You may be familiar with the above icon that pops up out of nowhere during game play on your Xbox 360; it usually signifies that the player has achieved some notable feat or challenge (i.e. points). The numbers and letter signify that 1000 game points have been achieved, which contribute to the user’s Gamerscore.
What if you want to go beyond that? What if you wanted simply be rewarded for watching TV shows and ads? Don’t worry, Microsoft has you covered – and the more involved you are with the media that your Xbox One provides, the more you will get out of it.
Major Nelson, the Director of Programming for the Microsoft gaming network Xbox Live, said in July that, “Other Xbox One applications such as video and music apps can now use Achievements to bring you awesome sneak peek content, early access, or subscription extensions.”
Not only that, but you will be known for your actions, as Xbox One will give you digital medals and badges to which a user can proudly display to their online buddies, or whoever they want to invite over.
The Xbox Wire Staff said on November 8th in a press release that, “Xbox One is empowering partners to bring media achievements and exclusive Snap experiences, as well as many other things to entertainment apps, offering everybody the opportunity to achieve badges or rewards for the media they consume in addition to gaming.”
So how do you exactly earn these medals? Microsoft provided an example of earning the “n00b” Achievement for starting up the Machinima app for the first time; you get the “addict” Achievement for launching it ten times in 30 days. If you’re tinkering with Amazon Instant Video, you can earn the achievement that involves watching 10 titles before the end of 2013, or “watch[ing[ an Amazon Original pilot with the second letter of the Greek alphabet”, sound fun already?
In a statement given to Ars Technica, Microsoft noted that Achievements can be unlocked by customers simply by “watching TV shows and movies or rating content” on apps including “Netflix, Hulu Plus, Crackle, Amazon Instant Video, and Redbox Instant.”
These points will not be going towards an Xbox One user’s existing Achievements and Gamerscore, so hardcore players won’t have to worry about couch potatoes racking up points that reflect upon a user’s gaming skills. “Don’t worry, watching a zillion hours of House of Cards won’t impact won’t impact your Gamerscore. We know that is sacred.” Said Microsoft.
Xbox One comes out November 22nd.
(Images via JustAchieveIt.com, Ars Technica)