Xbox 360 SmartGlass Announced E3

Microsoft may not have announced the Xbox 720 at its E3 Press Conference, but it unveiled something equally as cool: Xbox SmartGlass. The new feature will allow gamers to stream media from Xbox 360 to tablets and mobile phones.

SmartGlass will launch this Fall for Windows 8, Windows Phone and "other portable devices" -- which hopefully means it will have iOS and Android support. The application will connect phones, tablets, PCs and game consoles, giving users extra "relevant content," such as tips on how to take down a game's boss. During the conference, Microsoft gave the example of drawing a play for Madden NFL 13 on a tablet, and then using that play in-game on Xbox 360.

SmartGlass will be also be controllable using the Kinect, and Microsoft is making sure the sensor is more accessible than ever by expanding language support to twelve new countries: Australia, Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain and Switzerland.

"We are deeply committed to bringing the services and entertainment that people love on Xbox LIVE to our members around the world. This year, we are expanding our voice search capabilities to 12 new countries and we are bringing more entertainment applications than ever to more countries on Xbox LIVE. We’ve also made it easier to connect to our global Xbox LIVE service on Windows, Windows Phone, and Xbox 360 in English, French, Spanish and Chinese."

Internet Explorer will also make its way to the Xbox 360, and can be controller with Kinect -- including voice commands. From what we saw in Microsoft's conference, the browser looks to be tailored for the Xbox 360, offering a much more stable experience than other console browsers. Internet Explorer will have SmartGlass  integration, allowing gamers to control the web browser from their tablets, and see it manipulated on the TV screen.

Overall, SmartGlass sounds like a very ambitious project, but it does have plenty of potential; it'll be interesting to see how third-parties integrate it into their games.

Xbox SmartGlass and Internet Explorer will launch this year on the Xbox 360.

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Source: Major Nelson