Xbox Companion App - Windows Phone 7 General

If you don't have an Xbox 360 you won't care but this is exactly what Microsoft has to do, use their ecosystem to build exclusive features for Windows Phone. Hopefully there's more to come.
http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_phone/b/windowsphone/archive/2011/10/05/control-your-xbox-with-your-windows-phone-using-the-xbox-companion-app.aspx

I just watched the video. The whole concept is amazing. I really can't wait for the app to go live.

I always wanted to use my Xbox as a media player but the fact that it has three (!!!) media interfaces annoys the hell out of me. It has Zune which is awesome but only plays streaming media. It has Media centre which is okayish but requires a running PC on the network and is slow. And then it has the, whatever it's called, the UPnP UI which is horrible.
Before they do anything, they should really think about merging or combining the three.
The Companion concept is great, I always wanted something like this, but it will remain a gimmick if they don't sort their mess out.

Apple already does this with iTunes. We need a Windows Media Center or Zune Remote from Microsoft.
Most people with WP7 devices have a PC. The same cannot be said about XBox 360s. Don't really see this as the best strategic decision, personally.

I think the comments on the blog itself pretty much some this up.
It's cool - but (as with a lot of things) not cool enough. To make this worthwhile it needs to do more.
Still, it's free and it's a brilliant step in the right direction

Related

X Box Live Hub. Why not a PS3 hub?

I never owned an Xbox and never intend to. PS3 all the way. My question is I would hate having the X Box intergration, avatar, profile details etc as I don't own an X Box and feel it is included and I don't want it.
I hope some time in the future it can be changed to PS3 or WII for other gamers.
No. WP7 is not an open OS, nothing can be replaced or removed.
Sony can make a PS3 hub, but you will not be able to remove the XBox integration.
Sony will launch a new gaming handheld with Android soon, so PS3 integration is coming to Android.
I'm not trying to be rude but that's a bit of a ridiculous question, it's like asking Steve Jobs to put Android apps on Apple TV instead of their own.
No I agree it is a bit of a stupid question but I just wanted to rant
The Live on the console and Live on your phone don't have to be related. If you have it for the xbox, then great, you can integrate it to your phone and have your phone build off of it. If you don't have the Xbox, you can just create an account and every game that you play on your WP7 will count towards your Live account.
It's not like you need have an xbox in order to enjoy your WP7. They can be independent.
tboy2000 said:
I never owned an Xbox and never intend to. PS3 all the way. My question is I would hate having the X Box intergration, avatar, profile details etc as I don't own an X Box and feel it is included and I don't want it.
I hope some time in the future it can be changed to PS3 or WII for other gamers.
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I know this pulls away from the phone question, but why have you just dismissed xbox? It's so much better at online gaming and on par with single player. Xbox live is simply the best online gaming portal by a massive margin anyone I have known who owns both consoles end up finding the ps3 sat collecting dust or as just a bluray player. I think anyone who has dismissed xbox should take it for another go esp now live is on mobile phones.
Xbox Live is bar none better than any other platform to date. If you have never used or owned an Xbox 360, you should not have any negative opinion, as that just shows how biased you are. And why would MS give Nintendo or Sony the ability to add their own game hub over Xbox Live? That doesn't make any sense.
chrislynch said:
Xbox Live is bar none better than any other platform to date. If you have never used or owned an Xbox 360, you should not have any negative opinion, as that just shows how biased you are. And why would MS give Nintendo or Sony the ability to add their own game hub over Xbox Live? That doesn't make any sense.
