Privacy breach: Xbox One a 'twisted nightmare'

Tim Vines, director at Civil Liberties Australia, told GamesFIX that Microsoft has a lot to answer for with a product that has the ability to listen and watch everything a person does.

[Arai]

"This is not quite the Xbox One unveiling Microsoft had hoped for."

o'rly? you don't say...question is what are the governments going to do about this.

[theBAWSE]

Always watching always listening..... Xboxone reminds me of the TV show 'cheaters'

[FamilyGuy]

What's really funny is how people were bashing the PS4 for allowing your account to be tethered to your facebook, having real names attached to your PSN account. They screamed about privacy, even though it is stated as a completely optional feature as well as having controls over which people see your screen name and which see your real name.

Now Mircosoft comes out with a mandatory peripheral that is always listening, ALWAYS. A device that scans your living room, notices when any new face is in front of the system, listens to everything you say and watches everything you do while gaming so it can tailor ads to what it thinks you'd be interested in, is required to be plugged in for the system itself to work.

There's nothing optional about it and we're supposed simply trust mircosoft when they say it won't be used in any underhanded ways?

Why make it mandatory? They're obviously up to something.

[pixelsword]

Watch the movie The Island.

They use Microsoft Surface and feature the Xbox...

...I wonder if they are telling us something.

[Godmars290]

@FamilyGuy:

Trust me (You'll just have to); there's a big question mark - several in fact - regarding Sony, their camera and social plans.

Really, with the PS4 not really doing that much different from the PS3, its going to be a while before I pick one up. Less so if they try to do things which try to exploit consumers to at least half the degree MS seems to be aiming at.

[MysticStrummer]

@FamilyGuy - "What's really funny is how people were bashing the PS4 for allowing your account to be tethered to your facebook, having real names attached to your PSN account. They screamed about privacy, even though it is stated as a completely optional feature as well as having controls over which people see your screen name and which see your real name.

Now Mircosoft comes out with a mandatory peripheral that is always listening, ALWAYS. A device that scans your living room, notices when any new face is in front of the system, listens to everything you say and watches everything you do while gaming so it can tailor ads to what it thinks you'd be interested in, is required to be plugged in for the system itself to work."

Wow yeah I had forgotten all about those complaints. What MS has going on now is so much worse, yet many of those same people have no problem with it.

@Godmars - "Trust me (You'll just have to); there's a big question mark - several in fact - regarding Sony, their camera and social plans."

You're going to have to explain how a console and camera that don't require an internet connection are remotely as potentially bad as a console and camera that do. No one has to trust you about anything. Tell us what you mean.

[Godmars290]

@MysticStrummer:

More the social features than anything else. Just don't like where that could take the industry in general. How it could impact game design.

[badz149]

now imagine always watching and listening like the Kinect 2.

[Prcko]

haha,same

[Shadowstar]

"Why make it mandatory? They're obviously up to something."

This is seriously paranoid.

They're making it mandatory to avoid having fragmented market share on the Kinect. They want developers to use it, and that won't happen if it's an add on peripheral instead of a vital part of the system.

We can argue that we don't want them to do that, but this isn't some conspiracy to rob you of your privacy by watching you as you sit on the couch discussing false flag operations.

[3-4-5]

Microsoft doesn't care about what we want...they care about making their money back because of all the money they wasted on R&D for this new glorified Windows 8 cable computer.

* While I'm gaming....I game...not watch TV.

* If I have to switch channel, I'm not that lazy that I can't take 2-3 seconds to use my remote.

* Always watching and listening to me? That is just creepy. Only a matter of time before somebody sues Microsoft for saving footage of random naked female walking by or something like that.

^ I give it less than a year before this happens and law suits start building up.

This will cause their stock to plummet even more and the price to drop.

XB1 officially screwed themselves out of charging more for this.

They are going to have to sell for less to actually sell the amount of units they expect.

[Nafon]

Is there anything stopping you from throwing a towel over the kinect? honest question. I'm not buying either next gen console. Neither have a "wow" factor to them.

and going off part of what 3-4-5 said,
Have you ever tried to use WMC on xbox 360 with the controller to watch live tv? it is a pain in the ass lol. Remotes have been around for decades and are pretty damn good at being TV remotes. The xbox controller, which is meant for playing games, is NOT meant to control a TV. I feel bad for anyone who thinks the xbox one will make watch tv better.

