At least, they are if they were bought through a retail store. Imagine my surprise when I picked up a Xbox Live Points card from EB Games yesterday and wasn't able to redeem the points through my Xbox Live account.
Apparently Xbox Live accounts are region-locked, and my account was set-up when I still lived in Singapore. Which means I can only access the Singaporean Xbox Live Marketplace, and points bought through a retail store here are not valid. Points bought here are only usable on the Australian marketplace using an Australian Live account.
This is annoying on two fronts. Firstly, I now have a Points card at home which I cannot redeem. I can't return it to the store because I've already opened the package and scratched off to reveal the redemption code. Which probably means I also won't be able to sell it off second-hand, at least not at a comparable value at which I bought it.
Secondly, if I do want to use the points, I could set up an Australian Live account and gamertag. This would give me access to the Australian marketplace, but this would mean I'd have to start everything from scratch again. My gamer points, in-game achievements... even my Xbox Live Gold membership, which is tied to my original account.
The absolute worst thing is that I can't really blame anyone but me. I should have clarified with the store clerk before I bought the redemption card. I should have read the small print on the back of the package. I should have consulted the FAQ on the Xbox website.
Apparently Xbox Live accounts are region-locked, and my account was set-up when I still lived in Singapore. Which means I can only access the Singaporean Xbox Live Marketplace, and points bought through a retail store here are not valid. Points bought here are only usable on the Australian marketplace using an Australian Live account.
This is annoying on two fronts. Firstly, I now have a Points card at home which I cannot redeem. I can't return it to the store because I've already opened the package and scratched off to reveal the redemption code. Which probably means I also won't be able to sell it off second-hand, at least not at a comparable value at which I bought it.
Secondly, if I do want to use the points, I could set up an Australian Live account and gamertag. This would give me access to the Australian marketplace, but this would mean I'd have to start everything from scratch again. My gamer points, in-game achievements... even my Xbox Live Gold membership, which is tied to my original account.
The absolute worst thing is that I can't really blame anyone but me. I should have clarified with the store clerk before I bought the redemption card. I should have read the small print on the back of the package. I should have consulted the FAQ on the Xbox website.
3 comments:
That sucks....why does region-locking had to even exist?
I'm sure there are some good reasons. The one that is usually trotted out is the idea of reverse import. Games in some regions are cheaper.
The other I hear often is that companies segregate according to regions for their business strategies, which they manage independently.
The idea of a mobile population that is no longer defined by its geographical location hasn't quite caught on with senior executives, perhaps?
Ok i know it's a bit late for that but i search something similar on Google and came to this post.
Why don't you create a new Account just for the marketplace, buy and download the Games and just play the Games with your old Gold Account? I mean the Games are stick to your Console and not to your Account. What i mean is that you can buy and download a Game and it is completely unlocked for every Account used on this Console and not just the one who download it.
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