New Games Barcodes: Sinister Or Just Selling?
New barcodes for coming for Xbox games
HCCB Barcodes
A colour barcode system from Microsoft, set to appear on Xbox 360 games later this year, could be the next step in games marketing.
The new barcodes can hold double the amount of information of a traditional barcode (or UPC barcode) and could be accessible to customers using webcams or mobile phones with cameras.
The so-called High Capacity 'Color' Barcode (HCCB), can hold up to 3,500 alphabetical characters that are stored in eight and four colour geometric patterns.
Gavin Jancke, the Microsoft engineering director behind HCCB, said the UPC will not be replaced. "It's more of a 'partner' barcode," he said. "The UPC barcodes will always be there. Ours is more of a niche barcode where you want to put a lot of information in a small space.†"
One potential use would be to embed a URL into the barcode. Once the barcode was scanned, the user would be taken to a promotional webpage for more information. This would obviously be a two-way gain: the consumer would be armed with more info, the publisher would game more information about potential purchasers.
"So what, sounds like techie stuff that no one'll ever use", you're thinking. Not necessarily. In Japan a similar technology called QR Barcode is becoming increasingly widespread. It allows users to access information on products detailing everything from nutritional information to soil composition where it was grown. Similarly, the technology is increasingly finding its way into magazine adverts and even onto business cards.
Potentially, then, HCCB could provide a whole new way for publishers to market to (or at you). The mad prophet of comics, Warren Ellis, has speculated that such technology could be used to link users to a 'data shadow' providing reams of reference materiel on a given subject††.
While Ellis's intention for providing information in comics through a data shadow is laudable and wholesome, it also lends itself nicely to the sinister world of marketing.
Imagine scanning a HCCB on GTAIV, for example, and being linked not just to the game's official page, but also to official blog entries, only positive reviews... you get the picture.
Of course, the technology to read HCCB needs catch on first. But, let's face it, if Microsoft wants a technology to be adopted it usually happens.
(We don't mention Zune Ed.)
†Source: BBC
††Source: Comicon
The new barcodes can hold double the amount of information of a traditional barcode (or UPC barcode) and could be accessible to customers using webcams or mobile phones with cameras.
The so-called High Capacity 'Color' Barcode (HCCB), can hold up to 3,500 alphabetical characters that are stored in eight and four colour geometric patterns.
Gavin Jancke, the Microsoft engineering director behind HCCB, said the UPC will not be replaced. "It's more of a 'partner' barcode," he said. "The UPC barcodes will always be there. Ours is more of a niche barcode where you want to put a lot of information in a small space.†"
One potential use would be to embed a URL into the barcode. Once the barcode was scanned, the user would be taken to a promotional webpage for more information. This would obviously be a two-way gain: the consumer would be armed with more info, the publisher would game more information about potential purchasers.
"So what, sounds like techie stuff that no one'll ever use", you're thinking. Not necessarily. In Japan a similar technology called QR Barcode is becoming increasingly widespread. It allows users to access information on products detailing everything from nutritional information to soil composition where it was grown. Similarly, the technology is increasingly finding its way into magazine adverts and even onto business cards.
Potentially, then, HCCB could provide a whole new way for publishers to market to (or at you). The mad prophet of comics, Warren Ellis, has speculated that such technology could be used to link users to a 'data shadow' providing reams of reference materiel on a given subject††.
While Ellis's intention for providing information in comics through a data shadow is laudable and wholesome, it also lends itself nicely to the sinister world of marketing.
Imagine scanning a HCCB on GTAIV, for example, and being linked not just to the game's official page, but also to official blog entries, only positive reviews... you get the picture.
Of course, the technology to read HCCB needs catch on first. But, let's face it, if Microsoft wants a technology to be adopted it usually happens.
(We don't mention Zune Ed.)
†Source: BBC
††Source: Comicon
Companies:
Microsoft
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Comments
realvictory 20 Apr 2007 19:36
1/14
They could store the information on a URL... and write the URL down. This idea could also potentially save them lots of colour ink. Maybe I should get a job with them.
How about - the high-capacity Barcode Battler! Now that would be class.
How about - the high-capacity Barcode Battler! Now that would be class.
SPInGSPOnG 20 Apr 2007 20:15
2/14
Hmmm. A traditional barcode can store 12 numerical characters. These can store 3500 alphas. That's not "double the amount of information of a traditional barcode" - that's 758 times as much data.
