Xbox SmartGlass launches for Windows 8 tablets October 26
Microsoft confirmed today SmartGlass will launch alongside Windows 8 tablets on October 26, with Dance Central 3 and Forza Horizon among the first games to support it. The Xbox 360 app, which turns devices into secondary screens for the console, will be available for Windows 8 phones at launch on October 29. SmartGlass is expected to arrive on iOS and Android in 2013.
SmartGlass is implemented in the latest Xbox dashboard update, which Microsoft tells us it's rolled out to 3 million users so far. Another wave will receive the dashboard update today, so more users should have access to SmartGlass when the companion app becomes available for Windows 8 tablets on Friday.
Microsoft already detailed how SmartGlass will work with Dance Central 3, and the company elaborated today on what integration we can expect from other games. Forza Horizon's second screen, for example, will offer GPS navigation in a complete map of the game. Using SmartGlass with Halo 4 will, as previously hypothesized, give you access to Waypoint stats.
As the above video shows, SmartGlass functionality also supports the newly launched Xbox Music, watching TV, film, and live sports, and Internet Explorer 9. Microsoft gave us a live demonstration of SmartGlass' functionality with music and movies, switching play between a Windows 8 tablet and Xbox 360. The switch wasn't quite as swift as in the above video, but it was smooth and looked simple enough.
Returning to games, earlier this year Microsoft said we can expect SmartGlass functionality in every Microsoft Studios game going forward, so expect to hear a lot more about Xbox's new toy in the coming months.
