SmartGlass Isnt Inspired by Wii U GamePad, Microsoft Says

Microsoft revealed the Xbox SmartGlass technology back at E3 2012 last month and now Phil Spencer, Microsoft Game Studios’ corporate vice president, has talked about the impressive system and its connection to the Nintendo Wii U’s GamePad.

Microsoft’s E3 2012 presentation was filled with all sorts of announcements and presentations, from big games like Halo 4 or Forza Horizon, to new technologies like the improved Kinect voice search or Internet Explorer on the Xbox 360.

By far the most interesting reveal, however, has been the Xbox SmartGlass technology that allows the Xbox 360 to interact with mobile devices like phones or tablets and display extra information about the game being played or the entertainment being watched, whether it’s a movie, TV show, or song.

While many were intrigued by the tech, quite a few people believed SmartGlass was Microsoft’s attempt at recreating the technology used by Nintendo with the GamePad for the Wii U.

According to Microsoft’s Phil Spencer, this isn’t the case, as SmartGlass is a way to augment the entertainment capabilities of the Xbox 360.

“Our SmartGlass was driven by the fact that people use multiple devices at home to consume content. Whether they're watching TV with their laptop up or sitting with their phone while browsing the web, we could use the power of Live to connect all these devices in an intelligent way and turn your TV into a smart TV,” Spencer told GamesIndustry.

The executive also highlighted the core goal of Microsoft, which is to provide entertainment and content on the Xbox 360 for everyone on the planet.

“Our ambition is to create an entertainment platform for everyone on the planet. We think there are a couple keys; having unique content on our platform. We started off with Halo, but we obviously have a breadth of content on our platform from big core games to things like the Nike fitness program that we showed, to things like Dance Central and our sports offerings. It's a real breadth of content on the platform. Live and the connected service is pretty key to what we do.”

Are you interested in using SmartGlass once it becomes available later this year or will you stay focused on playing games and enjoying entertainment without having to pull up your phone or tablet for extra content?

Via: SmartGlass Isnt Inspired by Wii U GamePad, Microsoft Says