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Kinect is listening… and obeying the commands of Breaking Bad’s Jesse Pinkman.
A UK TV ad for Xbox One has reportedly been causing some users’ Xbox One consoles to turn on by themselves. It seems to happen at the moment Aaron Paul says ‘Xbox On’ to turn on his machine.
The problem is that Xbox Ones that have Kinect connected are always listening for the prompt. This includes when it’s uttered on the TV.
Microsoft told the BBC that is has no comment on the issue, although it did add that the prompt has been included in previous ads without any reported issues.
The phenomenon is definitely real, though – it’s happened to one of the MCV team.
Owners can of course deactivate or unplug their Kinect cameras although that is arguably not the point. Also note that the 349 Kinect-less Xbox One is now available to buy in the UK.
You can see the ad below:
