Microsoft asked Xbox users if they’d want to have the payment with Bitcoin as an optional feature, but some are skeptical regarding this possibility.
The increasing price of Bitcoin is the focus of attention of some companies. Such companies are beginning to consider the incorporation of cryptocurrency into their payment methods. The most recent appears to be Xbox, the video game brand created by Microsoft.
Microsoft’s hand survey suggests that the tech giant is considering adding Bitcoin payment support within its Xbox game console store. According to a post on Reddit, Microsoft led a study of its Xbox customers, asking them about their payment methods preferences.
The survey asked users about the methods they currently use to purchase Xbox products and items
The user u / Avid_Hiker98 shared a screenshot with the alleged company query on the r / XboxSeriesX subreddit. As seen in the image, the survey asked users about the methods they currently use to pay for Xbox products.
These are some questions that appear in the survey: “Which of these other payment methods would you like to use on Xbox?”. This survey seems to be listing Bitcoin as one of the possible payment mechanisms. The same image appeared on other Reddit groups, Twitter, and other social media platforms.
According to data extracted from Reddit users, the survey was available to those participating in the Xbox Insider program to test beta operating system updates.
Microsoft and its Bitcoin Acceptance
Although Microsoft has not released further information about it, it would not be the first time that the technology company added support for payments with cryptocurrencies. The company got involved with Bitcoin long before other companies took a look at the digital currency.
In 2014, the technology giant had announced the integration of Bitcoin as one of its payment methods to buy content such as Windows applications, including games, through Xbox Live. At that time, the integration had been partial and available only to users in the United States.
The company had specified that Bitcoin could only work “to add money to your Microsoft account, and then buy digital goods from certain online stores.” At the time, the initiative suggested an open stance by the company towards digital currencies and raised expectations for broader adoption in the future.
Microsoft removed this feature back in 2018, according to a Reddit user. However, a report by CoinInsider suggests that Microsoft kept, for the past year, accepting Bitcoin payments from its online Microsoft Store.
While the Xbox online store does not yet support cryptocurrency-based payments, some users questioned the use of Bitcoin for this purpose. A user dropped this question: “Why would someone pay in BTC when it seems like keeping it long-term makes the most sense?”
Others focused on discussing the same doubt, pointing to some of the reflections that other industry analysts have pointed to around Bitcoin. As the narrative that Bitcoin is a store of value, equal to or better than gold, contradictions suggest that this asset is gaining popularity as a payment method.
By: Jenson Nuñez