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Its not that I am biased its just that I already own a next gen games console and have for years - a ps3 and i don't want to spend a money on a second console. I am not a gamer who has multiple consoles. One is enough for me and I have had a psx, ps2 so naturally I chose a ps3. Am sure xbox is great. I just dont intend to get another next gen console. Would rather put the money towards a HD7
You don't need to buy the Xbox in order to enjoy Live on your wp7.
tboy2000 said:
Its not that I am biased its just that I already own a next gen games console and have for years - a ps3 and i don't want to spend a money on a second console. I am not a gamer who has multiple consoles. One is enough for me and I have had a psx, ps2 so naturally I chose a ps3. Am sure xbox is great. I just dont intend to get another next gen console. Would rather put the money towards a HD7
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Cool. What does this have to do with XBL on the phone?
chrislynch said:
Xbox Live is bar none better than any other platform to date. If you have never used or owned an Xbox 360, you should not have any negative opinion, as that just shows how biased you are. And why would MS give Nintendo or Sony the ability to add their own game hub over Xbox Live? That doesn't make any sense.
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thats only a matter of opinion....ive got both... used the xbox online for about a month and when the free subscription ran out i continued to use my ps3 for online purposes. the xbox online service offered nothing extra i required for the fee. and online gaming is only as good as the number of friends you know online to play against... if everyone is on a different platform then its no fun at all! everyone i know plays online on their ps3 and keeps their xbox for playing backups lol.
its not really a solution to suggest to someone that they abandon their games console which they might of had for years and built up a substantial games library. and then purchase a whole new system and start afresh just so they can take advantage of an application on a mobile phone! lol.
i can see the need for a ps3 (or wii) app but its also obvious that microsoft arent going to supply it integrated with their shiny new phone operating system from the offset. it would be interesting if sony or someone develops their own application. but i think it will be as someone already suggested...if an app does appear it will be on android.
anothadave said:
its not really a solution to suggest to someone that they abandon their games console which they might of had for years and built up a substantial games library. and then purchase a whole new system and start afresh just so they can take advantage of an application on a mobile phone! lol.
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XBL on WP7, ignoring the console altogether, is the best mobile online gaming experience all on it's own. The only thing close is Game Center on iPhone and XBL for WP7 easily takes the cake. While owning an Xbox would potentially enhance this further, it is by no means necessary.
tboy2000 said:
I never owned an Xbox and never intend to. PS3 all the way. My question is I would hate having the X Box intergration, avatar, profile details etc as I don't own an X Box and feel it is included and I don't want it.
I hope some time in the future it can be changed to PS3 or WII for other gamers.
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Click to collapse
I also hate Xbox but remember wp7 is a microsoft product same as Xbox that is why you have no choice may be sonyericsson will add ps3 support
Sony ericson? A division of sony? Wonder if they'll add xbl support ;p
Do you realize how dumb that sounds. Anyways I'd buy a Wii over a PS3 if I had to do it over again. Just got a 360 a couple weeks ago tho, and liking it.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
RustyGrom said:
XBL on WP7, ignoring the console altogether, is the best mobile online gaming experience all on it's own. The only thing close is Game Center on iPhone and XBL for WP7 easily takes the cake. While owning an Xbox would potentially enhance this further, it is by no means necessary.
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Actually playing real time online or local multiplayer games live, IOS pawns every mobile OS.
vetvito said:
Actually playing real time online or local multiplayer games live, IOS pawns every mobile OS.
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Well yea because it's not even possible in WP7, yet. But that's not really XBL. Once MS adds sockets support to WP7, it will take the crown in every facet.
real time multiplayer games are comning sometime early to mid next year.
And when its on XBL, multiplayer experience has to be great.
You say that you are not biased but:
"I never owned an Xbox and never intend to. PS3 all the way."
That sounds pretty close-minded and biased. And the question is silly. Why not use Bing as the default search engine on a Google phone?
Now, the decision is by no means one that hinders the phone. XBL is the best online gaming service out there. So, unlike the decision to use Bing as the only search engine in WP7, XBL is the best available.
I sold my old elite cuz I needed the money. I would like to get one back and a Windows Phone. I may seem like a Microsoft fool, but I actually prefer the Wii and Motorola Phones. Maybe Moto will make a Q WP7
nicksti said:
You say that you are not biased but:
"I never owned an Xbox and never intend to. PS3 all the way."
That sounds pretty close-minded and biased. And the question is silly. Why not use Bing as the default search engine on a Google phone?