[zebramocha]

Interesting.

[harkki86]

well the xbox one is very usa-focused anyway but with all these issues coming it out may completely tank in other areas like europe and japan.

and while some people may say 'who cares about that? usa is the biggest place for gamers' you have to remember that there are videogame studios in europe and in japan. they are far less likely to make games for a system that doesnt sell well in their home territory. some european devs like the people who are making witcher 3 have already commented that they do not like what xbox one is doing (and that means they may not put their game on it but no confirmation yet)

[NateCole]

Discounting the rest of the world would be a huge...mistake on their part.

[rainslacker]

Very few games nowadays are released only in the US, or just one territory for that matter. Japan is the only market which makes a large number of games which cater only to it's home market. The rest of the world is a much bigger market than the US. Even a US dev may have a problem if they think they can't sell their game overseas, as it all comes down to install base. Otherwise I agree.

[Sideras]

Just wanted to add that CDPR (the creators of The Witcher games) had DRM on the PC version of The Witcher 2, it was meant as a one time activation thing but ended up fucking up the framerate for some reason so they just said fuck it let's patch that crap out.
Not to mention them giving out FREE digital backups for people who bought the boxed copy.
No wonder they are bothered.

[DragonKnight]

First Germany, now Australia. Microsoft has attracted government attention now. I'm positive that that's not what they wanted.

But considering that this is a very American device, Microsoft will probably get away with it because the U.S. government loves surveillance devices even if the citizenry don't.

[rainslacker]

The US gov't does, but the people are very sensitive about privacy. The media loves reporting on violations of privacy. So if it catches enough wind, then the media could jump all over it. It's probably the only negative thing that has a chance to catch any attention in the mainstream media.

[fr0sty]

"question is what are the governments going to do about this."

They're probably all standing in line to get their hands on the surveillance data from Microsoft. having a camera watching and listening to you, all the while making a 3D model of the inside of your home, is a dream come true to many of them.

[dcbronco]

@Arai

I doubt any government is going to listen to a bunch of silly children worrying about a boogeymen under their beds.

Rain the American media will use it like a shark attack. Something sensational to get advertising money. They know Americans are gullible enough to get excited over it. Shark attacks are the medias go to when there is nothing to get the rating going. If you know someone in the media, ask them. It's a complete joke. Or compare your current news in a major city to Cronkite or Winchell. 180 degree difference. One group reports news, the other sells advertising.

Keep your government hands off of my Medicare.

[indysurfn]

They gave in to the Government already on search engine info back in the Bush days. So I think the government is licking their lips for the information the Kinect may gather! Also I called this along time ago Conspiracy, theory. And Kinect! Also I called the TV goes off when the internet goes down (not immediately but eventually).

[NewEra7]

First German commissioner now Australia. Wonder who's next,.

[theBAWSE]

Wait till parents hear about xbones privacy issues.... They the ain't buying it

[Dee_91]

youd be surprised what million dollar marketing can do.
Make the most devious things seem necessary.However after this backlash I doubt that will help but some will still fall for it(I dont mean everybody buying the XBone is a sucker, if you know the risk and still buy,more power to you).

[theBAWSE]

@dmarc parents are gullible but NOT when it comes to their children's safety!!!!

If you think any parent who knows about the surveillance of xbone will put their child I that situation your crazy

The always on always watching will be big news trust me.. We already have government condemning the xbone for what it is and it's long overdue ms are greedy fuckers and I'm glad people are wising up

[Dee_91]

@the bawse
have you seen the internet?
have you seen phones?
Have you seen how many kids get picked up off the social media? Parents gullible but NOT when it comes to their children's safety?
HA
Some parents are gullible, even when it comes to their children's safety.
Like I said some will fall for this crap.

[BISHOP-BRASIL]

Gotta agree with you there Dmarc.

It's a sad reality. We live in a connected world, which is awesome in many ways, but where you also don't even have to step outside of home to get trouble. Yet many parents will simply give anything their little brats want just so they can be left alone.

It's not every parent, but in fact it's common. And the worst part is that it doesn't even need to be the real bad ones, some poeple simply have no idea how far this kind of stuff can go, so they simply don't oversee their kids with phones, tablets, notebook and what not.

