14 DAY TRIAL // The Xbox One next-gen console will make use of its new and improved Kinect to show off all sorts of ads, according to Microsoft, which highlighted that privacy is still an important aspect for the company, so advertisers won't have full access to the sensor.
The Xbox One features not just a brand new interface, but it also comes with a new and improved Kinect peripheral that has enhanced voice recognition and facial detection.
While Microsoft emphasized that the console's home screen won't feature ads, different commercials will still be present in the regular interface.
According to an interview with StickTwiddlers, a few Microsoft representatives from the Xbox Live Advertising division talked about how the improved ads will take advantage of the Kinect.
"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 [sic] that into advertising that we do," one of the representatives said.
Microsoft wants to apparently continue its NUads strategy, which allows console owners to actually participate in the commercial by making various gestures detected by the Kinect.
"[NUads] transform passive TV advertising into something interactive, immersive, and actionable, redefining the relationship between consumers and brands with amazing new advertising opportunities."
The company also highlights that the privacy of the user will be respected, and notes that advertisers won't have access to all the data that's being recorded by the Kinect, as only game developers can harness all that info.
"This sort of works at two levels. There’s the game producers who have a different API, so a different set of code and system that they use, and they’ve got a lot more control of the whole thing, whereas from the advertising point of view we have a slightly more limited set, which is designed to protect the user. The company is very keen on protecting the user from any sort of abuse so we can’t do certain things."
Microsoft is expected to share more details about the Xbox One advertising policy as we get closer to the console's launch in November.