unlocks a “Special Gift” during your birthday month.*
- Champion: Unlocked at 10000 – 24999 Gamerscore. Along with the “Special Gift” during your birthday month, this one also unlocks a 1% rebate on your Xbox LIVE Marketplace purchases every month.**
- Legend: Unlocked at 25000+ Gamerscore. Along with the “Special Gift” during your birthday month, this one also unlocks a 2% rebate on your Xbox LIVE Marketplace purchases every month.**
Now, before you get all giddy and buy a new car because of your newfound rebate wealth, let’s address the fine print.
The “Special Gift” has an approximate value of $0.25 USD. That’s the equivalence of 20 MSP. My guess is you’ll be able to unlock a special birthday party hat. But that’s the life of a Contender I guess. I bet the next tier has much more to offer.
With the Champion level, you’ll get the same 20 MSP reward a year as well as a 1% rebate on all of your Xbox LIVE Marketplace purchases each month. Sounds better but let’s see how that stacks up. Let’s say I buy Marvel vs. Capcom: Origins for $15 this month. Then I go on a bit of a splurge with maybe two more games at about the same price. That seems like a regular month for me. So $45 later I’m playing a few new games and I get my shiny 1% rebate at the end of the month. At 36 bonus MSP each month that’s like two birthday hats!
Now let’s bump up to Legend level. That’s a 2% rebate every month on Marketplace purchases instead of 1%. At that level (and with the same buying frequency) we get 72 bonus MSP a month. We end up with:
- $540 spent (equivalent of 43200 MSP spent)
- 36 new Arcade games to ignore in favor of playing more Borderlands 2
- $10.8 in rebates (equivalent of 864 bonus MSP a year)
- Our yearly gift valued at 20 MSP a year
- The dawning realization that video games are an expensive hobby
The figures are in USD. Feel free to correct me if my math is wrong.
Sorry for editorializing but these rewards seem a little weak to me, especially with the monikers of Champion and Legend. Am I alone?
I agree entirely, Microsoft needs to upgrade these rewards to please some consumers.
At least they get something, but this is the equivalent of getting coal in your stocking when before you didn’t get anything.
Too little too late? I’m already not a fan of Xbox Live so this just rubs some salt into that. Compared to what PSN+ customers get for roughly the same price (£5/mo?) this is a little insulting.
I think I paid $50 for a year so a bit less than that. But yeah…I get about 36 games that I can play as much as I want so long as I stay a Plus member. That’s in addition to special sale prices, early access to games, and access to betas.
Yeah, I mean really? $11?? Whoo-hoo! -.-
Xbox live is such a bad service it is insane to me that people still pay for it. I don’t like to debate between consoles, but it has become increasingly obvious to me that the Playstation 3 is far superior in just about every way I can think of than the 360.
Playstation Plus is such an awesome service, I would gladly pay for it, if I had a PS3.
Tired of all the false gamers crying about everything videogame related. Yea, noones gonna hand you vast rewards for simply playing a game and earning achievements, if you dont do that on your own then youre not a gamer at all! And crying about Xbox LIVE? Come on children, its by far a more immersive and enjoyable online experience than PS Network or any other nonsense other system publishers have come up with. As a gamer, i dont mind paying $10 a month for LIVE, thats one hour of work in fast food, and if i can afford it at 17, how can an adult with a fulltime job be complaining!! Put on your gamer pants and stop being crybabies and start being gamers for fucks sake.