Xbox SmartGlass app to bring dual-screen entertainment to Xbox 360, mobile devices

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Microsoft, Software, Video Games

That Xbox SmartGlass rumor that we posted at the eleventh-hour has turned out to be true. During the Microsoft E3 Media Briefing this morning, the company gave all the details of the ambitious Xbox SmartGlass feature. SmartGlass is an app that will be available on Windows 8, smartphones, and tablets that will allow the user to view and use content that is tied to the game or video you're currently enjoying. SmartGlass is meant to be used as a second screen, and a great example was given using Game of Thrones. While watching the show on HBO Go on the Xbox 360, you can use the SmartGlass app to view an interactive map that shows where the action in each scene is taking place, offering content and more informational metadata about the show.

SmartGlass also works in games, and this is where developers will be able to enhance the gaming experience. An example was shown where a player could choose their plays in Madden, rather than doing it on-screen for all to see.

Microsoft implied, multiple times, that SmartGlass will be available on more than just Windows products. Specifically, it was said that SmartGlass will work on the "devices you already own, the tablets you already own, the smartphones you already own." If that doesn't imply Android and iOS support, then we don't know what does. One limitation though--the enchanced in-game content will be exclusive to Windows 8 and Windows Phone, but all the rest will work on all platforms. SmartGlass will ne available later this fall.