back to article Microsoft BEATS Apple, Google ... to accepting limited Bitcoin payments

Microsoft has quietly added Bitcoin as a payment method for digital content - games and music - thanks to a deal with Bitpay that allows customers to use the cryptocurrency to add money to their MS account. Trouble is, the synthetic dosh still can't be used to pay for physical goods directly, and initially at least, it's …

  1. Khaptain Silver badge

    Welcome to the Darkside

    What's next, an inbuilt TOR client, a inbuilt bittorent client and just to top it of live porn feed. All you need to do is fill up your Bitcoin wallet from an accredited MS Bitcoin provider....

    Sarcasm aside, I am extremely surprised to see MS taking this so seriously. What I don't understand is how they, MS , Apple or Google etc will ensure the stability of Bitcoin. When dealing with illegal drugs, guns or whatever that was being sold on the Silk Road is one thing, if you get ripped off then it's your own fault, but when we are talking about a major software house/shiny shiny maker or Googletastic Google then the games changes quite a bit ( pun intended).

    This week a game will cost your 0.2 bitcoins, next week 0.8 bitcoins and then the week after back to 0.4 bitcoins. How will they stop the Yoyo effect or don't they care.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Welcome to the Darkside

      I would imagine that the fluctuation is handled by not actually paying in bitcoins. You can transfer bitcoins into your wallet, at that point at the current value, you would then get credited, then you buy the normal way at normal currency prices, no fluctuations to take into account for prices of the items.

      1. Khaptain Silver badge

        Re: Welcome to the Darkside

        So why bother transferring bitcoins if you will end up paying in another currency, what would be the advantage ?

        1. JDX Gold badge

          Re: Welcome to the Darkside

          You have BC to spend?

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Welcome to the Darkside

          You'd rather not use credit/debit or PayPal?

        3. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Welcome to the Darkside

          So you can use those bitcoins you made selling drugs without having to transfer to your bank account first.

    2. JustNiz

      Re: Welcome to the Darkside

      >> This week a game will cost your 0.2 bitcoins, next week 0.8 bitcoins and then the week after back to 0.4 bitcoins. How will they stop the Yoyo effect or don't they care.

      They don't care because it actually costs them nothing to give you a downloaded copy of their software, because they have lost nothing tangible. Even if the bitcoins they collect suddenly all devalued to nothing, they have still lost nothing, because what they gave you was virtual, cost them nothing to mkae your copy, and something you can't resell, so an actually valueless asset in the real world. At least with physical media copies of games it cost them money to make each one and you had something tangible you could resell, at least in theory.

      I'm actually surprised they dont just give download versions of games away for free now, since most games these days are just another thinly veiled marketing mechanism to get even more revenue from customers in other ways, such as product placement, advertising, and/or another e-store, where you lucky peole get to exchange tangible assets (money, bitcoin) for virtual, infinitely reproducible at zero cost (so actually valueless) crap such as "exclusive" addons etc.

  2. Caff

    transaction costs

    As per Gates comments in the article, MS is interested in the technology behind bitcoin as it reduces the cost of each transaction. This could potentionally be qutie a big thing if it could gain traction and sidestep the banks and card companies.

  3. War President

    My currency lives in the cloud!

    "Bitcoin is better than currency in that you don't have to be physically in the same place and of course for large transactions currency can get pretty inconvenient," said

    What an odd sentence, by both BillG and The Register's copy. Having to be physically in the same place as my currency? No, I have a credit card, a debit card, and a personal checkbook, none of which require me to lug around vast quantities of currency. Heck, with a telephone or the internet, I don't even have to be physically in the same place as the business that is selling me their product! Additionally, I know that my 300 units of currency will not drastically change in value between the time I started filling my shopping cart and the time I check out.

    1. Jesus45

      Re: My currency lives in the cloud!

      bitreserve.org they allow you to hold bitc like euros, $ or gold, and spend it like bitcoins when you want.

  4. D@v3

    Bitcoin is better than currency in that you don't have to be physically in the same place

    Because I regularly find myself driving to one of the many Amazon shops, so I can do all my online shopping, physically, in the same place....

    Or going to one of the local Netflix kiosks each month to hand over a bag of pennies for my subscription....

    I could go on, but you get the point, and I'm off home

    1. Lee D Silver badge

      Re: Bitcoin is better than currency in that you don't have to be physically in the same place

      It might well be approaching fifteen years in a row that I've done the vast majority of my Christmas shopping online, and 8 or so where it was basically done it exclusively online with only impulse buys at physical stores to soak in the Christmas atmosphere.

      Can't say that Bitcoin would have helped much in that respect, but quite right - being in the same CONTINENT as your seller is quite old-fashioned nowadays.

  5. Zacherynuk
    FAIL

    Erm... No they aren't

    They are accepting real money from Bitpay.

    Bitpay are the ones 'accepting' the Bitcoins.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I saw how bad Xbox One, Windows Phone, Windows 8.x and Surface are flopping

    and sold all my bitcoins....

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Typical Microsoft

    Follow the trend after interest in it has peaked and it is becoming passe.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "[...] and of course for large transactions currency can get pretty inconvenient"

    What does he kno...

    OK, never mind.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Welcome to Windows 10!

    lets configure your environment.

    Do you want to turn on Windows background bitcoin miner? Y/N

    Do you want to join the Microsoft mining pool? Y/N

    1. Denzel
      Joke

      Welcome to Windows 10!

      lets configure your environment.

      Do you want to turn on Windows background bitcoin miner? Y/Y

      Do you want to join the Microsoft mining pool? Y/Y

      FTFY.

  10. W. Anderson

    So What!

    This announcement does not represent any "accomplishment" on part of Muicrosoft, and is quite laughable in technology news terms.

  11. Britt Johnston

    MS is being well-behaved

    They could have introduced their own currency, the MS-Talent or something similar. That would have shaken up Wall St on a Friday.

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