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Windows Phone 7 Gaming and Xbox Live
Engadget is running a preview of Microsoft's attempt to bring Xbox Live to upcoming Windows Phone 7 devices. Launch titles will include Guitar Hero, Castlevania, and Halo: Waypoint, and many of the features from the console version of Xbox Live will make the transition intact. Quoting:
"Live on WP7 will allow for full avatar integration (we're talking fully rendered, interactive avatars) along with customization (clothes, accessories, and more). The company has even crafted an avatar-centric version of familiar phone utilities like flashlight apps and levels, adding some whimsy to what would normally be pretty staid affairs. Additionally, messaging, friend lists / status, achievements, and leaderboards (with friend comparisons) are all here as well, making for a pretty complete mobile Xbox Live experience. And also just like the console, every game will have a try-before-you buy demo to check out before spending your hard-earned cash."
So they've taken avatars which serve hardly any purpose, created large numbers of useless items for these useless avatars, charges money for these useless items and then integrated them into applications and platforms where they will continue to serve no purpose. In summery they are going to succeed in charging money for what is effectively nothing. Not surprising from any company these days.
What's the world coming to? Kiddiesoft?
Umm, why not make the WP7 actually useful for being used on a phone first? It's cool to have a mobile gaming console in the pocket, but then I would probably buy a PSP and not Windows smartphone ...
For those who don't know, Halo Waypoint is basically just a front end for the Halo series of games that lets you view all your achievements for the series and one or two bits of Halo news. It's not a game in itself, so calling it a "title" is probably giving it a bit too much credit, because it's largely dull and pointless.
Yes, the title of this post was meant in a sarcastic tone
On a different note though, I think XBox Live integration actually has the potential to be a killer feature for Windows 7- if Windows 7 phones are going to succede on anything it'll probably be this. It effectively means it's a gamer oriented phone and if it links into XBox live then there's a potential to harness the 27 million (or however many XBox Live has now) achievements whores and allow them to continue their achievement addiction even when they're not at their XBox.
I think Microsoft actually has a good vision in terms of XBox Live everywhere by linking XBox Live with Windows Games and mobile games, especially as it all integrates with MSN messenger and partially with Facebook too. Of course, the real test will be in the execution- having the right vision is only the start of it, pulling it off through Microsoft's layers upon layers of bureaucracy will be the real challenge.
Would you perhaps prefer having the next iPhone spec instead?
Who modded this idiot +5 insighful? If the next generation rival for iPhone and Android isn't "news for nerds", what is it then? Especially since it's linking to an engadget story. This is far from some shitty slashdot advertisement for some small firm. Get a clue.
I have received a WP7 prototype device, being an XNA professional developer.
I have to admit I have always considered games on phones *much* beneath any interest from a self respecting developer.
The experience of developing for this platform though has completely changed my mind: it is powerful (I mean REALLY powerful, the kind of 3D scenes one does not expect to see on the phone) the dev tools are very good, the compatibility between Windows, XBox 360 and WP7 is exactly as compatibility should be. The standard phone functions work out of the box (the facebook/gmail contacts integration is pretty neat) and in general the experience feels pleasantly iPhonesque.
After seeing and testing the actual device I have quadrupled my company's development efforts for WP7: it might be a force to be reckoned with.
Maybe nobody cares, but here (http://cid-24c55844373f9e74.office.live.com/browse.aspx/.Public) are two videos of two of my games in action; the sudoku is unimpressive, but the 3D space battle is a completely different matter :)
My book: Friendly F#, fun with game development and XNA; my game: Galaxy Wars by VSTeam; my gamedev language: Casanova.
nerd rage about a pro-M$ article. Nothing to see here move along...to the macstore
My cash isn't hard earned - I earn it the easy way, by selling my services to high class business women who are 'lonely' on their trips. Still, I'm not going to spend it on this Windows Mobile 7 shit, I've got an iPhone (and it's address book is fucking stacked to the gills with hot, rich women).
I liken XBox Live on 360 as the $50 Monster Cable internet cable to your network. Microsoft and other claim "it makes it better" by are vague about the claims and specifics just like Monster Cable. When you play "Modern Warfare 2" who is providing the online multiplayer experience? Microsoft is only providing the "account names" to Activision where Infinity Ward (or who ever is left) is responsible for matching and setting up the game as well as the technical aspects the engine and content. Friends lists and party chat and all that probably are a boon to recent gamers but to many old gamers we have had our contact systems for decades that are platform independent. We don't sit around on our XBox 360 waiting for each other to jump in. We first contact each other and find out if we are in the mood to play something then turn on the 360.
XBox Live is only "neat" in the context of that if your gaming experience is limited to only the 360 then it is probably worth the $50 subsidy. If on the other hand you use other platforms and looking at the feature list, it starts to look like one is renting a Monster Cable.
Just what we need games cut down for a cell phone that are also on the Xbox and pc.
They tryed that with Deus ex 2 and it sucked now think how bad it will be on the cell phone and that may even make xbox gamers feel like they are playing a cut down game for a weaker system.
You're looking at it the wrong way.
Don't think about the kind of games that come on a DVD; think about the kinds of small games you can buy/download on XBox Live.
Something like Puzzle Fighter isn't going to struggle to be converted to a phone, and since (presumably) the XBox version was written in XNA, it's an easy port.
I remember when laptops came out. First there were the "luggables" like the Compaq. Then the big, heavy clamshells with 5" drives.
In 1995 I bought a Gateway Liberty, at the time the smallest, lightest laptop on the market. It was about the size of a hardback book and weighed 6 lbs. It was a marvel of miniaturization.
Then laptops got feature-itis, and got huge. ISTR a laptop with a 19" or 20" screen.
Then someone had a great idea: let's build a small, simple laptop and call it a "netbook"! What a concept!
So it seems to be with cell phones. The bag phone to the pocket phone, to the tiny phone, now much larger with "feature-itis".
I can't wait for the next generation of "simple small phones". Let's call them netphones.
Is it like Games For Windows Live? if disconnects your xbox so that your PC can get in the account? therefore stopping you from playing both systems at the same time
I'd love seeing someone being dropped out of a game because he used his cellphone!
yea like woaw, avatars on an expensive phone ... euh ... ?
beware he who denies you access to information for in his mind, he already deems himself to be your master (SMAC-ish)