That's why we read about kids getting bullied (or worse) over stuff that ends on the internet everyday.

[Why o why]

Good point dmarc. I do think parents are getting more clued up about the bad side of social media, the internet and what their kids are doing when alone. Thank the paedophiles, stalkers and groomers for that.

If parents make a slight link between a snooping camera that always listens and any of the aforementioned types....they'll be wary

[Theangrybogan]

First thing my sister said when I told her about it, SO IT SPIES ON YOUR CHILDREN!!!!!?? So yeah I don't see it sitting well with parents.

[Shaolen]

If these are the same parents that buy a CoD game for their 9 year old kids and don't check the rating on the box, they will unwittingly buy the system for their spoiled brats if pressed hard enough. Squeaky wheel gets the grease as it were.

[loulou]

i love it. one person says "Wait till parents hear about xbones privacy issues.... They the ain't buying it"

and everyone agrees in the vain hope that it just might happen

[loulou]

am i reading this right, so now our kids safety is at risk because of kinect?? lol

it's going to spy on my little boy now. you have gotta be kidding me.

if i thought for one second it was really spying, i would just unplug it when im knocking the back end of my gf on the sofa. but as i dont, i wont be bothering.

i like a good conspiracy, but this is getting ridiculous.

[vigilante_man]

You make an excellent point I had not thought of before. With software hacking anyone could be looking for kids playing and pass that on in their "circle".

I am surprised this will be legal. The more I think about it the worse it gets.

I never really got this aspect when watching the reveal, the lack of games was more noticeable.

I don't trust software switches. It has to be a hardware one. Why on earth would you need to have cameras on all the time just to play a game?

We all must make our minds up but I think they need to add some fail-safe measures before the release. No one with a kid in the house can run any kind of risk. Especially its its always on!

[Robtherobot2013]

I hope it's the U.S.A...

[PiTCHBLaCK]

If the Next country that speaks out is the U.S then PS4 will win this generation by default.

[MysticStrummer]

A country so owned and driven by corporate interests is unlikely to speak out against one as big as MS, especially considering it's an american company.

But, I saw an article today or yesterday that wondered if some of One's features violated laws, in the UK I think, so if enough countries make noise about it maybe the US will join in. It's not totally out of the question.

[Fakdafakinfakerz]

The EU will sue MS again. MS = EU cashcow

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

japan & china next!!!

[Thepharaoh]

then it also meets the definition of "Sorry Hatted Inadequate Trash" or SHIT device

[mochachino]

I understand MS's arrogance, after RROD, ridiculously priced proprietary peripherals, blatant Kinect functionality lies, losing all exclusives, casual focus, paying millions for timed exclusives that added nothing new to the industry and only restricted other gamers from having content that would have otherwise existed anyways, and pay to play online MP people still supported them.

How could they not think that they could do whatever they wanted and people would support them.

I'm happy the US finally woke the f up.

[theBAWSE]

Theres still a couple fanboys on this site defending this no game lending surveillance scambox... Very easy to spot em.. Won't name names but I do feel sorry them... Clowns

[pompombrum]

Why feel sorry for them? Some are blatantly on the M$ payroll.

[Hicken]

I will.

Jek_Porkins
negative
loulou
Count
greenpowerz
JokesOnYou
FrigidDARKNESS
NeverEnding1989
urwifeminder
wheatthins
dcbronco
jeffgoldwin
headblackman
SDFRepellant(can't seem to make up his mind)
Loki86
Foxgod
GamingWorldPeace
DonFreezer
iitsuii
MichaelLito79
nukeitall
Elite24Gamer
horndog
MikeMyers(refuses to believe even what MS execs have said, oddly)
DiRtY

... entirely too many.

[Gohadouken]

Ironically enough you can never get most them to shut up , even when hitting them with pure facts .... yet those days you can barely make them appears and talk .

Some are definitively laying low for e3 ammos and feeling outgunned right now

[slaton24]

heck im from US and I cant stand the xbox.. its nothing but a money sucking P.o.Crap. ok heres an example...Netflix..8 dollars a month x 12 months = 96 dollars now add the 60 dollars to be xbox gold member total it 156 dollars a year just to watch Netflix.... and with the xbone I sure hope more americans wake up if the ps4 has a camera on it guess I will have it covered up since I don't need that to play my games.

