Xbox One Designed "With Advertising in Mind"

[Steven Bogos]

Xbox One Designed "With Advertising in Mind"

Microsoft hopes to use the voice recognition features of the new Kinect to deliver targeted advertisements to individual users.

If you already have concerns about the Kinect 2.0 being able to "spy" on you and record your habits, this news from the Technical Account Manager for Xbox LIVE Advertising probably won't help. "With the new Xbox One, the technology and Kinect has improved a lot, so that actually the voice recognition, the way you speak to your Xbox and the transition between gaming and watching TV is a lot smoother, and hopefully we can transpire that into advertising that we do." He went on to say that the new Xbox One dashboard was designed "with advertising in mind."

The attending Xbox LIVE Advertising Developer did, however, assure us that the Xbox's API has plenty of restrictions for advertisers in place in order to protect the end user. "[Microsoft] is very keen on protecting the user from any sort of abuse so we can't do certain things."

The Xbox One dashboard will also change how ads are displayed to users. "On Xbox [One], the ad is part of the actual experience, it's not something that is outside. The only difference is that the advertisement we have is quite small and not disruptive so people are not aware of clicking on the banners because they know this is a part of the whole experience on the dash." Sounds to me like they are deliberately trying to trick people into clicking on ads by making them seem like they aren't ads, but an official part of the dashboard.

It also seems that despite Microsoft's big push into tablets and Smartglass, the advertising team is having none of it. "We already have two controllers that we have to deal with, [Smartglass] is just an unnecessary obstacle."

Source: Stick Twiddlers [http://sticktwiddlers.com/2013/06/28/xbox-one-dashboard-created-with-advertising-in-mind/]

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[Saulkar]

WHELP! It is now confirmed that I will never purchase this fucker.

Now, if you will excuse me, time to play myself some Beyond Good and Evil from GOG on a machine that respects me because it is mine.

 

[Roxas1359]

And thus what I knew from the start happens again. Seriously one of the reasons why I stopped using my Xbox was because the Dashboard was so filled with advertisements it was sad. I mean, I'm on a gaming console to play games, not to see advertisements galore! >.<

Also, yes I did have it so that the Xbox would automatically start the game so then I wouldn't have to deal with it, but I had to go to the store sometimes unfortunately.

 

[FoolKiller]

Oh the irony. I used to download all the demos for retail and arcade games as well as some of the video trailers that were on the 360.

Ever since it moved to the metro nightmare a couple of years back, I haven't bothered looking for the demos. You know what that means, Microsoft? It means that I don't buy any arcade games anymore and have started playing less of your console.

And now you want me to buy your new one, when you tell me the dash is shit?

Silly Xbone.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

So the xBox One was specifically designed with corporate interests in mind?

I also love how even the ad team is having none of the smartglass and tablet bullshit.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

I KNEW IT!

And those sheep called me paranoid!

Seriously, those that didn't see this coming are morons.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

And Microsoft keeps pushing me further and further away. If there is one thing I HATE it's having advertising shoved down my throat. Fuck off Microsoft.

 

[Caiphus]

Was pretty easy to see this coming, considering the prolific advertising on the 360. At least it's slightly refreshing that they're being honest about it, attempted positive spin aside.

Not a huge fan of advertisements on top of something I've paid for. Makes me feel like the product that is being sold (which you effectively become on free services like Facebook), rather than the consumer.

But whatever, almost certainly won't get the XBone, so this affects me zero.

 

[CyberMachinist]

Well they did say they wanted it as an all in one entertainment system, the ads are certainly going to entertain them with a constant stream of revenue.

 

[Nazulu]

Can we say abusive advertising? Being forced to buy the Kinect, keep it always active with the console and go through more subliminal messages? This is still fucking terrible DRM. The name Xbox ONE180 is not technically accurate.

 

[Gormech]

So ... if they use this to diminish the number of people playing on consoles, more people will buy a pc. If more people buy a pc, they'll probably accidentally get one from Microsoft.

I think I found out why they're killing this thing.

 

[Trishbot]

Yeah... no.

The original Xbox 360 dashboard was quite elegant, simple, easy to navigate, and easy to find content you wanted.

The current Xbox 360 dashboard is a clusterf**** of avatar BS, DLC and game shout-outs, movie trailers, Mountain Dew and Dorita advertisements, and a flood of other crap I don't care about that only gets between me and my gaming, and a massive issue in trying to track down and find games and game content you actually want because there's so much ads to go through now.

Xbox One is a machine designed less to give customers games and more a machine designed to get sponsors and ad venue instead. I'll be passing.

 

[Jamous]

"[Microsoft] is very keen on protecting the user from any sort of abuse so we can't do certain things."

Ehehehehehe not going to lie I get a kick out of reading this sentence. The irony is delicious. -Microsoft- is talking about protecting the user from abuse. Sure, it may have done a u-turn now but it was still planning a hell of a lot of abuse earlier...

 

[Johnson McGee]

This seems like one of the only actual legitimate uses for smartglass. See something in an ad you're interested in and pull up some info on a separate screen so you don't interrupt what you're doing. And that's the one thing the advertising team doesn't use?

I fail to understand even the basic motivations for this kind of thing. They charge for the privilege of online then tack ads on top? Cable companies have been pulling that for years and now they're getting the shit kicked out of them by PVR and internet TV. Sounds like perfect business model to MS I guess.

Not to mention the fact they admit the Xbone is designed with ads in mind. I can't even imagine what would possess a company to design a consumer device with anything but consumer utility as its first priority. Would anyone buy a phone or blu-ray player or TV or anything that had advertising hardwired into it? Isn't that exactly what tanked the Facebook Phone?

This whole thing boggles my mind.

 

[unstabLized]

And here I was, thinking they were fixing themselves up! Glad they're not, it's more fun to watch stuff crash and burn from a PC chair when it comes to the Xbone (No offence to console users). I can so imagine the ad with the voices.

"Xbox, launch CoD: Ghosts"

"WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADOPT A PUPPY FROM YOUR NEAREST ANIMAL SHELTER? POGO IS JUST LOOKING FOR A LOVELY HOME!"

 

[KeyMaster45]

Jesus christ, if I've bought the damn thing I've already paid a ludicrous $500 for it. Why in the hell do I then have to put up with fucking advertisements?

 

[Imp_Emissary]

I KNEW IT!

And those sheep called me paranoid!

Seriously, those that didn't see this coming are morons.

:/
My friend Beffudled Sheep called you paranoid? Well that was rude of him. Odd too, seeing as he hates the X-box one.

Anyway, how exactly is this suppose to work?
The Kinect 2 listens for you to say certain words and it has MS HQ send you adds it thinks you'll like?

How is it going to do that if when it's Off it's only able to hear the words X-box turn on? Or is it only "off" when the rest of the X-box is off?

Why would they even come out and talk about this anyway? Don't they know one of the things that's creeping people out about the X-box one is the idea that the Kinect will be spying on you?

Oh well, when it comes out we'll find out everything for sure.