Microsoft begins testing self-service refunds on Xbox and Windows

Microsoft appears to be working on a streamlined self-service refund system for digital sales across Xbox and Windows 10, as the company today rolled out a test version through its Xbox Insider and Windows Insider preview programs.

While it's always been possible for Microsoft customers to at least try and request refunds on Xbox and Windows, this new program is notable because it closely mirrors the streamlined refund system Steam implemented in 2015. 

For example, Microsoft's system currently won't accept refund requests if the game in question has been played for more than 2 hours, or if it was purchased more than 14 days ago. A Microsoft representative confirmed these details to VentureBeat, describing the rollout as "self-serve refund pilot testing for digital content."

Many developers had a mixed response to Steam refunds when they debuted; many games can conceivably be completed within the stated 2-hour limit and then refunded, but some developers also said they appreciated knowing that folks could easily get a refund if they bought the dev's game and couldn't get it running at acceptable quality on their PC.

Those sorts of hardware compatibility issues seem much less likely to crop up on Microsoft's Xbox console, but that may change with the impending launch of the supercharged Project Scorpio console later this year.

In speaking with Gamasutra recently, Xbox chief Phil Spencer noted that "for developers, I want them to support the full Xbox One family. I think what they're going to see in Scorpio is the best version of the game that they've seen on console."