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DoctorDee 20 Apr 2007 20:17
3/14
This is quite cock isn't it.
If you want to put "lots" of information in a small space why not just print a URL in OCR type. When it's scanned the scanning device could pull a whole load of data in by RSS.
If you want to put "lots" of information in a small space why not just print a URL in OCR type. When it's scanned the scanning device could pull a whole load of data in by RSS.
smelly 20 Apr 2007 23:00
4/14
I'm suprised no-ones mentioned that they could potentially use it in future to prevent you from using pirated games.
You need to scan the game you're playing before you can play it, etc.
Sounds far fetched.. but they MUST have a reason for it..
You need to scan the game you're playing before you can play it, etc.
Sounds far fetched.. but they MUST have a reason for it..
Zazigglebub 20 Apr 2007 23:01
5/14
Rod Todd wrote:
Hmmm. A traditional barcode can store 12 numerical characters. These can store 3500 alphas. That's not "double the amount of information of a traditional barcode" - that's 758 times as much data.
and what mr hotel living in god knows how many houses man aside from spouting your own s**t is your point
vault 13 21 Apr 2007 06:19
6/14
Zazigglebub wrote:
Rod Todd wrote:
Hmmm. A traditional barcode can store 12 numerical characters. These can store 3500 alphas. That's not "double the amount of information of a traditional barcode" - that's 758 times as much data.
and what mr hotel living in god knows how many houses man aside from spouting your own s**t is your point
His point was the article was wrong. If we're referring to raw character counts: 12 numerical characters, double that would be 24. But this is not the case. It is also worded oddly to boot. Are we talking about all permutations of 12 base 10 numbers (is it permutations or the other one that's all known non alike combinations of a given set?)? Or is it numerically encoded product information, i.e. Final Fantasy X and $49.99. But no matter what the reasoning is, I think in every possible route, 3500 alphanumeric characters (that's 26x3500) gives us alot more combinations. 12x10 not so much. Maybe if it was base 100 or base 1000 but I don't think that is the case.
Anyone want to correct my mathmatical mess?
SPInGSPOnG 21 Apr 2007 09:16
7/14
vault 13 wrote:
Anyone want to correct my mathmatical mess?
I think the difference between what you are talking about and what I was talking about was the amount of data stored versus the number of possible combinations that data can be used to represent.
20 single digit base-10 numeric characters require twice the amount of memory to hold them as 10 similar characters do (since each character is stored in an eight bit binary word). But they represent 10,000,000,000 times the number of unique combinations.
12 alphas is the same amount of data stored as 12 numbers but it can represent over 95,000 times the number of unique combinations. 2.6^12.
By that reckoning of course, I should have said that 3500 chrarcters is 291.7 times as much data as a traditional barcode - 270 times if we allow the check digit significance as a data register.
But not all of the possible combinations are meaningful - 3500 zeros tells us nothing. 3500 'A's tell us nothing. For most of the combinations to be useful, they would have to be used as addresses for meaningful data, just as UPC or EAN barcodes are only references into a product database that is held seperately and which holds far far more data than could ever be stored in 12 digits.
The number of combinations of 3500 "alphabetical characters" (not alphanumerics, which is what I suspect they actually mean) over 12 decimal digits is (2.6^12) * (26^3488) which is a very very very very very very large number. My calculator just says "infinity" because it does not have enough characters to display it even in scientific notation.
So in answer to our friend - who seems to have perfectly capured Denis Leary's demeanour but not his wit... my point is that the story is very considerably wrong no matter which definition of data you accept.
offal eater 21 Apr 2007 09:37
8/14
Rod Todd wrote:
Hmmm. A traditional barcode can store 12 numerical characters. These can store 3500 alphas. That's not "double the amount of information of a traditional barcode" - that's 758 times as much data.
could be talking about those 2D barcodes as traditional - you know the ones you get on shipments?
ajmetz 21 Apr 2007 17:26
9/14
Where would you scan these?
In the store, prior to purchase, to gain more product info?
When you get home, with your own home scanner, to access bonus items?
With your mate's barcode battler?
In a new interactive shop display Microsoft is planning?
Seems to me, if you want more info, read the back of the box,
if you wanna playtest, ask an assistant to put it on a demo pod,
if you want bonus goodies, then put your disc in the x360 and enjoy. =P
I can't see from this article how the technology is gonna be applied in a real world setting yet.
In the store, prior to purchase, to gain more product info?