[C-Thunder]

The PS4 will have a camera, but I'd bet you have the full option to disable outside of games that require it.

[S2Killinit]

wow have a bubble. You are right on.

[NateCole]

Everyone is very sensitive about privacy lately so i am not surprised. I am actually surprise it's taken this long for it to get the attention of people.

I do wonder as well what the justice system thinks about plans for MS and Publishers to still have rights to product we bought legally with our own money.

If MS is forced to change their strategy with the always on Kinetic then we might actually see a delay since Kinetic always on is central to their One strategy.

[Relientk77]

Can someone tell Microsoft this is NOT ok, you cannot spy on the public

[vigilante_man]

We must be reading this thing wrong. It cannot be that blatant.

[M-M]

There's one thing that truly irritates me. It's already bad enough that this thing is basically a surveillance device, but to make Kinect mandatory just ticks me off sometimes. It's like Microsoft saying "Oh, so you're not going to buy Kinect for the 360? Well, we think it's a great device so we'll force everyone to use on our next console!". Ridiculous.

[strigoi814]

Oh snap microsoft has to go back to the drawing board and disconnect the kinect to the new xbox

[nohopeinc]

Drawing board? It is likely that they can just disable the mandatory kinnect with a simple software update.

I would like to be bold and say that when sales don't meet expectations that they amend this terrible mistake and allow people to not plug it in. But it is unlikely it won't sell.

Furthermore I would bet to say that they will eventually end this idea and that the only reason it is even this way is so when the console costs some insane amounts they can say well you got a kinnect in the box to... than they will start selling them without kinnects.

M$ can make and sell whatever crazy product they want to I have technically no say in it as do any of us, but I can only wonder why is the kinnect such a big deal to them? Why does it have to be plugged in? If people don't want to kinnect on there XB1's than don't make them, you gain nothing from a business standpoint you only gain by selling them with the console, NOT by forcing the use of it.

[Belking]

N4G at it again....lol

[M-M]

If you want, I can post your real account here and make posting on Belking completely irrelevant =).

[solidjun5]

LOL! I would love to know his real account.

[Belking]

too funny....lol Keep up the good work here on N4G. I'm so scared because MS is watching my living room....lol This stuff is too silly. Get real people.

[NewEra7]

It's obviously bigger than N4G. It has been other forums and sites.. now Germany and Australia. I've seen your other other posts on this site and I could swear you took a blood oath with M$ lol

[kenshiro100]

Need a tissue?

[MariaHelFutura]

You guys are hilarious, you blame everyone but Microsoft like Microsoft. Maybe instead of blaming Me, N4G, Mods, Gamers, Germany's federal commissioner for privacy protection, Civil Liberties Australia, Sony and the media. You start looking at Microsoft and yourselves.

[SexyGamerDude]

It's not just NG4. I was just on the Xbox.com forums and people are complaining about the same things.

[MysticStrummer]

Still in denial Belking?

Still think this is just N4G making noise?

If the fact that representatives from several countries are raising legal questions about One's features doesn't clue you in, I don't know what will.

[S2Killinit]

Germany and Australia are jokes too?

[vigilante_man]

You obviously are not a parent. So I understand if you are not that concerned.

I only looked at the obvious marketing ploy. MS need to clarify just what/why the camera usage during any game.

[ApolloTheBoss]

This is it. M$ is NOT getting away with this. Keep talking people! Get the word out and let it spread!

[One4U]

gamers are core audience , now that they know about these crap they will tell other friends or other casual gamers ! Words Spread man !

[MariaHelFutura]

Wrong spot.

[Heisenburger]

Twss.

[KingKevo]

The sentence "The fact that Microsoft is now spying on my living room is merely a twisted nightmare." is a mistranslation. Schaar does not believe that Microsoft will use Kinect to spy him, but it's like the worst case scenario that could happen.

Just wanted to point that out. But he's obvioulsy still not happy with the Xbox One and still thinks that it's probably not legal.

Edit.: Just wanted to add for all who cannot speak German that the words are actually translated correctly, but the intention of the sentence and the meaning of it is a different one in the original. I think the sentence before the quote helps understanding its meaning better.

In the article here it is another quote and the conclusion that says: "Schaar believes this is a major breach of privacy."

