Microsoft's latest advert showcasing the capabilities of its Xbox One console isn't so good for people who have already bought one. The advert features the hot phrase "Xbox On," which is inadvertently switching on various user's installed Xbox One consoles willy nilly. Users of both Reddit and Twitter have been redditing and twittering about the energy wasting functionality blip.
Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul is featured in the TV ad, which runs in the US and the UK. In the commercial he chats casually with viewers about his busy life and enjoying his downtime as best he can. Of course an Xbox One is part of that relaxation scheme. So Paul commands "Xbox On," followed shortly by "Xbox go to Titanfall". He goes on to enjoy a bit of Titanfall button bashing and decides to split the screen with the TV saying "Xbox snap TV".
As you can imagine, if the advert is turning on various Xbox One consoles it could also go further, with the systems responding to other commands in the ad such as launching Titanfall, if installed. Indeed this too has been one of the unintended consequences of viewing this ad on a TV next to Microsoft's latest console and Kinect 2 bundle.
The Independent reports that this isn't the first time ads have interfered with the Xbox One and also that other online players have gone as far as "joining online matches with names such as 'Xbox Turn Off' or 'Xbox Sign Out' in order to purposefully aggravate other players until they mention them by name". If you do address these players directly through the Xbox One then your Xbox One will turn off or sign off – of course.
Incidentally, this week retailers started to sell Microsoft's next gen console for the first time with the Kinect 2 sensor (which listens to these commands) unbundled. The new £349/$399 SKU has started to "fly off the shelves," retailer GameStop's Senior VP Bob Puzon told games news site GameSpot. Puzon also noted that the Xbox One bundled with Kinect was still a "very vibrant" product.
