Xbox Games To Get ‘Interactive’ Ads
"Xbox: No thanks."
Published: 9:30, 22/06/2011 by Alex C [nofi].
37Tell me what’s wrong with this sentence: “Users of Microsoft’s popular Xbox Kinect gaming console will soon be able to use voice and motion commands to interact with advertisements while they are playing their favorite game or watching a video.”
That’s how the New York Times starts an article revealing something called NuAds (ugh) – a brand new way to push advertising onto Xbox 360 owners, which will make considerable use of Kinect as part of the system.
There’s nothing wrong with the way the NYT describes it, of course, but the whole concept makes me shudder. “On Tuesday,” it says, “Microsoft is set to announce a new suite of advertising tools, called NuAds, short for natural user-interface ads, that will let users interact with advertising on the console dashboard or embedded in games and other video content.”
“The ads use the same voice and motion control developed for the company’s Kinect game console.
“Using voice commands, gamers will be able to send messages about an ad to a social networking site like Twitter by saying ‘Xbox Tweet.’ Advertisers who want to send more information about a product or promotion associated with a campaign can prompt Xbox users to say ‘Xbox More,’ which will send users an e-mail with the information they wanted.”
It sounds absolutely horrible. And, just letting you know – anyone that Tweets an ad deserves any blocks they get.
It’s not all bad, though. If something does genuinely interest you, there’s a couple of neat ideas. Saying ‘Xbox Schedule’ will send text messages to your phone when a TV program is about to start that you’ve seen an ad for, and ‘Xbox Near Me’ will fire off a map of the nearest pizza place you’ve just seen advertised.
The new ads will start to appear next Spring, although we can imagine there’ll be a certain amount of resistance…
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22/06/2011 at 09:34
Member since: Mar 2011
In-game ads? Oh dear.
22/06/2011 at 09:35
Member since: Aug 2009
Xbox: order pizza
?
The future?
22/06/2011 at 09:36
Member since: Feb 2011
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!
This guys a retard. Who wants to watch and SHARE an advert?! Nono, there are plenty of web browser advert blockers for a reason, adverts are a nuisance. Apart from that schedule idea, this is sick.
22/06/2011 at 09:43
Member since: Aug 2009
Just as long as Xbox piss off is recognised as a way to dismiss adverts
22/06/2011 at 09:47
Member since: Dec 2008
I predict the following: Xbox Tweet FUCK OFF
22/06/2011 at 10:05
Member since: Oct 2008
The PS3 no longer does everything…….
22/06/2011 at 10:17
Member since: Apr 2010
That’s not a bad thing in this case!
23/06/2011 at 08:23
Member since: Jul 2009
Hurray for PS3!
29/06/2011 at 03:42
Member since: May 2011
It does do this… on vidzone which have been out now… oooh years. That has ad on there that you can interact with (so does PShome for that matter) but instead of sloooowly moving your hand over the email thing, I can click X on the ad and it opens the companies actual website on the web browser.. X button will always be quicker than saying something and then moving your hand to move the pointer…
But on a serious note this is by far in a way the most stupid thing I’ve seen, who has ever and I mean EVER shared a coke advertisment? why would you! unless its got some rather nice lady in it!
22/06/2011 at 10:16
Member since: Mar 2009
The stuff for scheduling etc… sounds cool.
22/06/2011 at 10:17
Member since: Jan 2011
He’s using it on a SONY TV, oops
isn’t there a dualshock 1 under the TV too :)
22/06/2011 at 10:19
Member since: Apr 2010
It’s clearly a white 360 pad :p
22/06/2011 at 10:26
Member since: Jan 2010
MS always use Sony TV’s and laptops in their windows ads, but I am surprised they’ve used it for the Xbox, they usually use samsung…
22/06/2011 at 10:18
Member since: Apr 2010
Sounds kinda annoying/pointles/annoying. I know I said annoying twice but I think it really bears repeating. Puts me in mind of those adds on web browsers that when you accidentally wave your mouse over them they take over your entire screen. Just another reason not to get Kinect I suppose. You cannot make advertising fun, no matter how hard you try. People will always hate it.
22/06/2011 at 10:35
Member since: Apr 2010
What an exciting new way for the user to explore the wonderful world of advertising.