'Xbox Smart Glass' tablet/phone/PC application

[maxy]

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/01/microsoft-smart-glass-coming-at-e3-airplay-style-streaming-from/

Windows 8 is coming and it features more and better Xbox integration than we've yet seen in an operating system from the company -- but it looks like Microsoft has something even bigger up its sleeve. We've just seen a presentation indicating the company will launch something called Smart Glass next week, a so-called "companion application" that will act much like AirPlay for the Xbox 360. Using the app, users will be able to play video and other media on tablets and phones and, more interestingly, push that content right to their consoles for playback on the big(ger) screen. But, it gets better: this app is said to be available for tablets and phones running Windows, Windows Phone, Android and iOS. Yes, it'll be about as multiplatform as it gets, and if this presentation proves to be legitimate, we'll be learning a lot more next week when E3 gets underway.

preparing the ground for the nextxbox tablet?

Not sure what to think about this tablet mania although I'm pretty sure it will annoy me infinitely more than Kinect  because it will be non-optionally shoehorned in every game I like.

-Will allow users to control their Xbox 360 remotely. Will be available cross platform on multiple operating systems including Windows, Windows Phone, Android and iOS.
- Applications will be accessible through the tablet. Such as Youtube/Netflix/Vemo ect.
-Live streaming ability through the tablet to the TV, desktop, lap top and other devices.
-A demo at E3 will be shown, but no live video will be featured

[maxy]

http://kotaku.com/5915340/microsoft-wants-to-stream-console-games-to-phones-turning-handhelds-into-xbox-live-companions

Kotaku has learned from a reliable source that, either at E3 or in the very near future, Microsoft plans to unveil a new feature known as Xbox Live Companion. Not to be confused with its social and marketplace app Xbox Companion, Xbox Live Companion is a system where developers of Xbox 360 console games can stream content directly to a mobile phone or tablet.
This source tells us the feature was internally known as Smart Glass, lending some credibility to rumours last week of an ability to stream content from your console to a phone or tablet. From what our source tells us, though, it appears Microsoft's ambitions for such a feature are a little more focused on games.

Xbox Live Companion would work like this: owners of iOS, Android or Windows phones (or tablets) download the Xbox Live Companion application to their devices. Then, developers of console games will have the option of coding in features that would allow those games to send content to the app while the game was running, transforming it into a personalised "companion" of the title being played.

An example we heard from this source was Halo 4: start playing the game on Xbox 360 and, if you've got XBLC on your phone or tablet, it will become a Halo 4 companion application. Turn the game off and switch to something else that the app supports and it suddenly becomes your companion for that game.

The reason for this "skinning" is the variety of platforms, requirements and resolutions there are spread across phones and tablets. Rather than ask individual developers to come up with their own Android, iPhone, iPad and Windows Phone versions of each "companion", Microsoft's app will be cross-compatible with all of them; game developers need only write their code for the Xbox Live Companion App and Microsoft will take it from there.

So what would these companion apps actually do? Because it's tapping into the same servers your account and games are running on, it can bring up things like maps and status screens for the game you're playing. Basically, then, a contemporary version of what Nintendo once hoped it would be able to achieve between the GameCube and GameBoy. Or what it's doing now with the Wii U. Or what Sony has been dabbling in with its consoles and handhelds.

The key difference here, though, is that almost all of its consumers already own one of the necessary handheld devices needed to take advantage of the service.

We've heard from our source that all Xbox Live users will be able to access these basic features. Gold subscribers, meanwhile, will get access to more advanced content. Examples of more exclusive features include in-game inventory management or access to stuff like hacking minigames, along with content streamed directly from the game to your phone/tablet, like additional video playback or a racing game's rearview mirror (though apparently the latter two are examples of features that may not make the app's launch).

This, however, is just the start. Microsoft hopes to, once the basics of the application are up and running, use Xbox Live Companion to let you stream further content or even, where supported, entire Xbox games directly from your console to a compatible device, much like streaming service OnLive already allows.

[brawndolicious]

Sounds awesome. I would love to use that app as a checklist/map for unlockables in games like Fallout or Arkham City.

Besides the obvious ideas mentioned in the article, it would also be awesome to use it to control in-game communication. Rather than bringing up the xbox guide and covering the whole screen every time  you want to do something. I imagine in the next Battlefield games, we'll actually be able to mark stuff without spamming the back button.

