Thoughts on Xbox SmartGlass ? Video Games Reviews, Cheats ...

It looks like Nintendo isn?t the only one with a second screen. At Microsoft?s E3 keynote this morning, the company announced Xbox SmartGlass, an app that connects phones and tablets to the Xbox 360 for a variety of game and media related purposes ? and they were hot on the heels of Nintendo?s pre-E3 video, where their Wii U controller?s touchscreen was put to similar tasks.

Smartly, Microsoft isn?t limiting SmartGlass to their own ecosystem; alhough Windows 8 tablets and Windows Phones will certainly be compatible with the new tech, the company has confirmed that iOS and Android will get SmartGlass apps as well. Microsoft showed off several slick examples of what SmartGlass can do. On the most basic level, it allows users to flick video content from the tablet to the TV. That?s not a new trick, as Apple?s AirPlay has been doing it for some time, but it?s nice to see Microsoft implementing it across multiple mobile platforms.

While watching movies or shows, the app can also be used to display extra information; the press conference used the example of a Game of Thrones map that showed the location of the on-screen characters. Whether that?s a feature consumers actually want and will use remains to be seen, but there are probably some good ways to implement it. If nothing more, SmartGlass could turn tablets and phones into super-fancy menu systems that let users tap where they want to go, rather than slowly tab around with a remote?s directional pad.

The gaming possibilities offered by SmartGlass are intriguing. Coincidentally, this is ground where Nintendo has been working for some time: the few titles that used the Gameboy Advance/Gamecube link cable demonstrated how interesting a second screen can be, as did many of the more unique DS/3DS titles. Even simply offloading menu systems and UI onto a linked phone/tablet could be a significant change. Adding new equipment to a character by dragging and dropping on a touchscreen sounds pretty cool on its own.

One place SmartGlass will almost certainly be an improvement is in web browsing. Microsoft announced that Internet Explorer 10 would be coming to the Xbox 360, its navigation powered by those connected phones and tablets. Viewing web content on a TV has long been a clumsy affair, an experience built for a keyboard and mouse trying to exist in a space where neither is convenient to use. Touch input for mousing and a familiar on-screen keyboard for typing might just be the combination needed to make it work, however. We?ll definitely be interested to see how well Microsoft executes on this aspect of the tech.

As with any new technology, the success of Microsoft?s big idea depends on how well and how often developers use it. Unlike Nintendo, who can guarantee that every Wii U owner has a second screen tied to their system, Microsoft will need to make sure consumers are informed about SmartGlass, and sufficiently motivate them to get their existing tablets and phones connected. Though Microsoft can ensure SmartGlass features on their own game franchises, they?ll need to work closely with third party developers to make sure the tech gets used.

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