After lifting the lid onPlayStationStars during its last State of Play event, Sony’s staggered rollout of its new loyalty program has finally started to gather pace. Having launched in select areas of Asia late last month, access was also granted to players in North and South America this week. Although it’s hard to gauge public reception right now, the fact that users have been reporting sign-up and progression issues suggests the loyalty and reward program has at least caught the attention of many.
However, Sony is far from the only entity within the gaming industry to have experimented with a loyalty program likePlayStationStars. Naturally, this means users are going to be comparing what it offers with the services they’ve likely already heard about or benefited from. One of the biggest that’s been used as a reference for Stars, is Microsoft’s own reward system. Simply titled Microsoft Rewards, it’s particularly interesting how both offer similar yet unique features.
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Signing Up
Although the idea of a loyalty program outdates the plans of both companies, it’s easy to see why some people believe Sony copied its console manufacturing rival. On a fundamental level, PlayStation Stars and Microsoft Rewards share a lot in common. For starters, signing up and accessing each is free for users in both ecosystems. So long as they havea PlayStation Network or Microsoft account, there are no other hurdles in their way when it comes to basic access.
Theconcepts behind PlayStation Starsand Microsoft Rewards have also been executed in similar ways. Both have been designed to reward users with extra goods and items provided that they’ve been active members of each respective ecosystem. In theory, the more time users spend in each, the more they progress towards their next reward. Beyond generating goodwill, both will help to drive up engagement as a result.
When it comes to the scope of each program, though, things start to divert significantly. For example, as its name implies, Sony’s PlayStation Stars is only a factor within the publisher’s gaming ecosystemon PS4 and PS5. Aside from its interface, which can only be accessed on a mobile phone right now, everything else is unlocked on a console. Although Xbox is a significant part of Microsoft Rewards as well, users can feel its presence in the company’s other products and initiatives.
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Unlocking Rewards
Once a user has beenaccepted into PlayStation Starsor Microsoft Rewards, they’ll spend most of their time within each program focusing on one thing above everything else. That’s because working towards loyalty bonuses underpins almost every aspect of both programs. While there’s some overlap between the principles and tasks that each company has created around this concept, there are also several unique quirks users should keep in mind.
As has been mentioned, Microsoft Rewards isn’t tied exclusively to Xbox consoles, though. Users can also complete objectives on the company’s other platforms. Simply opening up Microsoft Edge on a PC and using Bing, for example, can earn users up to 20 points every day. Similarly, purchasing select software from the Microsoft Store also pays out reward points. From a scope perspective, it’s fair to say thatthe tasks Microsoft considersto be worthy of reward are far more generous than Sony’s offerings.
The Rewards
Even though the process of competing tasks will take up the bulk of the time, the rewardsincluded within PlayStation Starsand Microsoft Rewards are going to intrigue users the most. As has been a running theme, there are some obvious overlap between both programs on this front as well. In both circumstances, for example, points can primarily be used to unlock monetary bonuses and discounts.
On PlayStation Stars, users are currently limited in this department to two types of options. In addition to being able to convert points into general store credit, there’s also an option for them to be used to unlock select games. These currently include hits likeFromSoftware’sSekiro: Shadows Die Twiceand Massive Monster’sCult of the Lamb. It’s been estimated by fans that 10 points translate to only $1, though, which means users will likely be saving for some time before they can afford a discount equivalent to a fully priced $69.99 game.
Thanks to the expanded scope of Microsoft’s rewards program, users can naturally spend their points on rewardsoutside the Xbox ecosystem. While there are offers for Xbox store credit and Game Pass subscriptions, points can be applied to almost everything that the publisher sells. In addition to this, users can also enter special sweepstakes with their points. These expanded offerings, alongside how easy it is to earn them, help to offset the fact that a single Microsoft Reward point roughly equates to $0.001.
What’s helped to setPlayStationStars apart from Microsoft’s reward program is its digital collectibles. Although some fans had concerns that thesecould be similar to NFTsbefore Sony launched Stars. In practice, they have more in common with the publisher’s Trophy system. In addition to earning certain collectibles from campaigns, users can also trade in their points for them as well. There’s also a social aspect to them that’s worth keeping in mind, as users are able to display collectibles on the mobile version of their PSN profile.
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