In the article from Spiegel Online it says (translated from German to English): "Privacy protector Scharr is not afraid of Microsoft using the integrated microphone in the console's camera to spy on conversations."

[One4U]

heres the thing, ms may not spy if they dont want to but the problem is they have the ability to, the police can tap into it, so can the government ! MS can say watever they want but the fact is They Have The ability to spy on us !

[KingKevo]

With my comment I did not want to comment on the situation as a whole or my personal opinion. I already did that a couple of times around here. I just wanted to help others to understand the translated quote a bit better, because it's a little bit misleading in the article here.

[rainslacker]

Semantics aside, and even putting the whole issue aside for a moment, just from a PR standpoint that quote is the kind of thing that makes headlines. That going to the mainstream would be severely damaging to MS if it gets enough press. In a worse case scenario, MS would be forced to go back and rethink it's strategy on the system, and depending on how it's integrated into the system, it may require a rework of the software or hardware, which could delay launch, which would be devastating as well.

I can say now...I think this is the worst console reveal in history. Not because of the games thing, but because of how everything else was handled afterwards.

[KingKevo]

"Xbox One is surveillance device" might even be a hadline. Yesterday evening I've seen a news report on German TV about the Xbox and they were using that quote (the original one in German). I'd not be surprised if some mainstream media from other places would follow and if other people would make similar statements that are worth quoting.

Anyway, I do totally agree with you, but the solutions you give is another problem imho. Making hardware and software changes are not really possible, because the Xbox One as it is now is what the entire system was meant to be. Changing little things, like Kinect not always on, would cause serious trouble to their concept of how the console is meant to work.

That aside, as you said, it would delay the lauch for several month, maybe more than a year, if they would really change system. Just think about how long it took them to create the system and think of the investments they have already made, patents that would be useless like the one for Kinect, deals with companies, research... They'd lose millions of dollars, had to invest more money and would be sure to lose a lot of users to Sony. So I think they'll try to sell the thing as it is now and try to convince people to buy it.

This could then result in the end of Xbox as well, because my personal opinion is that at least here in Germany the Xbox One won't be released if it really works like that and other European markets would ban it as well, then users all over the world would start complaining and eventually giving up on it.

We might just witness the start of Xbox's downfall. And the funny thing is, the did not even see it coming.
http://25.media.tumblr.com/...

[strigoi814]

Hopefully the USA follows

[Bathyj]

"Microsoft has a lot to answer for with a product that has the ability to listen and watch everything a person does."

Correction, a product that has the ability to listen and watch everything up to 6 people do.

Fixed.

[Cueil]

everybody throw away your smart phones... even turned off people can listen into your conversation or activate your camera...

[vigilante_man]

You are correct about phones. But most of the time they are passive because they are in our pockets/bags and not facing the living room/bedroom.

And we all know the risks with phones. That is why we can buy cheap throw-away pay as you go phones and cards with no ID info whatsoever.

This may be a step too far. We need clarification else I can see all new XBoxes being recalled and the OS having to be re-vamped.

It is THAT big of a deal!

[Cueil]

vigilante_man... it will be a week at most... maybe not even a whole day before packet sniffing users will tell us exactly what data is being sent from the Xbox... if any... when it turns on using voice as well as while you are playing. My guess as it wont be as freaky as Google ads following you around to every site you goto with stuff you just looked at on newegg

[bobtheimpaler]

Some people may think that others are being paranoid. But apathy is the way this sort of downward spiral starts. It starts with something small and escalates - It's why I've stopped using facebook as they always change their policies. And the reason is that users aren't the customers/ clients - advertisers are. People will do good to ask themselves how much their personal information is to them. I know we live in an age where it's not hard for people to gather enough info to commit fraud, but you don't go out of your way to make it easy for them/ companies.

I hope something is done about it in Australia. The kinect should be completely optional. Never mind the anti-consumer malarky, the always on DRM and useless TV features.

I mean, the xbone doesn't record, so it doesn't replace your PVR or any of your set top boxes. In a world where Live television is becoming the next radio thanks to VOD services, and smart TVs with motion controls are already out (Samsung is doing it). I don't see the non-gaming masses rushing out to buy it. They'll just get apple TV or whatever smart TVs/ PVRs are out instead. So much for being an "all in one" device.

