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Forums - Microsoft - Did Microsoft just make Nintendo's Wii U tablet irrevelant?

thx1139 on 08 June 2012
Adinnieken said:
thx1139 said:

There are a good deal of mis-conceptions about SmartGlass.

SmartGlass is not A App. SmartGlass is an app platform. One of the apps is the Xbox Companion that is already available today on Windows Phone and Windows 8 Release Preview. Believe it has already been announced for iOS and Android.

The Xbox Live Companion app will be enhanced with new features (like taking control of IE Xbox). In addition, game and app developers can use the platform for their own apps. For instance Halo4, Dance Central 3, Ascend New Gods and the new Karoke game will have their own apps that can be downloaded to the individual devices. They will use the SmartGlass platform API to interact with the Xbox.

MS has said that the API is HTML5 friendly so MS is making it as easy as possible for app developers to implement apps across different platforms. MS will simply provide the API to do it.

MS has also stated that up to 4 devices can be connected to the Xbox at the same time.

That depends on how you want to look at it.  To the end user, SmartGlass is an app that you download from an app store.  That's it.  That's all they have to do.

If they have the app running, then the content being fed by the console will appear on the phone or tablet.  The end user will not have to download a specific app for each application/game that supports it.  In other words, SmartGlass is a push service, not a pull service. 

I have watched a few demos.

The demo that had "School of Rock" interacting was the Paramount Pictures app.

The Halo 4 demo was a Windows 8 version Halo Waypoint.

The Dance Central app was shown on a Windows Phone as was the Ascend New Gods app.

They maybe HTML5 content pushed through the new version of the Xbox Companion, but they are apps.  The apps dont come from the Xbox. They interact with Xbox content. There is some basic stuff that the Xbox Dashboard basically understands (navigation and cursor movement), but most of the interactivity comes between the Xbox App/Xbox Game and the app on the individual devices.



Its libraries that sell systems not a single game.

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thx1139 on 08 June 2012
superchunk said:
Ok, so this just crazy.

Anyone who tries to argue that generic tablet/phone inter-connectivity is within the same feature or benefit set as WiiU's gamepad is 100% crazy.

Did Move make Wiimotes irrelevant? Did Kinect (albeit not the same but motion based)?

There is a few major differences here.

1) Tablets and phones do NOT have the same controls. These devices don't have analog sticks and buttons, just touch interfaces. They could not in any feasible way replace or replicate the full feature set that the Gamepad will offer.

2) They are not packaged with EVERY console. i.e. there will be a lot of owners who do not have a tablet/phone. This means that devs will not throw a lot of resources at these features. Whereas with WiiU they know 100% of owners have the device so it makes sense to utilize it in 100% of games. This is why Move has very little support, even in the FPS category where it would be fucking awesome. Hello COD doesn't even use Move when they already have the exact same control code built for Wii.

SmartGlass is a very good and natural extension of the consoles. I said this was coming and been saying this was coming for awhile now. I mostly focused on Win8 and the next consoles, but I knew it was coming. It will add a lot of new features and connectivity for the devices and one of the reasons I hoped Nintendo/Sony utilize Android in some form. However, it is not even comparable to the feature set you'll get with Gamepad and its relationship to the console. Not even close.

Its more like Kinect as compared to Wiimote. Motion is core, but with Kinect you can't control movement and thus the greater majority of genres cannot be replicated with the device. Any genre can be used in Wiimote/nunchuk.

Same here with SmartGlass. Sure touch based interface could be the same. However, without the other controls it pales in comparison. Then you add in the fact that it will have far lower support... and bam. Its nothing but a media controller.

1. Not all Wii U content will make use of the controls.  For instance it didnt appear that Sing used anything other than the tablet screen for interaction.  So anything that is just like this will work the same way with SmartGlass. In fact MS has said that this is just how Dance Central 3 and the new Karoke game coming this fall will work.   Same can be said for how NSMBU worked with one person injecting content into the playfield.  Other uses may have other implementations as well.

2. Have said it many times already, but hey why not one more time. There will be more people that own am Xbox 360 and a device that supports SmartGlass than the Wii U install base for a very long time if not forever.  Many many many of the ~70 million Xbox 360s sold already are owned by people with a iOS, Android, Windows Phone and this fall Windows 8 device. So the market penetration argument doesnt fly.



Its libraries that sell systems not a single game.

MARCUSDJACKSON on 08 June 2012

silly notion. sounds like someones banking to much on their to cents making since. we'll find out soon enough either way.



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mrstickball on 08 June 2012
thx1139 said:
superchunk said:
Ok, so this just crazy.

Anyone who tries to argue that generic tablet/phone inter-connectivity is within the same feature or benefit set as WiiU's gamepad is 100% crazy.

Did Move make Wiimotes irrelevant? Did Kinect (albeit not the same but motion based)?