This could also be used like the WiiU controller where the whole game is played on that screen while the actual TV can be used for something else. Only a few games could really pull that off though, touchscreen input is a pretty big limitation.

[Positive Touch]

finally all my dreams are coming true

[Huff]

don't they already have an xbox live app on windowns phones or something?

maybe i just don't get it, but I don't see the big deal of this shit is

[Eel O'Brian]

they're turning 360 into a wii u without you having to buy anything extra (assuming you already own a smartphone or tablet)

[Eel O'Brian]

next up, sony doing the same thing with ps3/vita/tablets

[Huff]

they should crack the wii u controller and put the app on that

[pilonv1]

So gaming has gone from something you to do escape, and will now be something you can't escape from.

[maxy]

don't they already have an xbox live app on windowns phones or something?

maybe i just don't get it, but I don't see the big deal of this shit is

I see it as a nice option,if it won't be hardware dependent(wifi+screen=good to go).

GTA5 map on your laptop,Forza telemetry,etc...updated in realtime

[Huff]

don't they already have an xbox live app on windowns phones or something?

maybe i just don't get it, but I don't see the big deal of this shit is

I see it as a nice option,if it won't be hardware dependent(wifi+screen=good to go).

GTA5 map on your laptop,Forza telemetry,etc...updated in realtime

How usable that shit would be? Both wiiu and vita would be hardware specific for that stuff and optimized. Having every phone, tablet, ect be able to do the same thing seems pretty impressive but I'm doubtful it would work as "well" as the other two

as you could guess i'm not the most tech savy person out there

[maxy]

some vids

[maxy]

No,just map/boss info.

[Smooth Groove]

Why aren't people blaming Apple for destroying gaming?  It probably wasn't even unintentional.  Keep in mind that Steve Jobs hated videogames. 

[chronovore]

some vids

first video, 01:53 - Person giving the demo: "I can't play and watch at the same time."
/technology

This is solution to a nonexistent problem there may be things to do with this, particularly in co-op, but this seems pointless in this manifestation.

[maxy]

There is nothing to bomb here,this is just some app.Xbox dashboard is like made for touchscreens.

first video, 01:53 - Person giving the demo: "I can't play and watch at the same time."
/technology

This is solution to a nonexistent problem there may be things to do with this, particularly in co-op, but this seems pointless in this manifestation.

Yeah,but she is not exactly sitting at the right place to play games.Also demonstrating the map on a phone is pretty stupid,it just shows that people pushing this don't really play games.

I don't think she would have much problems if the map was on the tablet and she sat in front of the TV.

I would like one thing from this tech---map on second screen(laptop,pc monitor,tablet).GTA4 map for instance,press back...boong....boong...there is a noticeable delay

Give me map/menu/customization on a second screen(in my FOV).

[chronovore]

Sure! And to be even more accurate, having a touchscreen as your second display opens up a lot of interesting options.

The thing is, games are generally developed for base hardware configuration. NGC had a mess of 4-player games, but PS2 did not, because it wasn't necessary; very few people owned multitap. PS EyeToy is also generally not supported.

Kinect has a glut of s/w available for it, but I believe there was a lot of moneyhatting in addition to a successful PR push on developers.

This is kind of a different thing, because there are SO MANY iPad and iPhone users already out there... I am feeling unsteady predicting what developer support for this feature will be like, but am still feeling like most devs will implement throwaway crap like that map she used.

[Momo]

This will bomb harder than PS Move.

Sadly, PS Move did not bomb

[brawndolicious]

I imagine Kinect games will be the main ones to use this. At least at first.

You'll still do the main controlling through your body's movement but the touchscreen device can be used to make navigating menus and inventory smoother.

In fact, I think most Kinect games will support this functionality eventually.

[maxy]

Some holiday karaoke game will support it for choosing songs/adding to queue while others play.

The Verge did a pretty good video

[chronovore]

I imagine Kinect games will be the main ones to use this. At least at first.

You'll still do the main controlling through your body's movement but the touchscreen device can be used to make navigating menus and inventory smoother.

In fact, I think most Kinect games will support this functionality eventually.

