As some of you may already know, Microsoft plans to eliminate Microsoft Points on Xbox Live later this year. On Friday, Major Nelson released a blog post that invited Xbox Live gamers to test out the new Xbox Live in a beta test. Nelson stated, “We’re inviting Xbox Live members worldwide to participate in the 2013 Xbox Live Update for Xbox 360 Public Beta. It will include updates to improve overall performance and the ability to conduct transactions with local currency, as Microsoft Points will be retired later this year.”

Not too long after, an update was added to the post that stated, “We’ve had an overwhelming demand for participation, and have closed registration. If we re-open registration, I’ll let you know.”

Xbox Live users were initially able to sign up for the beta from the XBL dashboard, making it very accessible to all users. The fact that the beta filled up so quickly says a lot about how gamers felt about Mixrosoft Points. I, for one, felt like they made no sense and the fact that there were restrictions on much you had to buy made you feel like Microsoft was squeezing every dollar out of you. Along with the fact that some good sales are happening on the Xbox Live marketplace, this shows that Microsoft may finally be heading in a better direction.

If you would like to check out Major Nelson’s blog post yourself, check it out here.