Microsoft has explained how SmartGlass will work with Xbox One. In a post on Xbox Wire, Xbox Live General Manager Ron Pessner discussed the Xbox One SmartGlass app coming to Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, iOS and Android devices later this year and what it will allow players to do. “Xbox One was designed from the ground up with SmartGlass in mind, and an immediately noticeable difference with Xbox One SmartGlass compared to Xbox 360 SmartGlass is the connection speed and performance,” Pessner wrote. “On average it only takes about four seconds for SmartGlass to recognize your Xbox One and create an instant connection. Of course, this is based on the speed of your wireless connection, but generally SmartGlass is about three-and-a-half times faster on Xbox One than its Xbox 360 predecessor. And that’s just for your first connection, once you’re synced up, re-connecting will happen even faster.” He explained that SmartGlass can be used for matchmaking without interrupting gameplay, and confirmed that up to 16 SmartGlass devices can work with a single Xbox One. “An interesting implementation of this would be playing poker with friends or maybe an MMORPG where there can be lots of hands in the pot,” he suggested. “We’re excited to see where developers will take this and the new gaming experiences they’ll create by tying together more devices than before.” Pessner also discussed specific games with SmartGlass companions, including Dead Rising 3 and Project Spark, as well as the Game Help feature in SmartGlass, which allows players to “tap a Help button in SmartGlass that will give you contextually aware information for whatever you’re playing.” “We’re working closely with developers today to add game help to individual Xbox One titles,” Pessner wrote. “This is done by game creators making a help manual that we then host in SmartGlass. During gameplay, SmartGlass follows your progress and knows exactly where you’re at and where you’re having trouble, so that when you hit the Help button you’ll be given the tips you need. It’s a really cool additive experience to your gameplay and a way for developers to use additional screens to enhance the experience of playing games on Xbox One.” As for using SmartGlass as a controller, Pessner explained that this is up to developers, but certainly a possibility in some games. “Compared to Xbox 360, we’ve greatly improved the performance and decreased latencies between the console and your SmartGlass device. Because of this, we’re seeing scenarios where SmartGlass can be used for methods of game control with Xbox One,” he wrote. “Additionally, because Xbox One is built on the same foundations as Windows 8, we’ve taken all the work that’s been done discovering how touch behaves in Windows 8 and naturally extended it for SmartGlass scenarios. This results in a much better experience when using SmartGlass as a controller. But it has to be the right fit for the right game to use SmartGlass as a dedicated controller. You can imagine the possibilities where a personal second screen would be really valuable, like play-calling in a football game.” Pessner also explained that SmartGlass works while players are away from their Xbox One by letting them see Achievements, friends’ activity and even searching the store from within the app. Players will also be able to compare stats to friends, send and receive messages or view Game DVR clips. TV functionality is also baked in, including changing the volume or channel on your TV from the SmartGlass app. Source: IGN
