Microsoft Xbox SmartGlass

Microsoft released out its Xbox SmartGlass initiative at the 2012 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), promising "new ways to interact with your Xbox 360". 

Simply killer technology it is.

While Nintendo incorporates a 'second screen' into its Wii U controller, Microsoft's solution was to use the devices you already own - mobile phones, laptops and tablets. Initially restricted to Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, SmartGlass is now available for iOS and Android.

With Sony's PS4 announcement heavily touting second screen support, SmartGlass might be basic but it's undoubtedly here to stay.

What is Xbox SmartGlass (and how does it work)?

Xbox SmartGlass is an app that you download and install onto a compatible mobile device. Once SmartGlass support has been enabled on your Xbox (via Console Settings > Connected Devices), you simply fire up the app on the aforementioned mobile device and sign into your Microsoft/Xbox Live account. You can then ditch the joypad and use your mobile device to view and interact with SmartGlass-friendly applications, games, music and video.

This is the controller layout on the iPad. Touch the screen to move between menu options and tap to select one

What features does Xbox SmartGlass have?

Each Xbox SmartGlass app has five main menu options on a familiar tile-based dashboard. 'Bing' is the built-in search function, while 'Home' features various Quickplay options for Xbox Video, Xbox Music and any games you've played.

There's also a Remote option here, which turns your mobile device into a touchscreen controller. It's certainly responsive and works better on a mobile phone than a tablet. If you haven't got a wireless controller (or an old Media Center remote kicking around), it's a great way to control your console from the sofa.

The third menu option is 'Social', which displays your Friends list and shows information about who's online, what they're doing and playing, and their Gamerscores.

You'll also see your Xbox avatar displayed here, together with one-tap options for messaging, avatar customisation, setting gaming Beacons and editing your Xbox Live profile. 'Recent' shows your previous activity, such as the games you've played and services you've used, while 'Discover' is a gateway to more SmartGlass-enabled content on Xbox Live.

You can also use the SmartGlass app to control Xbox Music, queuing up tracks and reading artist info

What can you do with Xbox SmartGlass?

On a basic level, SmartGlass offers an easier way to browse through Xbox Live content or to send messages to friends. Anyone who's spent time slowly selecting letters for a message using an Xbox joypad and the onscreen keyboard will be overjoyed by the ability to simply type words in. No need to buy the old Chatpad Keyboard attachment.

SmartGlass also works with a number of Xbox apps in the UK, including Internet Explorer and Now TV. Again, the advantage of using SmartGlass with IE is that you can flick to scroll through web pages rather than moving the onscreen cursor with a joypad. It's also easier to type in URLs and search queries.

But when your mobile device already has a built-in web browser, it's difficult to see the point of using a second screen. Only a few entertainment apps support SmartGlass functionality and Now TV's 'smart' features are similar to Xbox Video below.

The 'Social' menu shows you who's online and is an easier way to message friends.

How does SmartGlass work with video?

During its E3 2012 demo, Microsoft showed off Xbox SmartGlass with Game of Thrones. As the episode played on an Xbox, a connected iPad displayed an interactive map of Westeros, moving as the locations changed in the show. At the moment, the reality is less inventive. While The Dark Knight Rises offers time-synced information, storyboards, and a database of vehicles, gadgets and characters, most titles include an IMDb-style 'video guide', displaying basic cast/crew information.

Compatible titles for the UK include: Avengers Assemble, Battleship, Wrath of the Titans, Total Recall, Red Tails, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,John Carter and many more.

Xbox SmartGlass adds interactive info to great movies, as well as these ones

How does SmartGlass work with music?

The SmartGlass integration with Microsoft's Xbox Music service is similar to Xbox Video. You can use a mobile device as a controller, pausing and skipping tracks, queuing up new music, reading artist bios and exploring related albums. To take advantage of it, you'll need an Xbox Music Pass. Pay nothing for a 30-day trial, £8.99 for a monthly pass or drop an eye-widening £89.90 for a year's subscription.

How does SmartGlass work with games?

Just as the Wii U offers a second screen for games, so SmartGlass has the potential to enhance gaming on the Xbox. Play Halo 4 with a SmartGlass-enabled gizmo and you can keep an eye on your stats via Halo Waypoint. Launch Forza Horizon and you can have a world map open on an iPad as you drive. The advantage of Microsoft's solution is that you can use a device that you already own.

The disadvantage is that, while the Wii U has its extra display built into the controller, you'll need to find a way to balance your SmartGlass device on your lap as you play. It's not ideal. But there are only a handful of other games that support SmartGlass, including: Dance Central 3, Kinect Sesame Street TV, Home Run Stars and Madden NFL 13.

The 'Recent' menu option keeps track of every game you've played and app you've launched

What's the future for Xbox SmartGlass?

Right now, Xbox SmartGlass is a novelty technology looking for a killer app. Nothing about it is a must-have, so if you haven't got a compatible device then you're certainly not missing out. But this is only the first generation of the technology. Sony has already confirmed that the PS4 and PlayStation Vita will link up, and that a forthcoming 'PlayStation app' will provide SmartGlass-style capabilities. So expect an improved, better supported SmartGlass 2.0 to feature heavily in the 'Durango' Xbox 720 when it breaks cover this year.

