[via]

Quick: how many ounces in a liter? How many centimeters to an inch? How many Microsoft points to one US dollar? Knowing some of these conversions might be useful for consumers but, the dollar to Microsoft point, has always been irksome. For the uninitiated, Microsoft points are the official currency used on XBOX Live for Zune Marketplace, and XBOX Live Arcade games, gamertag pictures, and all varieties of downloadable content.

Where the problem lies is in the ratio, $1 to 80 points; purchased in bundles. The majority of the content comes out in numbers indivisible by 80, meaning, you’re almost guaranteed with extra unspent points. Naturally, this encourages further purchasing of points but Microsoft is starting to, thankfully, change its approach.

Hit the break for full details.

——

With the upcoming release of Windows 8, Microsoft has started to remove the points payment system as the default way to pay for music downloads and movie rentals or purchases. This will effectively allow users to understand the true cost of their online purchases.

For the time being, the Xbox 360 is still using the Microsoft points system, but with the advent of Windows 8, there is likely to be a dashboard redesign. This should also bring the change to using a clean credit card based purchasing system. The update is due later this month. Stay tuned to Population GO for more details.

[TheVerge]