As if need to be said, but Microsoft seems much value in television watching, perhaps more so than game playing. Last weeks Xbox One reveal is proof positive of this belief, but a recently unearthed patent is even more so. Plus it further explains the One's need to have a Kinect that's always on.
According to The Verge, the patent (which hails originally from 2011) would use the motion sensing camera to monitor television viewing habits. It would essentially keep track of the viewer, and in certain cases, review him or her, but doling out Xbox Achievement Points, or something similar, perhaps for watching certain kinds of programming, such as television commercials.
Though such an application flies right in the face of a previous statement from Microsoft. When responding to their NUads program, which allowed users to share ads with those in their social network via the Kinect, and the concerns in raised when it came to privacy: "strict policies in place that prohibit the collection, storage, or use of Kinect data for the purpose of advertising."
But that was then, and this is now. The patent explains how MS believes TV watching to be a "passive" activity and how giving out achievements will make it more active. Content creators would set the parameters, as well as determine the awards, which could be anything from coupons, virtual gifts, even a brand new outfit for your avatar.
One example is reward those who actually pay attention to the commercials and not burying one's face in one's smart phone.
It’s worth noting that the Nielsen Company, which tabulates the ratings for television programming, once came up with an idea that was somewhat similar: a device that would monitor the faces of viewers, to gauge their reaction to a show, instead of just seeing how long they tuned in to something.
Even though the idea was refined so it would be non-evasive as possible, the very idea was a huge turn off to Nielsen families. But the time finally ripe for such an idea?
