The latest Xbox 360 user interface is a messy insult to gamers. It buries your games, pushes premium services and, if you’re connected to Live, flashes adverts at you for some of the silliest things. I’ve stopped buying Lynx deodorant in protest.
Well now, according to a report on Gamasutra, Microsoft has signed a deal that will see its ad partners increase in number and the adverts on its media streaming applications increase in frequency.
The “TV-like” ad spots will involve 15-30 second adverts, presumably unskippable, which roll on applications like their US Sports app ESPN, music streaming app Last.FM and music video app Muzo.TV. Still, at least we don’t already pay for those apps on Xbox Live through our Gold subscriptions… Oh.
Source: Gamasutra
ProjectJAY
Whenever my 360 boots up now, I just hit the home button and use that menu to choose my games. The dashboard is a complete mess now.
TSBonyman
If it was an ad-supported free service i would understand but doing this to premium subscribers is taking the piss. I hope xbox owners don’t take this lying down or the rest will follow suit .
colossalblue
actually, it’s completely normal for premium services to also carry advertising – just frustrating that it’s on the increase and at the expense of actually being able to access the games on the machine.
Sky Sports, for example, costs ten times what Live Gold costs and has many more times the advertising. Magazines cost a fiver each and are usually packed with adverts. Plenty of games have adverts within them (remember all the Gillette stuff in Burnout Paradise?), there are whole companies dedicated to creating the middleware that allows for in-game ad distribution – and we pay for those games.
TSBonyman
I see what you are saying but adverts have always been associated with tv services, not so much with games( I do remember Chupa Chups in Zool and Penguin Bars in something else but strangely, i don’t recall the Gilette ads :) ), but you’re right it is on the increase sadly. I just don’t think gamers are as set-up to accept advertising on their consoles the way people accept it on tv. In fact many people don’t like adverts on the internet either and use ad blockers., so i think tv content and print media are the only mediums where we accept/tolerate advertising….. or maybe that’s just because we can’t get advert blockers for those.. :p
Awayze
Well my yearly XBL is a total waste! I pay yet I never play it as I see no reason to ditch the PS3.
Also I preferred the old menu and I hate ads! Why should I get ads after I paid for XBL?!?!
stage1
So why do you still pay for gold?
Awayze
Erm…I won’t be after it finishes then probably sell the games and buy them on the PS3 and put 360 back in box and into cupboard.
Radiitz
Hehehe. You don’t get adverts on the good ol’ consoles of the past :)
Watchful
You missed all the Chupa Chups product placement in Zool then?
hazelam
makes me glad i don’t pay for gold.
correction, even more glad. ^_^
a inferior race
I seriously hate the new dashboard.