[Shad0wRunner]

Microsoft really dropped the ball on this one. I doubt theyre gonna be able to recover any respect during E3, either. We dont know anything about the security acrhitecture of the XBox One but in the event this console gets hacked...and it's only a matter of time before it does...whats to stop or prevent hackers and would-be thieves to access the camera remotely and spy on thousands of familes and users around the world?

And to answer the top post: The Governments around the world wont do anything about it. They actively spy on their citizens, themselves. You think they care? If anything, they will use it to their advantage.

[Pyrrhus]

'The new device, which is expected to launch in Australia before Christmas'

While I dont give 2 shits about MS and the X1, this would be good news as it means potentially PS4 will launch before Christmas down here too.

[Bathyj]

I think we will if Europe is getting it. Theres no reason why not.

[MRMagoo123]

omg you guys are in Australia too yay :) you guys pre ordered yet i have $500 on my ps4 already lol

[BitbyDeath]

Hopefully it'll get brought before the courts soon.

[Cueil]

you mean like all those cell phone companies have been brought to the courts? This is just political BS used to gain a bit of headline material so people think of you when they go to vote or to talk about politics

[BitbyDeath]

Wrong, cell phones are in no way similar.
Yes they have a camera but they aren't on unless you turn them on. Xbone has the camera that is on all the time. Listening and watching.

Huge difference.

[CyrusLemont]

Governments will probably be the highest bidder.

[Chapter11]

The sad fact is people WILL buy one and won't care as long as they get to play Call of Duty and watch TV. Idiots, this will ruin us all.

[Old McGroin]

They can do the same things on the PS4 - COD will be released on the PS4 and the PS3 is the number one device in the world (it even tops the PC) for Netflix viewing figures so more than likely the PS4 will follow suit.

On topic, I was torn between which of the two new consoles I was going to get first but the PS4 is pulling further and further ahead.

[PigPen]

This is not good Microsoft, you need to get out on top of this. You need to talk to the people. You can't wait for E3 to do so either.

[Double_O_Revan]

I'm waiting for them to be forced to go back to the drawing board with this one. People say 'wait for E3', I'm beginning to wonder what they'll even do at E3. Will they go through and show everything they had planned? Will they be forced to change and back peddle with all their policies?

I'm glad its more then just a bunch of dedicated gamers sitting in front of the computer that are taking notice with this. And if this does get turned around or if the One gets squashed, it would be a huge victory for gamers.

[supremacy]

My theory on this is they will show you a bunch of 3rd party games and a few exclusives of which some like RYSE are kinect based. And with that they'll hope you and everyone else forgets about any of this mess.

But does or will that really change peoples perceptions? I dont know

[Grimhammer00]

Canada pretty strict on these issues too.
I can see Canada restricting xbone or requiring modifications.

It's MS fault. Arrogance and greed....the American way?

[drsfinest72]

How many of you have cellphones with a front facing camera? Have u ever noticed how Google have all that information about you without you knowing? Download a game and check the permissions the game needs it's even worser than what Microsoft is doing. In the end android phones sell good even after all these information Google quietly gets from you. (ever noticed how ads are always about your interest without you knowing?) Well Microsoft will sell lots of system.

[Gohadouken]

Can't this BS argument be dropped entirely ? You can shutdown completelt those cameras with various methods or prevent them from accessing even the net .

Here you can't be without internet at least every 24hr , and whenever the console is on so is Kinect

[BladerunnerZX]

I hope both Germany and australia ban the sales of Xbox One because the Xbox brand is already dead in japan.

I think the game console market would be just fine with just Sony and Nintendo.

Gears of War would sell millions on PS4 and PC and Microsoft could sell Halo to well any other multiplatform game publisher and be done with it.

The fact is that the majority of the gaming community dont want you around anymore Microsoft ... Microsoft GO HOME !

[warewolfSS]

Do you forget? Nothing sells well on ps3. Dude, you are seriously twisted. Like you have mental issues.

[S2Killinit]

"nothing sells well on ps3" what? lol where do you come up with this stuff?

[warewolfSS]

The beginning of my comment was sarcasm.

[Nocando]

This is what many have wished for from the get go.