There is a few major differences here.

1) Tablets and phones do NOT have the same controls. These devices don't have analog sticks and buttons, just touch interfaces. They could not in any feasible way replace or replicate the full feature set that the Gamepad will offer.

2) They are not packaged with EVERY console. i.e. there will be a lot of owners who do not have a tablet/phone. This means that devs will not throw a lot of resources at these features. Whereas with WiiU they know 100% of owners have the device so it makes sense to utilize it in 100% of games. This is why Move has very little support, even in the FPS category where it would be fucking awesome. Hello COD doesn't even use Move when they already have the exact same control code built for Wii.

SmartGlass is a very good and natural extension of the consoles. I said this was coming and been saying this was coming for awhile now. I mostly focused on Win8 and the next consoles, but I knew it was coming. It will add a lot of new features and connectivity for the devices and one of the reasons I hoped Nintendo/Sony utilize Android in some form. However, it is not even comparable to the feature set you'll get with Gamepad and its relationship to the console. Not even close.

Its more like Kinect as compared to Wiimote. Motion is core, but with Kinect you can't control movement and thus the greater majority of genres cannot be replicated with the device. Any genre can be used in Wiimote/nunchuk.

Same here with SmartGlass. Sure touch based interface could be the same. However, without the other controls it pales in comparison. Then you add in the fact that it will have far lower support... and bam. Its nothing but a media controller.

1. Not all Wii U content will make use of the controls.  For instance it didnt appear that Sing used anything other than the tablet screen for interaction.  So anything that is just like this will work the same way with SmartGlass. In fact MS has said that this is just how Dance Central 3 and the new Karoke game coming this fall will work.   Same can be said for how NSMBU worked with one person injecting content into the playfield.  Other uses may have other implementations as well.

2. Have said it many times already, but hey why not one more time. There will be more people that own am Xbox 360 and a device that supports SmartGlass than the Wii U install base for a very long time if not forever.  Many many many of the ~70 million Xbox 360s sold already are owned by people with a iOS, Android, Windows Phone and this fall Windows 8 device. So the market penetration argument doesnt fly.


FYI, I played NSMB2 on Wii U at E3. There were virtually no controls used outside of the touchscreen interface. In fact, I don't remember any users utilizing both the touch screen and controls on any game at the same time. That is why I believe Smart Glass can replicate the WiiU features pretty easily - because it seems that Nintendo is using the tablet as either a dedicated touch screen controller, or dedicated button controller.



Back from the dead, I'm afraid.

Porcupine_I on 09 June 2012

i think smartglass made gamers with only 2 hands irrelevant



“It appeared that there had even been demonstrations to thank Big Brother for raising the chocolate ration to twenty grams a week. And only yesterday, he reflected, it had been announced that the ration was to be reduced to twenty grams a week. Was it possible that they could swallow that, after only twenty-four hours? Yes, they swallowed it.”

- George Orwell, ‘1984’

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SamuelRSmith on 09 June 2012
mike_intellivision said:
NO.

Windows 8 will crash because most PC users will reject it (at least those who want to use their computers for work).
Content streaming comes at a cost. And often that is data plans, some of which have caps.
This is a lot of Microsoft smoke and mirrors.

Mike from Morgantown

PS -- I can already get ESPN, NBA League Pass and NHL Games -- it's call my cable box.


Except SmartGlass works on iOS and Android, too. So everybody's smart phones and tablets will support it as soon as it comes out.



Ajescent on 09 June 2012
selnor said:
badgenome said:
No, Nintendo beat them to it.



Only Smartglass does alot more. and has been in development longer than WiiU

Are you sure about that?



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Ajescent on 09 June 2012
Porcupine_I said:
i think smartglass made gamers with only 2 hands irrelevant

haha, win



PS One/2/p/3slim/Vita owner. I survived the Apocalyps3/Collaps3 and all I got was this lousy signature.


Xbox One: What are you doing Dave?

Strategyking92 on 11 June 2012

I would say no, because the functionality on both consoles are gimmicky and irrelevant. Seriously, did anybody see the trailer for Batman armored edition? Talk about unnecessary functionality.



And that's the only thing I need is *this*. I don't need this or this. Just this PS4... And this gaming PC. - The PS4 and the Gaming PC and that's all I need... And this Xbox 360. - The PS4, the Gaming PC, and the Xbox 360, and that's all I need... And these PS3's. - The PS4, and these PS3's, and the Gaming PC, and the Xbox 360... And this Nintendo DS. - The PS4, this Xbox 360, and the Gaming PC, and the PS3's, and that's all *I* need. And that's *all* I need too. I don't need one other thing, not one... I need this. - The Gaming PC and PS4, and Xbox 360, and thePS3's . Well what are you looking at? What do you think I'm some kind of a jerk or something! - And this. That's all I need.

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stealth20k on 11 June 2012

no