Now, the decision is by no means one that hinders the phone. XBL is the best online gaming service out there. So, unlike the decision to use Bing as the only search engine in WP7, XBL is the best available.
I sold my old elite cuz I needed the money. I would like to get one back and a Windows Phone. I may seem like a Microsoft fool, but I actually prefer the Wii and Motorola Phones. Maybe Moto will make a Q WP7
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Its pretty weird. MSFT first sues Motorola and then the next day you hear that MSFT and MOTO might be collaborating on a WP7 device.
theomni said:
real time multiplayer games are comning sometime early to mid next year.
And when its on XBL, multiplayer experience has to be great.
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By that time, there will be another iphone, and a ton more actually live games.
theomni said:
Its pretty weird. MSFT first sues Motorola and then the next day you hear that MSFT and MOTO might be collaborating on a WP7 device.
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Same thing happened with HTC. Old business tactic. Can't say that I blame Microsoft though.

Microsoft's "Slam-dunk"

News is starting to surface, as I long suspected it would, that Windows 8 is going to support cross-platform silverlight apps, so apps that run on your WP7 device will also run on your PC.
If this means apps you've already purchased for your phone will be downloadable from the Windows 8 marketplace and runnable directly on your PC without further cost, then I say this feature will completely rock, and it will shake up the market. It will, IMHO, really switch people on to both Windows 8 and WP7, and help WP7 slaughter Android and iPhone.
Kudos to Microsoft for this stroke of genius.
It also ties in with Windows 8's enhanced cloud data support, which would be needed if both phone and PC are to share data in their respective apps.
If apps could sync their data to the cloud, then you could literally swap between devices and use the same apps which would have the same state info - You could be running a comic reader (such as Comica) on your phone, which has been set to read only particular comic feeds, be looking at last week's Dilbert, switch to your laptop/tablet, fire up Comica on that and be landed exactly where you left off on your phone, with the app set up to receive exactly the same feeds! It would be the perfect backup for your phone as well :O)
Awesomeness.
They are also bringing Silverlight to the Xbox (finally), so yeah - awesomeness indeed
Microsoft have always had great ideas to be fair. Their big problem is they are always so slow to deliver that eventually they're outdone by someone else by the time things come together.
I don't see that changing unfortunately.
If only we had MS employees with actual power in the company who read XDA and other tech sites regularly to see what the hordes want and implement all reasonable ideas in a reasonably short amount of time...
Peew971 said:
Microsoft have always had great ideas to be fair. Their big problem is they are always so slow to deliver that eventually they're outdone by someone else by the time things come together.
I don't see that changing unfortunately.
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considering windows 8 beta is coming out this year with a massive graphic overhaul and tablet mode, with ability to run appx and exe, I would probably think microsoft may be doing something right.
What really amazes me is that part of windows 8 can be scalable for mobile devices...something intel wants (due to the metro ui nature and easy finger friendly gui)
Again microsoft may be on to something. Heck I hate the ifad and I abhor the android 3.0 so microsoft's tablet offerings should be quite interesting
lekki said:
If only we had MS employees with actual power in the company who read XDA and other tech sites regularly to see what the hordes want and implement all reasonable ideas in a reasonably short amount of time...
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XDA is not really the place to find hordes of people. We are a select few, and a small percentage of the user-base.
Now, we actually need to see a device and prices.
well this would be an interesting change:
m$ making finger ui elements for desktops instead of the other way around.
can't see hords of people getting excited about silverlight though.
the only app (ok not really) I use or can imagine using between both is google maps. contacts, calendar, gmail already sync easily enough. bookmarks in ffox, history, etc, is this really a new idea ?
Jim Coleman said:
News is starting to surface, as I long suspected it would, that Windows 8 is going to support cross-platform silverlight apps, so apps that run on your WP7 device will also run on your PC.
If this means apps you've already purchased for your phone will be downloadable from the Windows 8 marketplace and runnable directly on your PC without further cost, then I say this feature will completely rock, and it will shake up the market. It will, IMHO, really switch people on to both Windows 8 and WP7, and help WP7 slaughter Android and iPhone.