[fossilfern]

Australia and Germany declaring the Xbox one as a surveillance device? MS can't ignore this. I just hope that there will be EU wide pressure on MS and nit just the individual governments

[HmongAmerican]

This sadden me as a gamer. I wonder why didn't the people at MS who create these features didn't think ahead of the problems it will bring. Does the person in charge at MS gaming division does his homework?

[MRMagoo123]

Australia ftw "aussie aussie aussie"

[mmj]

oi oi oi

[Prcko]

isn't this same as german

[Astargatis]

A Surveillance Camera?

[Clarence]

M$ better have something amazing at e3 or The Xbox 1 could end up on the list for worst gadgets of 2013.

[BOLO]

HAL9000 Kinect game confirmed.

[headblackman]

some people are idiots. just unplug the damn thing when you're done with it if you're that paranoid about it. make sense? no power. no watching or listening.

game on :-)

[Vip3r]

Uh, you need it plugged in all the time for the XB1 to work.

[headblackman]

not when you're not playing with it. when you're done with it just unplug the damn thing. its not rocket science. no power. no unaware spying. if you don't want the kinect looking at you? turn the damn thing to the wall or put a towel or some black tape over the lense.

[Vip3r]

@headblackman

Please read and educate yourself.

http://www.polygon.com/2013...

[brewin]

Holy crap this is getting out of hand for Microsoft. How do they come back from this? The damage is already done and I don't think any amount of exclusive, awesome games can fix it.

[Stalkerone]

Hey guys take a few short minutes and sign my petition on change.org to stop Microsoft's privacy intrusion. don't forget to share the link with others! http://www.change.org/petit...

[sync90]

The only good thing it could be used for is a way of stoping the kiddies from playing mature rated games.

[aaronobst]

Just stick a picture of goatse in front of it, that'll show em

[okmrman]

whats annoying is that some people are rejoicing just because they want sony to win

wouldnt it be better if MS fixes things so that the xbox one doesnt require kinnect, doesnt need to check online every 24hrs, and doesnt require verification for used games?

so that we can have a healthy gaming market

people are just turning this into flat out fanboyism. who would want a one console market?

i just hope MS fixes these issues because i wont be getting it if they dont, but i dont want them to drop out of the console market, or anything like that.

fix you shit MS!!! competition is healthy, but this is not the way to go if you want to compete with Sony.

[ericnoddy]

í am reminded of the "double edged sword" scenario when it comes to this issue. when cellphones came out, people were convinced they would get their brains fried. facebook came-there goes our privacy etc. know we embrace smartphone which if you think about it are in themself "surveillance devices". what i'm pointing out here is that almost every product that does bad has a possibility of doing good.

i'm mindful of the fact that objective criticism of xbox1 from sony supporters will be tilted directly towards the no no sign but the same argument could be made of every electronic device on the market right now. wether you like it or not, you are already being listened to. you are already being spied on and all your movements are being monitered. that's FACT. do you honestly think that a company as huge as microsoft would make kinect2 and not have their legal teams look at the legal practicalities of their device? what of the benefits that it can offer ito security for example? imagine it being able to detact an intruder in your house and it being able to notify the police instantly. imagine it being able to detact your sorry ass having a heart attack alone at home and notifying the nearest hospital...and so on and so forth.
i swear a bunch of people here are terrorist who don't want their plots from being foiled. what do you have to hide bro?
wouldn't it be nice if kinect2 could detect if some crazed punk wants to attack a school and go out in a blaze of glory then actually notify the authorities?
just thinking out loud.

[Thepcz]

thing is, a lot of consumers will buy this simply because its the next xbox. ie the xbox fanboys.

they along with many others wont even think of the negative implications the system has for their own privacy and also the way microsofts used games policy will affect the industry.

i hope people think with their brain and boycott this product.

[Hazzinho10]

It seems every forum I've been on it's at least 85% against these stupid policies. Actions speak loader than words mind, I suspect a lot of people will moan and still buy it, I bet MS are thinking that too.

[alDante]

In my opinion the xbox one is one hell of an entertainment device- its entertainment for the the people of Microsoft behind the Xbox watching the people in front of the Xbox playing via Kinect 2.0.

[windblowsagain]

I don't really see what Microsoft brought to gaming.

Bad Hardware - Yes

Pay to play online - Yes

Few exclusives - Yes

Exclusive DLC - yes

As you can tell, I won't be going xbone.

