After lifting the lid Play station Starring at the latest State of Play event, Sony’s staggered rollout of its new loyalty program is finally starting to gain momentum. After launching in select parts of Asia late last month, access was also extended to players in the Americas this week. While it’s currently difficult to gauge public reception, the fact that users have reported sign-up and progress issues suggests that the loyalty and rewards 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 like PlayStation Stars. Of course, this means that users will start comparing the offerings with the services they have probably already heard of or taken advantage of. One of the largest that has been used as a reference for Stars is Microsoft’s proprietary reward system. Simply called Microsoft Rewards, it’s particularly interesting how both offer similar but unique features.
Sign up
While the idea of a loyalty program is obsoleting both companies’ plans, it’s easy to see why some people believe Sony has copied its console manufacturing rival. On a fundamental level, PlayStation Stars and Microsoft Rewards have a lot in common. For starters, signing up and accessing each is free for users in both ecosystems. As long as they have a PlayStation Network or Microsoft account, there are no other hurdles when it comes to basic access.
The concepts behind PlayStation Stars and Microsoft Rewards have also been executed in similar ways. Both are designed to reward users with additional goods and items, provided they have been active members of each respective ecosystem. In theory, the more time users spend on each, the more on their way to their next reward. In addition to generating goodwill, both will contribute to increasing engagement as a result.
However, when it comes to the scope of each program, things start to diverge significantly. For example, as the name implies, Sony’s PlayStation Stars is just one factor within the publisher’s gaming ecosystem on PS4 and PS5. Aside from the interface, which is currently only accessible on a mobile phone, everything else is unlocked on a console. While Xbox is also an important part of Microsoft Rewards, users can feel its presence in the company’s other products and initiatives.
Unlock Rewards
Once a user is admitted to PlayStation Stars or Microsoft Rewards, they will spend most of their time within each program on one thing above all else. That’s because working on loyalty bonuses underpins almost every aspect of both programs. While there is some overlap between the principles and tasks that each company has created around this concept, there are also several unique quirks that users should keep in mind.
When it comes to the newly launched PlayStation Stars, Sony has mainly structured its bonuses and rewards around limited-time themed campaigns. While there’s room to expand these at a later date, most of the tasks within each currently revolve around users buying and playing specific games. While the user has no say in what a reward is worth in that regard, it should be noted that PS Plus subscribers do receive bonus points for all their purchases on the PlayStation Network.
The Xbox portion of Microsoft’s rewards program is similar to the approach Sony has taken. While every Xbox user has access to loyalty tasks, Game Pass subscribers receive exclusive quests weekly and monthly. Earning points from this often revolves around users playing a certain number of games or unlocking achievements. Each month, Microsoft also throws in different missions directly related to titles in the Game Pass library, similar to what Sony has done with PlayStation Stars and PS Plus’ Extra tier.
However, as mentioned earlier, Microsoft Rewards is not tied exclusively to Xbox consoles. Users can also achieve objectives on the company’s other platforms. By opening Microsoft Edge on a PC and using Bing, for example, users can earn up to 20 points every day. Likewise, purchasing select software from the Microsoft Store also pays out reward points. From a scope perspective, it’s fair to say that the tasks Microsoft deems worthy of reward are far more generous than Sony’s offerings.
The Rewards
While the process of competing tasks will take most of the time, the rewards in PlayStation Stars and Microsoft Rewards will intrigue users the most. As is an ongoing theme, there is also a clear overlap between the two programs in this area. For example, in either case, points can mainly be used to unlock cash bonuses and discounts.
On PlayStation Stars, users in this department are currently limited to two types of options. In addition to the ability to convert points into general store credit, there is also an option that allows them to be used to unlock certain games. These currently include hits like FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Massive Monsters Cult of the Lamb. However, fans estimate that 10 points translates to just $1, meaning users will likely save some time before being able to pay a discount equivalent to a full-priced game of $69.99.
Of course, the expanded scope of Microsoft’s rewards program allows users to spend their points on rewards outside the Xbox ecosystem. While there are offers on Xbox store credit and Game Pass subscriptions, points can be applied to almost anything the publisher sells. In addition, users can also enter special sweepstakes with their points. These comprehensive offers, in addition to how easy it is to earn, help offset the fact that a single Microsoft Reward point is roughly equivalent to $0.001.
What helped to set up? Play station Stars next to Microsoft’s rewards program are the digital collectibles. Though some fans were concerned that these could be similar to NFTs before Sony launched Stars. In practice, they have more in common with the publisher’s Trophy system. In addition to earning certain campaign collectibles, users can also redeem their points for them. They also have a social aspect worth keeping in mind as users can display collectibles on the mobile version of their PSN profile.
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