NUads to offer Kinect-enhanced ads to Xbox Dashboard

Kinect isn't going to simply change how you play games on the Xbox 360. It will change the way you interact with advertisements on the Dashboard--at least, that's the goal with Microsoft's "NUads" initiative. The New York Times reports that NUads, short for "natural user-interface ads," will be shown to advertisers and marketers today at the Cannes Lions International Festival. Should partners sign up, Xbox 360 owners will see new Kinect-enabled interactive ads on the Xbox starting spring of 2012.

The new ad format will be enhanced primarily by Kinect's voice recognition software. According to the report, Xbox users will be able to ask for more information about an ad by saying "Xbox More." Other commands, like "Xbox Near Me," will allow advertisers to send a map to the user's phone, showing the nearest retailer that sells an advertised product. "Xbox Tweet" could let you send a message on Twitter about an ad you just saw.

It's unclear how advertisers will respond to Microsoft's proposed offering. However, at least one agency seems to be sold. "The new ad units really epitomized the level of engagement that everyone is working towards," a John M. Lisko told the newspaper. "You can text, you can tweet, you can vote. That’s phenomenal."