Kudos to Microsoft for this stroke of genius.
It also ties in with Windows 8's enhanced cloud data support, which would be needed if both phone and PC are to share data in their respective apps.
If apps could sync their data to the cloud, then you could literally swap between devices and use the same apps which would have the same state info - You could be running a comic reader (such as Comica) on your phone, which has been set to read only particular comic feeds, be looking at last week's Dilbert, switch to your laptop/tablet, fire up Comica on that and be landed exactly where you left off on your phone, with the app set up to receive exactly the same feeds! It would be the perfect backup for your phone as well :O)
Awesomeness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think the goal is to be running the exact same app on different platforms. You can't really, the input methods are different and so are the form factors (any good iPad app is likely different from its iPhone equivalent). What we'll see is ~90% code reuse, where developers only need to change user facing parts of their applications.
Anyway, with the inclusion of Windows 8 and Xbox 360, the market for this app platform will be an order of magnitude larger. Developers should come flocking.
PG2G said:
I don't think the goal is to be running the exact same app on different platforms. You can't really, the input methods are different and so are the form factors (any good iPad app is likely different from its iPhone equivalent). What we'll see is ~90% code reuse, where developers only need to change user facing parts of their applications.
Anyway, with the inclusion of Windows 8 and Xbox 360, the market for this app platform will be an order of magnitude larger. Developers should come flocking.
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Customers first, then developers. We need to see a device and price, everything else is just nerd chatter. There was these exact same talks years ago.
PG2G said:
I don't think the goal is to be running the exact same app on different platforms. You can't really, the input methods are different and so are the form factors (any good iPad app is likely different from its iPhone equivalent). What we'll see is ~90% code reuse, where developers only need to change user facing parts of their applications.
Anyway, with the inclusion of Windows 8 and Xbox 360, the market for this app platform will be an order of magnitude larger. Developers should come flocking.
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Click to collapse
Don't forget though that Windows 8 will have a touch-optimized GUI, so should be able to handle any app designed purely for touch, such as WP7 apps.
But I'm with you on the fact that they'll have to recompile the code for the two target devices though.
PG2G said:
I don't think the goal is to be running the exact same app on different platforms. You can't really, the input methods are different and so are the form factors (any good iPad app is likely different from its iPhone equivalent). What we'll see is ~90% code reuse, where developers only need to change user facing parts of their applications.
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Exactly this. As long as MS does this right - by providing the same APIs on every platform - "porting" an app from WP7 to Slate to Desktop to Xbox (i.e. all three screens) will be as easy as designing different UIs for each platform.
vetvito said:
Customers first, then developers. We need to see a device and price, everything else is just nerd chatter. There was these exact same talks years ago.
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You're wrong though. Developers did flock to WP7. They have flocked to the Xbox. There are droves of them for Windows in general.
While apps does not a platform make, it sure as hell helps and since MS has the best developer tools in the industry ... well, developers will develop for their products.
Not sure what devices and prices you want to see, this thread is about cross platform app support, not slates or tablets or TVs or mobiles.
emigrating said:
You're wrong though. Developers did flock to WP7.
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Yes, but if those WP7 devices don't sell well they will flock away eventually no matter how great dev tools are.
vangrieg said:
Yes, but if those WP7 devices don't sell well they will flock away eventually no matter how great dev tools are.
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But they are selling. Don't know what data you've seen but everything I see indicates WP7 are selling fairly well. Hell, [some] devs make more money on WP7 than they do on Android.
As for devs running away - once the three-screens and a cloud scenario is all ironed out there really is no point in developers leaving. The Xbox is already doing great for games, the PC is doing great for apps - if you are a developer for either of these and you can suddenly release for the other platforms without investing tons of time and money, you will.
Peew971 said:
Microsoft have always had great ideas to be fair. Their big problem is they are always so slow to deliver that eventually they're outdone by someone else by the time things come together.