Competent design can make navigating menus and inventory smoother. Dance Central has the best menu navigation for any Kinect title; it uses a jog/shuttle approach to movement, and consistent left-swipe/right-swipe for Back and Accept, respectively.

[brawndolicious]

I imagine Kinect games will be the main ones to use this. At least at first.

You'll still do the main controlling through your body's movement but the touchscreen device can be used to make navigating menus and inventory smoother.

In fact, I think most Kinect games will support this functionality eventually.

Competent design can make navigating menus and inventory smoother. Dance Central has the best menu navigation for any Kinect title; it uses a jog/shuttle approach to movement, and consistent left-swipe/right-swipe for Back and Accept, respectively.

Yeah but, fingers are quicker and less tiring to use than arms and legs.

Ideally, the main controls like movement, platforming, fighting, etc will be done by motion movements but things like inventory management and puzzles will make use of the touchscreen. Would make playing the game for 20 hours much easier.

With a touchscreen, I think kinect games can move further into the adventure/RPG niche. Obviously, this type of tool would be useless for multiplayer games like dance and party games.

[maxy]

MS is having some event on Monday.Rumors say tablet related.

GT dude is also invited.

[maxy]

EA seems pretty excited
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-06-19-ea-smartglass-is-a-killer-initiative-that-puts-positioning-pressure-on-nintendo

EA Labels boss Frank Gibeau is a big fan of Microsoft's SmartGlass technology



The general consensus from most of the people we've talked with in the industry is that Xbox SmartGlass is a very smart move for Microsoft. Publishers seem genuinely excited by it (almost more so than by Wii U - though, that's purely anecdotal) and this was perhaps best exemplified by EA Labels boss Frank Gibeau who could hardly contain his enthusiasm for SmartGlass during E3.

"We love SmartGlass. I think it's a killer initiative. I really like it a lot," he told GamesIndustry International. "It ties into what we're trying to do as a company. What we're trying to do as a developer of games is - we're looking at multi-screen environments as being really key in what's happening in gaming. You play games on your mobile. You play games on your PC. You play games on your console. So giving people more access points through multiple screens is a great thing."

So I think it's a great idea, the fact that they're going to standardize an API that we can write to, so we can make it a seamless experience for the customer, whether it's a Windows Phone, an Android, or an iOS is great."

So we're excited about it. We started it last year and we're doing it across our portfolio this year. And once we have that SmartGlass feature integrated with Xbox 360 I think we can deliver even cooler stuff," Wilson added.
Some have pointed out that SmartGlass, while not identical to what the Wii U game pad offers, could put Nintendo in a tough spot. Gibeau agreed.

"It does definitely put positioning pressure on Nintendo because you don't have to buy a new system. Most likely, you already have a smartphone and you already have a 360, so it does a really good job of positioning for the platform and we're very excited about it," he said.

[maxy]

SmartGlass SDK is out, employees and partners only

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/172830/Xbox_SmartGlass_SDK_released.php

Newsbrief: Microsoft has released the software development kit for Xbox SmartGlass, allowing partner developers to integrate the new technology into their projects.

Unveiled at E3, SmartGlass enables users to interact with games or other media on their Xbox 360 with other devices like tablets and smartphones (iOS, Android, and Windows Phone are all supported).

Microsoft Studios has said already said that all of its future first-party titles will offer SmartGlass support, but now other developers can download the kit. The SDK includes SmartGlass Studio, a JavaScript library, and sample code.

The company will roll out its SmartGlass feature this holiday season.

[Cormacaroni]

I imagine Kinect games will be the main ones to use this. At least at first.

You'll still do the main controlling through your body's movement but the touchscreen device can be used to make navigating menus and inventory smoother.

In fact, I think most Kinect games will support this functionality eventually.

Competent design can make navigating menus and inventory smoother. Dance Central has the best menu navigation for any Kinect title; it uses a jog/shuttle approach to movement, and consistent left-swipe/right-swipe for Back and Accept, respectively.

It also has FAR too many menus. If ever a game needed a QUICK START button, that's it. After you go through all the updates from 360-land, the updates from Ubisoft, the 'WHERE DO I SAVE DURR' shit, the log on to Kinect, log on to your character...I usually just want to shut the fucking thing off   Everything is too much work with small children...

I'd settle for a 'Resume playing' option that just sends you back to the song/character/difficulty level etc that you were on the last time you played.