What the Xbox One Means for Gamification

The Xbox One has a future vision for TV entertainment

The successor to the Xbox 360 was just announced about two hours ago and we finally have a name for Microsoft’s next generation console:  Xbox One

Many features about the Xbox One looked really impressive, especially the new high-fidelity Xbox Kinect sensor and voice commands but the most significant take-away for gamifiers is the presence of a TV tuner and a nifty little feature called “snap-mode.”

The new snap feature will allow a kind of picture-in-picture TV viewing experience that will allow users to devote 80% of the screen to one activity and the rest of the screen devoted to another application. This means that users will be able to multitask between different applications on the same screen. One application of this would be for viewers watching a basketball game on their Xbox One. Through a voice command received by the Kinect, a viewer can bring up their fantasy basketball stats and interact with their team, while maintaining view of the game.

The important thing to realize here isn’t necessarily what this new Xbox One feature allows; its the bet Microsoft is taking on how people will consumer broadcast media in the future. Up until now, gamified TV viewing experiences have existed mostly in the form of a second-screen and Microsoft is seeking to eliminate that second-screen altogether by keeping it on one screen.

I predicted that TV would evolve in this way by taking cues from the online streaming community and Microsoft is currently heading in that direction. Xbox One will allow developers and TV producers alike to add more interactivity to the standard TV viewing experience with the addition of new companion apps, a web browser, and even Skype to create a more engaging experience by containing these multiple elements in one location.

Gamifiers take heed: as cord cutting becomes more prevalent and subscription models become the norm: this will be how TV will be consumed in the future. Start thinking of interesting ways to take advantage of this!

To watch a full recap of the Xbox One reveal, check it out on the Xbox Homepage.