The Right ClickXbox SmartGlass premieres at E3, integrates movie watching with tablet, phone
Gaming buzz may be taking a backseat to news of Xbox SmartGlass, a technology unveiled at this year's E3 which integrates movie and television-watching with user tablets and smartphones.
Xbox SmartGlass connects the Windows Phone and Windows 8 tablet with the Xbox 360 console, allowing for the user to not just watch media across multiple devices, but also interact with it in various ways at the same time. Microsoft executive Marc Whitten described it in his presentation as a way to turn any television into a "smart tv" with devices that you already own.
Whitten demonstrated to the E3 crowd how you can begin watching a movie through Xbox Live on a Windows 8 tablet, then continue watching the movie where you left off on your television at home by "beaming" it to the system. Presumably this will be done over WiFi, but Whitten didn't offer specifics on the technology.
When the tablet transfers the movie, the screen will change to provide supplementary information, such as details on the cast and facts about the film. The same can be done with certain television shows. HBO Go allows the viewer to take in a television show through Xbox Live, then learn additional information about it in realtime. The example Whitten used was a Game of Thrones episode; while one character was on the television screen, the tablet displayed a map to track the whereabouts of another.
In addition to SmartGlass, Microsoft will be bringing Internet Explorer to the Xbox 360. Whitten showed how any Windows Phone or Windows 8 tablet can then be turned into a mouse using SmartGlass, allowing the user to control the cursor with their device while navigating a full browser on their television.
The integration of the tablet with the Xbox 360 is at least a passing jab at the Wii U, which Nintendo released information about last night in a "pre-E3" webcast, presumably to get the jump on Microsoft's announcement today. While most of what was demonstrated with SmartGlass today used media other than games, there was a brief clip of gameplay shown where the player used the tablet to arrange their team before a play in a football game.
What exactly Xbox SmartGlass will bring to the worlds of gaming and entertainment will be revealed this fall when Xbox SmartGlass and Internet Explorer launch.
