Fingers Tired? Xbox One Kinect Will Read QR Codes

Buying a new game, especially one with pre-order bonuses, has become comical. Online passes, unique costumes, bonus experience, and more all come tied to 25-digit codes on Xbox Live (PlayStation 3 owners skate by with just under half that) and entering them can be a chore when all you want to do is play. What if you never had to enter another one again?

According to a tweet from Xbox chief product officer Marc Whitten, the Xbox One's new Kinect will be able to read QR codes in place of the 25-digit strings. Whitten's tweet responds to an image that was posted to Reddit that was created in jest.

To my reddit friends -- yup -- this works! http://t.co/QHnOPZqib1

— Marc Whitten (@notwen) July 1, 2013

We've reached out to Microsoft to ask whether QR codes will replace the current format or if they'll be offered in addition.

Our Take
Even with my chatpad, entering those code strings isn't my favorite thing to do. I'm thrilled to hear that there's going to be a faster way in the next generation. Is it enough to sell me on the utility of the (now mandatory) Kinect? No. Not really.