<s>
Microsoft	B-Device
Points	I-Device
,	O
introduced	O
in	O
November	O
2005	O
as	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
Live	O
Points	O
,	O
were	O
a	O
digital	O
currency	O
issued	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
for	O
use	O
on	O
its	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
and	O
Zune	B-Library
product	O
lines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Points	O
could	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
purchase	O
video	O
games	O
and	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
from	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
Live	O
Marketplace	O
,	O
digital	O
content	O
such	O
as	O
music	O
and	O
videos	O
on	O
Zune	B-Library
Marketplace	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
content	O
from	O
Windows	O
Live	O
Gallery	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2013	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
phase	O
out	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Points	I-Device
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2013	O
,	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
using	O
local	O
cash	O
currencies	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
dollar	O
and	O
Euro	O
)	O
on	O
its	O
digital	O
distribution	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
software	O
update	O
implementing	O
this	O
change	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
August	O
26	O
,	O
2013	O
;	O
users	O
 '	O
existing	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Points	I-Device
were	O
converted	O
into	O
an	O
equivalent	O
amount	O
of	O
local	O
currency	O
for	O
purchases	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	B-Device
Points	I-Device
were	O
sold	O
online	O
and	O
through	O
gift	O
cards	O
at	O
retail	O
outlets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Points	I-Device
system	O
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
being	O
deceptive	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
actual	O
real-world	O
cost	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
for	O
users	O
often	O
having	O
to	O
purchase	O
more	O
points	O
at	O
once	O
than	O
those	O
they	O
immediately	O
needed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
his	O
review	O
of	O
the	O
Zune	B-Library
,	O
Paul	O
Thurrott	O
argued	O
that	O
"	O
a	O
song	O
on	O
Zune	B-Library
typically	O
costs	O
79	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Points	I-Device
,	O
which	O
,	O
yes	O
,	O
is	O
about	O
99	O
cents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Walter	O
Mossberg	O
also	O
noted	O
that	O
"	O
to	O
buy	O
even	O
a	O
single	O
99	O
cent	O
song	O
from	O
the	O
Zune	B-Library
store	O
,	O
you	O
have	O
to	O
purchase	O
blocks	O
of	O
"	O
points	O
"	O
from	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
in	O
increments	O
of	O
at	O
least	O
$5	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Xbox	B-Operating_System
product	O
director	O
Aaron	O
Greenberg	O
defended	O
the	O
Points	O
system	O
,	O
arguing	O
that	O
the	O
system	O
was	O
intended	O
to	O
reduce	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
individual	O
credit	O
card	O
transaction	O
fees	O
Microsoft	O
would	O
have	O
to	O
manage	O
for	O
its	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
services	O
launched	O
alongside	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
—	O
Xbox	B-Application
Music	I-Application
and	O
Xbox	B-Application
Video	I-Application
(	O
which	O
both	O
succeed	O
Zune	B-Library
Marketplace	O
)	O
defaulted	O
to	O
using	O
credit	O
card	O
transactions	O
with	O
local	O
currency	O
for	O
purchases	O
instead	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Points	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
when	O
accessed	O
from	O
an	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
console	O
,	O
users	O
were	O
still	O
required	O
to	O
pay	O
using	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Points	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2013	O
,	O
reports	O
indicated	O
that	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Points	I-Device
would	O
be	O
discontinued	O
entirely	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
unified	O
gift	O
cards	O
with	O
currency	O
that	O
would	O
work	O
across	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Store	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Phone	I-Application
Store	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
's	O
plans	O
to	O
discontinue	O
Points	O
were	O
confirmed	O
during	O
its	O
E3	O
2013	O
media	O
event	O
focusing	O
on	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
and	O
took	O
effect	O
with	O
the	O
roll-out	O
of	O
an	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
software	O
update	O
on	O
August	O
26	O
,	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
 '	O
existing	O
Microsoft	B-Device
Points	I-Device
were	O
converted	O
into	O
a	O
currency	O
amount	O
"	O
equal	O
to	O
or	O
greater	O
 [ than ] 	O
 "	O
their	O
current	O
Points	O
balance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Subsequently	O
,	O
and	O
by	O
September	O
2013	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
Rewards	O
Points	O
were	O
re-introduced	O
through	O
the	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
Rewards	O
program	O
(	O
now	O
named	O
Microsoft	O
Rewards	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