When you get home, with your own home scanner, to access bonus items?
With your mate's barcode battler?
In a new interactive shop display Microsoft is planning?
Seems to me, if you want more info, read the back of the box,
if you wanna playtest, ask an assistant to put it on a demo pod,
if you want bonus goodies, then put your disc in the x360 and enjoy. =P
I can't see from this article how the technology is gonna be applied in a real world setting yet.
SPInGSPOnG 21 Apr 2007 20:03
10/14
offal eater wrote:
could be talking about those 2D barcodes as traditional - you know the ones you get on shipments?
They are more new-fangled than traditional. I agree that 2D barcodes are a standard... but the UPC (which the article makes specific reference to) and the EAN/JAN are universal standards.
realvictory 22 Apr 2007 01:40
11/14
ajmetz wrote:
Where would you scan these?
In the store, prior to purchase, to gain more product info?
When you get home, with your own home scanner, to access bonus items?
With your mate's barcode battler?
In a new interactive shop display Microsoft is planning?
Seems to me, if you want more info, read the back of the box,
if you wanna playtest, ask an assistant to put it on a demo pod,
if you want bonus goodies, then put your disc in the x360 and enjoy. =P
I can't see from this article how the technology is gonna be applied in a real world setting yet.
In the store, prior to purchase, to gain more product info?
When you get home, with your own home scanner, to access bonus items?
With your mate's barcode battler?
In a new interactive shop display Microsoft is planning?
Seems to me, if you want more info, read the back of the box,
if you wanna playtest, ask an assistant to put it on a demo pod,
if you want bonus goodies, then put your disc in the x360 and enjoy. =P
I can't see from this article how the technology is gonna be applied in a real world setting yet.
I predict that you'll have them tattooed on to your skin when you buy a game, and it will store info about yourself on a server. This way, you will become an anonymous statistic - the ideal consumer - easy to track and monitor - more difficult to store this volume of information on a traditional barcode.
vault 13 22 Apr 2007 03:08
12/14
realvictory wrote:
ajmetz wrote:
Where would you scan these?
In the store, prior to purchase, to gain more product info?
When you get home, with your own home scanner, to access bonus items?
With your mate's barcode battler?
In a new interactive shop display Microsoft is planning?
Seems to me, if you want more info, read the back of the box,
if you wanna playtest, ask an assistant to put it on a demo pod,
if you want bonus goodies, then put your disc in the x360 and enjoy. =P
I can't see from this article how the technology is gonna be applied in a real world setting yet.
In the store, prior to purchase, to gain more product info?
When you get home, with your own home scanner, to access bonus items?
With your mate's barcode battler?
In a new interactive shop display Microsoft is planning?
Seems to me, if you want more info, read the back of the box,
if you wanna playtest, ask an assistant to put it on a demo pod,
if you want bonus goodies, then put your disc in the x360 and enjoy. =P
I can't see from this article how the technology is gonna be applied in a real world setting yet.
Someone who asks what this would be useful for has never worked in a game store ever! Customer walks in and picks up a copy of the new Bioshock and asks if it can be played on their four year old Gateway. You as an associate say no and to go away. Put the persistent customer NEEDS to get it to work and thinks it will and continues to ask you about how to get it work. And this inane conversation goes on and on and on and on. Think about system specs, reviews, screenshots, videos..., all of which could be pulled up by the barcode sequence. Or better yet STORED on the barcode and displayed on the screen. Or even better, if the latest iteration of Windows could store your system specs on whatever portable drive you have and the machine could verify if you could play said game. I think it's a great idea, as long as neither Microsoft nor Sony nor Nintendo has control and or designs the systems.
DoctorDee 22 Apr 2007 07:41
13/14
realvictory wrote:
I predict that you'll have them tattooed on to your skin when you buy a game, and it will store info about yourself on a server. This way, you will become an anonymous statistic - the ideal consumer - easy to track and monitor - more difficult to store this volume of information on a traditional barcode.
We already have customer loyalty cards that do all of the above, without the need for expensive and time-consuming tattoos, or the anonimity.
Moschops 22 Apr 2007 10:01
14/14
realvictory wrote:
They could store the information on a URL... and write the URL down. This idea could also potentially save them lots of colour ink. Maybe I should get a job with them.
How about - the high-capacity Barcode Battler! Now that would be class.
How about - the high-capacity Barcode Battler! Now that would be class.
they could use one of those semacodes to store a scannible URL barcode... http://semacode.org/