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16 ways to play: SmartGlass support for Xbox One doubles the controller cap
With the new Xbox this November, Microsoft's bringing a new iteration of SmartGlass to iOS, Android, and Windows Phone devices. And with said new iteration comes promised SmartGlass ubiquity. Microsoft GM and SmartGlass team lead Ron Pessner told Engadget as much in an interview this week on all things SmartGlass for Xbox One. You'll need to download a new (still free) SmartGlass app to your Smart device of choice come launch day (the new app won't function with Xbox 360, just the One). Up to 15 of your best friends can bring their Smart devices over and...well, nothing just yet, but the Xbox One will support 16 Smart devices connected at one time (double the connected controller cap). Just imagine the possibilities for virtual canasta! Okay, not so thrilling, but the potential for games like Monopoly or Dungeons & Dragons is evident. Or maybe something more like Spaceteam? Pessner also promised that the connectivity between Smart device and console is "three-and-a-half times faster" on Xbox One than with 360 (depending on your home wireless setup), and the first time "only takes about four seconds." And while on the go, the SmartGlass app can be used for mobile shopping, allowing a game or other piece of content to be purchased and made available when you get home. Pessner wouldn't go into specifics, but he told us, "We definitely want to make sure it's a seamless process for customers and they're able to find a piece of content regardless of where they are -- the web or the SmartGlass app -- and being able to have that content ready for them to play when they return to their Xbox One." The remotely queued content will show up as pinned to your Dashboard when you get back to the console, available to play immediately.
Xbox One is here to help, all you have to do is ask
All game developers publishing on Xbox One will have to submit information to Game Help, a function on Microsoft's new game console that aims to fundamentally change the concept of user manuals. Developers submit a "help manual" to Microsoft, which then converts said manual into contextual in-game help, either on-screen or via SmartGlass."You can access this in a couple of different ways," Microsoft general manager Ron Pessner told Engadget. "In front of your console, you can say, 'Xbox: Help!' and then it will appear on the console. Or in SmartGlass, you can click on the Help icon and then it will just tune into exactly what you're doing and present the right help content for you." This applies across the rest of the console as well, including Internet Explorer and even the system's settings. You can say, 'Hey, I'm in Internet Explorer, where are my settings?' Okay, well, here's where you are. Or how do I add a contact? Or how do I add a friend? Or how do I do Game DVR clips? We think this is gonna apply not only to games and game help, but also to applications on the system as well as the system itself," Pessner said. Beyond the standard uses, it can be integrated into gameplay directly. Should a cheeky developer decide to make a joke at the gamer's expense for needing help, that's possible. Pessner stressed that the functionality isn't intended to dumb down games, nor is it an auto-play system. "We've been very thoughtful about how this is implemented or what's possible," he said. At very least, it'll serve to add another layer in our already thorough list of Xbox commands. For more on SmartGlass for Xbox One, head right here!
Editorial: The most exciting Xbox SmartGlass application isn't what you'd think
In Microsoft's ongoing battle to alter your association between "Xbox" and "Video Games," SmartGlass is its latest volley. Employing your favorite mobile device -- Windows Phone 7.5/8, Android, and iOS devices are all supported -- SmartGlass enables you to control your Dashboard experience, explore the web, input text, and much more. But what Microsoft's really banking on is its "second screen" functionality, essentially enabling another layer of interactivity with video, music, games, and the Xbox 360's other, less ballyhooed service: sports. It's this final layer that I found most enticing during a recent hands-on meeting with Microsoft. Could sports be the "killer app" that MS needs to get SmartGlass out of its tiny niche and into the hands of the masses? I think so.
Talkin' Windows Phone 7 Series gaming with Microsoft at GDC
We already got a look at Microsoft's little XNA show-and-tell as relates to Windows Phone 7 Series, but our colleague Andrew Yoon over at Joystiq had a chance for longer sit-down with Xbox Live general manager Ron Pessner and XNA Game Studio manager Michael Klucher at GDC today, and he's been kind enough to share the interview with us. The main topic of conversation was the company's plans regarding Xbox LIve and, specifically, how it would be integrating it into Windows Phone 7 Series. And believe us, there was plenty to discuss -- including the sweet science of porting games from Zune HD to 7 Series phones ("it's 90, 95 percent code reuse... in an hour or couple of hours, we're taking games that were written for Zune HD and putting them on the phone"), the importance of maintaining a consistent gameplay experience amongst different hardware, and the reasoning behind limiting devices to asynchronous multiplayer. What are you waiting for? Hit the source link to embark on this miraculous journey of discovery.