I don't see that changing unfortunately.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, because we've seen how well OSX has outdone Microsoft feature wise... Microsoft is always the most innovated company, they've just never focused on being 'pretty' until recently... You thrown in a little make-up with the juggernaut ideas they bring to the world and it's hard to argue that they'll snatch back that number one spot in no time, regardless of pricing... The MacBooks are severely overpriced and still sell because they're pretty...
emigrating said:
But they are selling. Don't know what data you've seen but everything I see indicates WP7 are selling fairly well. Hell, [some] devs make more money on WP7 than they do on Android.
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I have no idea how well they are selling. I'm actually not saying they aren't. I don't know. However, all I've seen so far was that sales are decent given the circumstances - few devices, very limited number of markets, only half the carriers in the US etc. etc. In order for all devs to make a lot of money WP7 will have to sell much more phones than now. If it doesn't happen within a year or so they won't be too happy. I'm not suggesting that it will happen though.
emigrating said:
As for devs running away - once the three-screens and a cloud scenario is all ironed out there really is no point in developers leaving. The Xbox is already doing great for games, the PC is doing great for apps - if you are a developer for either of these and you can suddenly release for the other platforms without investing tons of time and money, you will.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look, this three screen scenario is awesome. But I'll believe it when I see it. I have a Windows Phone, an XBox, several Windows PCs and a Windows Home Server. Windows Phone has this sync over Wi-Fi capability which is great. But I don't use it because my Windows PC is a notebook with an SSD and I don't have space there to keep all this music. I have it on my WHS, but does Microsoft let me install Zune there? No. I have some other music there, and I can stream it to my XBox. Does XBox use the awesome Zune interface to control playback? No. It shows me some pukeware stuff. And I have to use my PS3 to actually listen to music from my WHS, and XBox to stream Zune Pass stuff. ****, they don't even let me install their weird Media Center on my home server! Can I use my Windows Phone to control XBox playback? No. And so on.
Microsoft has been a horrible performer in terms of making their products work with each other. And sometimes when you think that something will obviously work between their products, you just can't imagine reasons why this shouldn't happen. But it still fails to happen time after time.
So while in principle this cross-platform Silverlight XAML-based awesomeness does sound thrilling, I've learned not to get too excited about opportunities coming from such things, knowing how Microsoft is an expert in screwing up interoperability.
Peew971 said:
Microsoft have always had great ideas to be fair. Their big problem is they are always so slow to deliver that eventually they're outdone by someone else by the time things come together.
I don't see that changing unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly what is going to happen. By the time MS releases Windows 8 (2012-2013) it will either have already been done (probably by apple) or no one will care anyway as they will have moved on to tablets as their main computing device. And I dont really see what the big draw is, I prefer fully featured programs on my pc rather than phone version with limited functionality due to the target device's shortcomings.
FiyaFleye said:
Yeah, because we've seen how well OSX has outdone Microsoft feature wise... Microsoft is always the most innovated company, they've just never focused on being 'pretty' until recently... You thrown in a little make-up with the juggernaut ideas they bring to the world and it's hard to argue that they'll snatch back that number one spot in no time, regardless of pricing... The MacBooks are severely overpriced and still sell because they're pretty...
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mmm... you are partially right: mac laptops are pretty. that's not why they sell though.
they have nicer keyboards, and the reputation of being used instead of maintained. no virus mess, no reboots, no bsods. the reputation is what sells them. I've never heard any person say "I just love our new Microsoft Windows Seven Professional Edition with Microsoft 9ffice and Internet Explorer 29 AAA"
its always " sigh... I love my mac"
hell macs are usually a step behind on specs and speed, and they still sell like hotcakes. pretty ? indeed !
ohgood said:
mmm... you are partially right: mac laptops are pretty. that's not why they sell though.
they have nicer keyboards, and the reputation of being used instead of maintained. no virus mess, no reboots, no bsods. the reputation is what sells them. I've never heard any person say "I just love our new Microsoft Windows Seven Professional Edition with Microsoft 9ffice and Internet Explorer 29 AAA"
its always " sigh... I love my mac"
hell macs are usually a step behind on specs and speed, and they still sell like hotcakes. pretty ? indeed !
