Earlier in the year, a rumour was swirling that Microsoft were planning to move away from their virtual Microsoft Points currency, but we haven't heard much else since.

Today, a report over on The Verge suggests that it might still be a possibility, noticing that Microsoft Points have been eschewed in favour of real dollar amounts in the Microsoft Store in the latest builds of the upcoming Windows 8 operating system.

Microsoft has started to remove its Points payments system as the default way to pay for music downloads and movie rentals or purchases in Windows 8. The recent change affects the way Windows 8 users will pay for digital content in the operating system. Previously, in Windows 8 betas, Microsoft used its Points system for all Video purchases and rentals.

The controversial currency for Xbox Live and the Zune Marketplace has been widely used across the Xbox 360 to purchase Xbox Live Arcade games, gamertag pictures, and other downloadable content. The system means users have to purchase bundles of points that equate to 80 Microsoft Points for every $1. In our own testing in the final copy of Windows 8, we are now able to pay for music or purchase and rent movies in the Xbox Video store by using a credit card. You're still able to use Microsoft Points, but the store defaults to credit card transactions. A welcome change from the confusion of having to convert Microsoft Points to currency in order to assess the true cost of a rental or purchase.

Whether or not this change will make the transition to other Microsoft Point tailored systems is unknown. Microsoft is yet to make any official statements on the matter.