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NUads video demonstrates how your Kinect will get you to watch TV ads

This is what Xbox's 'NUads' will look like, apparently


Microsoft posted a preview clip of its "NUads," which isn't quite as filthy as it sounds. Not in the way you're thinking, anyway. "NUads" are like television advertisements, presented through the Xbox 360 dashboard, that feature Kinect voice interactivity. Or, as Microsoft's sparklingly corporate text describes it, "NUads transform standard 30-second TV spots into engaging and actionable experiences using the power of voice and gesture controls of Kinect for Xbox 360."

The example shown takes an existing Toyota ad, and overlays a cutesy poll. This is just a proof of concept, and we might see them grow more interactive and perhaps even useful after the program launches this fall, but right now it appears to be a simplistic overlay of busywork designed to "engage" people in the ad just enough to make sure they're watching it. This is a very exciting development for advertisers, and something that is, for now, mercifully optional for the rest of us – those of us who didn't buy Kinects for the sole purpose of making ourselves more effective targets for ads.