Microsoft planning Kinect dashboard ads?
NUAds trademark hints at motion-controlled advertising for Xbox 360
Microsoft may be planning a new system of Kinect-enabled advertising for the Xbox 360, following the discovery of a new trademark for "NUAds".
A trademark application discovered by website Techie Buzz refers to a new service called NUAds and although Kinect is not mentioned by name it appears to be instrumental to the new concept.
"Advertising services, namely, promoting and marketing the goods and services of others through online interactive video games by enabling consumers to interact with third-party advertising content through voice or body gestures via computer game console and sensor devices", reads the description.
The description appears to imply advertising via the Xbox 360 dashboard, rather than in-game. Static and video advertising is already streamed via the current dashboard and a new fully Kinect-controlled version of the interface was unveiled at the recently concluded E3 expo.
The website Techie Buzz speculates that the new service may be an attempt by Microsoft to introduce an equivalent to Apple's iAds - a touch-controlled advertising platform for iOS developers.