Amazon Launches Xbox Live Store

Amazon has just made another foray into the videogame market by introducing an Xbox Live Store, which allows all those interested to buy games that Microsoft puts on Xbox Live through the popular online store.

It seems that this is only a step and that Amazon is also working on agreements with Sony, which publishes games on the PlayStation Network, and with Nintendo, which puts downloadable games out on the WiiWare service and on the Virtual Console, in order to launch Amazon PSN and Amazon WiiWare stores.

The process is rather simple. The customer can log into the store, choose the videogame he/she wants to buy, and pays using real money and not Microsoft Points. He/She gets a code that can then be inputted into Xbox Live in order to download the chosen title. Of course, you need to already have an Xbox 360 and an Xbox Live account to take advantage of the new Amazon service. If the buyer wants, he/she can send the code via e-mail to another gamer, as a gift, as the code itself is not tied to a credit card number or to an online account. The new service can also be used in order to get Xbox Live Gold subscriptions or to receive Microsoft Points.

Of course, the big advantage here is that you don't need to use the fake currency that Microsoft is promoting to get the content you want, as Amazon is accepting real money for its Xbox Live transactions. Let's hope that it's not long before Microsoft itself renounces the concept of the Points system.

Amazon has also recently announced that it is entering the used games market, competing with GameStop and with Best Buy for the money of those gamers who are interested in picking up already played games at discounted prices. Could we see Amazon developing a digital distribution system for videogames?