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MacBooks are sold primarily to college students who have zero idea of anything you just mentioned. When was the last massive virus outbreak? BSOD? Needed reboots? I'm not talking about $200 laptops here, I'm talking genuine Windows capable machines... Kids go after Apple products because they're cool & pretty, has zero to do with function or reputation... The iPhone has a reputation of horrid service, bad antenna placement, & overpriced plans... It still sells though... And Mac OSX or whatever they hell it's called now has a reputation for lack of software, incapabilities, and overall hindered use, yet I can tell you the majority of 18-22 year olds at my University want a new, shiny one...
Windows7 went far in taking function, and making it pretty. Windows Phone 7 did the same, took function, and made it smooth and pretty... They've lost some features in the short term, but they've accomplished their goals of making them consumer friendly and hip...
I'm not as pessimistic as a lot of these Microsoft/Windows/WP7 haters on this forum, I see a possitive outlook... Microsoft has never really done anything to make me think differently... I mean, people here have said "Apple will do it first" - how exactly? What 'new' feature has Apple EVER come out with? They take existing technology, make it look shiny, and market it. I give them all the credit in the world for that. But as far as beating Microsoft to something as innovated and incredible as cross device perfection? Nah, won't happen.
vangrieg said:
Look, this three screen scenario is awesome. But I'll believe it when I see it. I have a Windows Phone, an XBox, several Windows PCs and a Windows Home Server. Windows Phone has this sync over Wi-Fi capability which is great. But I don't use it because my Windows PC is a notebook with an SSD and I don't have space there to keep all this music. I have it on my WHS, but does Microsoft let me install Zune there? No. I have some other music there, and I can stream it to my XBox. Does XBox use the awesome Zune interface to control playback? No. It shows me some pukeware stuff. And I have to use my PS3 to actually listen to music from my WHS, and XBox to stream Zune Pass stuff. ****, they don't even let me install their weird Media Center on my home server! Can I use my Windows Phone to control XBox playback? No. And so on.
Microsoft has been a horrible performer in terms of making their products work with each other. And sometimes when you think that something will obviously work between their products, you just can't imagine reasons why this shouldn't happen. But it still fails to happen time after time.
So while in principle this cross-platform Silverlight XAML-based awesomeness does sound thrilling, I've learned not to get too excited about opportunities coming from such things, knowing how Microsoft is an expert in screwing up interoperability.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Finally, someone who feels my frustration. Its like all departments at Microsoft try their best to work against each other. Sometimes they get it right though.

Review : XBox Live For Windows Phone.

As posted on L337Ware
Function : Provide gaming hub for Windows Phone.
Pros : Many of the features of XBox Live on the 360 are here such as text messaging amongst live subscribers, avatar customization, achievements, and leader boards.
Cons : Well to put it bluntly it's a little bit of a tease. Voice messages and voice chat are clearly absent though well within the capabilities of the phones. The avatar marketplace is a no show. True multi player gaming is pretty much non existence here. No access to videos and additional content available on the 360. No support for themes. No option to choose placement of apps outside of the hub.
Recommendation : You really don't have a choice here. If you want to game on a Windows Phone or even use certain applications that are even mildly related to gaming you will end up dealing with this hub. It's a severely crippled version of the Xbox Live you've come to know and love on the XBox. The glaring lack of functionality to include the lack of multi player titles and social tools inside of the games themselves are pretty unforgivable considering appearances of such features in games on other platforms. In the end I can't say I'm not left simply disappointed at this take on the Xbox Live brand.
L337Ware said:
As posted on L337Ware
Function : Provide gaming hub for Windows Phone.
Pros : Many of the features of XBox Live on the 360 are here such as text messaging amongst live subscribers, avatar customization, achievements, and leader boards.