[FinalomegaS]

the privacy of the very consumer that buy these should be a top priority. There are hackers and other no goods out there.Even if it's not MS that uses the spying eye on the consumer I'm sure someone with way to much time on their hands will find a way to turn the xbx one into the peeping box.

I have a bad feeling about this whole thing...

[Igniter]

There are smart TV's coming with cams now and I doubt they will provide the security that the consoles will.

Also, nobody has seen the new system yet. Just because you have something plugged in doesn't mean it has to be activated. The current Kinect has settings to turn the sensor completely off or to just shut off the mic. As long as Kinect2 has settings to control what it does there is no need to run around and scream that the sky is falling.

[FinalomegaS]

Do you understand how many women dance in front of the kinect????? that's a lot of T&A.

I'm just saying what others would think, it's not just big brother or the peeping toms at MS we should be afraid of.

[Daz]

lol

[lllll-lllll]

[Quote]Is there anything stopping you from throwing a towel over the kinect?[/quote]

You get a blue screen of death when you do this, hahaha

[ACEMANWISE]

1) Gamer Masks. Why decal your console when you can decal your face? Associate your favorite characters to your account.

2) Voice Scramblers. Anonymous is most fun but not when all 16 players have them.

3) Fingerprint covers. Just like disc covers. Protect your fingerprints from exposure.

4) Video Loopback adapter. Just slide the screen over your PS EYE or Kinect. Loops 3 hours of video.

5) Eyeball scramblers. Prevent the camera from knowing where you truly look. Balls look at 50 directions per second.

6) Body suits. Excellent for masking your sex, race, weight, scars, and tatoos.

7) Automatic Console Swivel. Spin the camera 360 when not in use. Maximum speed? Enough to make monitoring a "dizzying" experience.

8) Night Vision Goggles. Play in the dark and confuse the maintenance techs.

9) Shameshark Cheat Software. Watch those watching you...watch them, watch you. Gather their face, voice, and facial expressions and upload their personal life to Youtube!

10) Language Scrambler. Speak any language, use morse code, or even use leaked military communication codes. Useful for hiding communication from the enemy.

[Saints94]

Discovered a new way to deal with the kinect.

[Tigan]

Things are getting blown out of proprtion with this kinect thing. Why is it only on this site?

[Nocando]

Because they approve negative opinion pieces (not including this article) 24-7. Look at the comments,especially from Bladerunnerzx, they want MS out of the business, no matter what kind of product they come out with. It could be a free console with AAA exclusive games, and they would still feel the same way.
It has been this way since around 1999 when the Dreamcast was launched. I clearly remember not being able to make positive comments about Sega or the Dreamcast at the time without it becoming a huge flame war.

[2pacalypsenow]

Man idiots will still buy this cuz its made by Microsoft and some people are still salty about ps2 killing the dreamcast

[Nocando]

Guess I am an idiot, because I am preordering the Xbox One, and will never, ever purchase a Ps4.

[Tres21]

i had 2 disagree wit ur statement sorry Nocando 1 ur not an idiot it doesnt sound lik a bad purchase & 2 i wouldnt say never ever on the ps4 it actually does look lik a beast of a system

[isyourhouseonfire]

Chances are the XBOX ONE will dominate the industry like the 360 did. Basically what Microsoft has is a console that fixed the one thing wrong with the 360: A blu ray drive. Can Sony find a way to compete? We'll find out!

[AO1JMM]

Website is not getting any hits from me.

[Orionsangel]

Yeah MS is done. The end of the Xbox, said all the Sony Fanboys in wishful statements. You know, if you say something enough it's true. Haha. The Game industry is funny. We go through this shit every new console launch and yet the console last a long time and becomes a success anyway. All these comments made now become irrelevant. Haha!

[Tres21]

im sorry but i would die laughin if the guys at Sony had that same feature & were gonna use it but scraped it when dey knew it would let ppl kno the truth that with 50% more power the PS4 can read ur thoughts it doesnt need 2 always listen.lol

[Tres21]

but what i do wonder is what type of media center both systems r gonna hav & support lik mkv or lik a vlc player man o man what a dream.

[sak500]

Can't wait for E3 where MS will announce XB1 as a late april fool joke and will reveal a gaming console which only plays games and no need to keep it connected and no mandatory use of kinect.