Xbox Goes Further Beyond the Console

New features, content services, and game titles were announced for Xbox 360 at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in June 2012. SmartGlass integrates tablet and smartphone user interfaces with Xbox activities, Internet Explorer will become available on the Xbox console, more sports broadcasts and television programming will appear on the Xbox Live service, and major new installments of games such as Halo and Gears of War are on the way. The additions should maintain the console’s number one sales position while giving Xbox a presence within Windows 8, although a next-generation Microsoft console may arrive in 2013.

SmartGlass Expands Xbox Experience

An upcoming feature called SmartGlass will use mobile devices to display user interfaces and content that enhance and extend the activity the user is currently performing on the Xbox console and TV screen. For example, a game could display a navigational map, menu options, or a touch-based controller on a device running SmartGlass rather than on the TV screen. When a user is watching a movie or TV show, a device running SmartGlass could list the characters and actors in the current scene or show related movies, interactive viewer polls, or targeted advertisements. SmartGlass devices could also make it easier to eliminate remote controls since the devices can be used to control game inputs and entertainment navigation.