Microsoft wants to lead the world of micropayments

Well, we know microtransactions are here to stay, especially with the rise of point-payment schemes within the public consciousness. Now that all three consoles are out and micropayment transactions are more or less common knowledge to anyone tech-savvy, you can expect that Microsoft wants to get in on the action.

In fact, they intend to do so by building their own brand of micropayment service, one which Bill Gates thinks could stand on top of the world of micropayments.

During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Bill Gates was looking into ways to make micropayments even more viable online. The DOW Jones Newswire mentions that Gates said,

If you want to charge somebody US$ 0.10 or US$ 1 a month, that will just be a click… you won’t have to manage some funny thing or pay some big credit charge, where half of it goes to the clearing.

To do that, credit card fees have to be undercut, a feat that basically asks credit card companies to make a lot less money.

Ars Technica notes a couple of possibilities that Microsoft could take. For starters, they could expand upon the current notion of Microsoft Points, letting people buy as many points as they need to acquire a particular item they want. On the other hand, they could also try to beat out credit card companies and PayPal by making their own real-money service that intends to beat PayPal at their game. All in all, if Gates can pull it off successfully, you can expect a different way of paying for your games in the next few years, and perhaps, even your groceries.

Well, we know microtransactions are here to stay, especially with the rise of point-payment schemes within the public consciousness. Now that all three consoles are out and micropayment transactions are more or less common knowledge to anyone tech-savvy, you can expect that Microsoft wants to get in on the action.

In fact, they intend to do so by building their own brand of micropayment service, one which Bill Gates thinks could stand on top of the world of micropayments.

During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Bill Gates was looking into ways to make micropayments even more viable online. The DOW Jones Newswire mentions that Gates said,

If you want to charge somebody US$ 0.10 or US$ 1 a month, that will just be a click… you won’t have to manage some funny thing or pay some big credit charge, where half of it goes to the clearing.

To do that, credit card fees have to be undercut, a feat that basically asks credit card companies to make a lot less money.

Ars Technica notes a couple of possibilities that Microsoft could take. For starters, they could expand upon the current notion of Microsoft Points, letting people buy as many points as they need to acquire a particular item they want. On the other hand, they could also try to beat out credit card companies and PayPal by making their own real-money service that intends to beat PayPal at their game. All in all, if Gates can pull it off successfully, you can expect a different way of paying for your games in the next few years, and perhaps, even your groceries.