With Microsoft’s Xbox One being released at the end of 2013 its clear that MS will be heavily focusing its newest console on the entertainment aspect as much as it will be on gaming.
Its also looking like MS will be expanding on its current Xbox Live Achievements system into the TV aspect as the company has reportedly filed some patents that hint that the Xbox One might reward owners for watching TV content.
The patent that has been filed shows off a system that would reward viewers with achievements for watching TV series in full as well as “performing a specific action” whilst watching content… like accessing another in-TV feature?
Additionally the patent also says that you might be able to earn some achievements for more obnoxious things like watching a certain number of adverts during a broadcast.
The information was originally reported by gaming website Gamesindustry.biz who also state two examples given include doling out achievements for watching a single event like the Super Bowl or for watching an entire series of a single show.
“Additionally, by tying the awards and achievements to particular items of video or advertising content, viewers may be encouraged to increase their viewership of the content, thus increasing advertising opportunities.” The patent application hints heavily at a prominent reward system for getting involved with the TV side of things.
What’s more, the patent application details alternative rewards other than the points system, which includ new clothes and props for an avatar, virtual money for a game or even physical rewards. It’s all a bit far-fetched and we would imagine the points are only available if you view the TV through Microsoft’ s paid for channels, but it may be extended to other subscriptions (Netflix, LOVEFiLM) and on demand services such as iPlayer and 4oD.
Can you image people actively telling you that they watched all of The Wire in 1 week and then showing off their TV score? We aren’t convinced.