This video gives us a unique opportunity to see behind the wall that one would hope separates entertainment from advertising.
I’m not saying there is anything terribly wrong with adding new functionality to the advertising that pops up on an Xbox 360 console. I just hate how this video makes it feel like the console has become purely a vehicle for advertising. Of course that’s not true. This is a video created by marketing folks for advertisers. It’s not meant to be viewed by us regular folk.
I’d like to think that as Microsoft continues to expand the way they jam ads into the Xbox 360 console they’ll start to pass that savings onto users by not only preventing hikes in Xbox Live membership, but perhaps dropping the fees a bit. I’m not holding my breath though.
The video, and the advertising tech it shows off, does get under my skin a bit if only because some of this looks like unique, interesting, cool technology that still hasn’t popped up in many Xbox 360 video games. I suspect most people purchased a Kinect to enhance their gaming experiences, not their advertising ones… right?
Great Ads, If Not Great Gaming, Coming to The Xbox 360 Kinect [Kotaku – thanks Fabrice!]
Republished from Kotaku