SmartGlass-enabled films feature IMdB-style video guides with info on key cast and crew

Where can you download Xbox SmartGlass apps?

You can find the free Xbox SmartGlass app in the relevant Windows, Windows Phone, iOS and Android app stores.

Play Halo 4 with a SmartGlass device and you can keep tabs on your fighting stats as you run and gun

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Xbox 720 Rumors

Can't believe its finally happening. The new version of Xbox is being released by Microsoft. Its another technology i am looking forward to in 2013. Only rumours have came along Xbox 720 which may become true.

It’s time for a fresh batch of rumours about Microsoft’s successor to the Xbox 360. While the Redmond software giant is still mum about what to expect in its next gaming endeavour, the leaks continue to flow.

This time around, rumour has it that an anonymous individual with access to an Xbox 720 developer kit has said that the new console will only function if users have a Kinect (or the Xbox 720 equivalent) plugged into the system.

According to the rumour, the Kinect (or would that be Kinect 2?) will come packaged in with every console, so making it a requirement will be the same as requiring users to have a controller or a video cable.

Today, with the Xbox 360, the Kinect functions as an important part of the system, allowing users to navigate through menus and access content with the wave of a hand or an unencumbered voice command. However, it’s an optional accessory, which means the the Kinect is not mandatory nor is Xbox 360 experience is not unified.

Such has been an issue with the console practically since day one. To this day, some players have an Xbox 360 without an HDMI port, without built-in WiFi, or without a hard drive. Microsoft clearly realises that it needs to unify the experience, which is presumably why Kinect will be mandatory on the Xbox 720.

A somewhat less surprising requirement will be that all units will have a hard drive, making it possible for game developers to require game data installations, which will increase the power of individual game titles and decrease load times.

More interestingly, the new console will be able to multitask, meaning players could have multiple games or apps open at the same time, allowing players to seamlessly switch between each application.

And finally, Microsoft will make its second-screen experience more integral to the gameplay experience. As for the controller, Kotaku’s insider says that it will be markedly different from the Xbox 360 pad,and will use an unspecified “new wireless technology.”

Previous rumours to surface include that the system will require an Internet connection and that the GPU specs will be leaps and bounds above that of the Xbox 360.

The continuous pile of rumours — along with the increasingly fragmented Xbox 360 audience — leads to an almost certain conclusion that the new console will be revealed soon, perhaps before the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in June.

A leading video game magazine is reporting that Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox 720 gaming console is not going to be compatible with your current Xbox games.

Not only will the Xbox 720 outdate your older games from the Xbox 360 console, but an Internet connection will be required to play the forthcoming console as well.

Edge reported, citing sources familiar with the next generation console, as saying that the Xbox 720 will feature 50-gigabyte-capacity Blu-ray discs games, despite its commitment to online functionality. These discs will be shipping with activation codes, making them harder to share among friends, similar to computer software discs.

Other specs that have been reported by Edge concerning the new console are that it will feature an AMD 8-core x64 processor, with a D3D11.x 800MHz graphics solution and 8-gigabytes of RAM. And, supposedly, these aren’t rumors, but are “confirmed,” according to Edge’s source.

The Xbox 720 will also have some heavy Kinect updates as well, including a more responsive system. The magazine said Microsoft will be investing heavily in motion-controlled interfaces with this console.

Not allowing older Xbox games to be played on the console will be a massive hit to the used game market. GameStop, a major second hand games retailer, saw its shares fall at the onset of the news.

Although the push to outdate older Xbox games comes from a reliable source, Forbes writer Paul Tassi wrote about why this report can’t be true.

“The idea behind killing used game sales is a relatively straightforward one. It’s a simple, multi-stage process that ends up with those who made the game getting the short end of the stick,” Tassi wrote.

Analysts also chimed in on the concept of an “always online” Xbox console, challenging the concept altogether. They told Venture Beat that none of the sources are in a position to know what Microsoft’s strategy is, and that even Microsoft hasn’t determined its strategy. “They are still thinking about a variety of functions,” said Wedbush Security managing director Michael Pachter.

The Verge is reporting that Microsoft will be incorporating a new speech recognition technology inside its game console, similar to Apple’s Siri. This feature, codenamed “Durango,” will reportedly support wake on voice, natural language controls, and speech-to-text.

The same report also says that Microsoft will be investigating scenarios where a Kinect sensor will detect how many individuals are in the room, and will display the appropriate multiplayer games for that amount of players.

While the rumor mill continues to churn around the highly anticipated new console from Microsoft, Sony will be unveiling its curtain first, at a February 20th event. Sony’s PlayStation 4 is said to be shipping later this year, towards the holiday season.

Little is known about what the next-generation PlayStation will offer, but Edge claims it will feature a redesigned controller, the same size as existing ones, but with a small touchpad in place of the Select, Start and PS buttons. Also, a new Share button on the controller will launch a variety of features that could allow screenshots and video to be distributed online.

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