Cons : Well to put it bluntly it's a little bit of a tease. Voice messages and voice chat are clearly absent though well within the capabilities of the phones. The avatar marketplace is a no show. True multi player gaming is pretty much non existence here. No access to videos and additional content available on the 360. No support for themes. No option to choose placement of apps outside of the hub.
Recommendation : You really don't have a choice here. If you want to game on a Windows Phone or even use certain applications that are even mildly related to gaming you will end up dealing with this hub. It's a severely crippled version of the Xbox Live you've come to know and love on the XBox. The glaring lack of functionality to include the lack of multi player titles and social tools inside of the games themselves are pretty unforgivable considering appearances of such features in games on other platforms. In the end I can't say I'm not left simply disappointed at this take on the Xbox Live brand.
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Click to collapse
Maybe I got you wrong, but just tap and hold any icon in the games hub will bring up the menu where you can choose to pin it to the homescreen.
Did you just buy your phone? Because we've all been saying that for 6 months now and there are threads about it. Unless you just need traffic...
Sent from my Omnia 7 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
I've been playing Game Chest: Logic Games Chess against my wife over XBox live for months now. I play my moves on my WP7 and she plays on XBox.com in a browser-based copy of the game.
Isn't that multiplayer XBox-Live? Or am I missing something?
Actually, voice messaging/chat isn't well within the capabilities of the phone. Until Mango is released all network traffic is done thru HTTP which adds way too much lag to use for live voice chatting. Messaging would work, but why re-invent the wheel when full socket support is coming later this year?
The lack of true multiplayer gaming is due to the same reason - http just isn't a viable alternative to raw sockets. The best you can really do at the moment is turn-based games, and they do exist.
Adding content to the home screen is, as someone else already pointed out, as easy as long pressing the title and selecting pin to start.
This is one area where I can truly appreciate peoples comments about this being v1 of a new OS - no other mobile platform has done this already and what's already on WP is pretty damn good considering the current platform limitations.
Remember, all we've seen of Mango at Mix 11 was the developer-centric stuff. MS have yet to announce all the consumer-centric goodies and I bet XBox-live multiplayer realtime will be a part of that.
I'd really like to see a multiplayer Halo game on WP7, controlled by a bluetooth XBox-controller.
The HD7's kickstand would enable use of that while the phone is stood on a table (e.g. when on the train)
How cool?
Jim Coleman said:
I've been playing Game Chest: Logic Games Chess against my wife over XBox live for months now. I play my moves on my WP7 and she plays on XBox.com in a browser-based copy of the game.
Isn't that multiplayer XBox-Live? Or am I missing something?
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It is called turn based not multiplayer
Sent from my Bionix powered Vibrant
lqaddict said:
It is called turn based not multiplayer
Sent from my Bionix powered Vibrant
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Or more accurately "turn based multiplayer" you still have more than one player which makes it multi, even if that isn't quite what you wanted in multiplayer.
Can I just point out that the "hub" isn't the "Xbox Live" hub it's actually called the "Games" hub.
I also want to say that while I tend to agree that it is vital to the success and pricing of Live titles to incorporate more features, I whole heartedly believe that they are coming sooner than later. People continuously call me a fan boy, but I'm more of a realist in the case of this OS, and realize that Rome wasn't built in a day. I see the effort, and if you don't, you're blind. And I see the potential. So much has been said about the lack of updates, and "oh, I'm God, so I demand updates on my schedule in small packets or I'm going to Android" that nobody has realized the reality here. Features, like the ones discussed here, are going to be so tightly integrated it's going to be amazing. Just watching MIX, you see WHY they haven't released small updates yet, and I've said this in other threads. One feature links in 13 different areas, it's all integrated. So we see this with the socket support, and multitasking, and the ability to control background processes... When these are released, I think we are going to see a wave, and I mean WAVE, of new applications which will completely revolutionalize WP...
^ maybe you're right. However, if and when Microsoft introduces true multiplayer gaming in 2012 or later. It will more than likely be for Windows Phone vs Windows Phone only.
vetvito said:
^ maybe you're right. However, if and when Microsoft introduces true multiplayer gaming in 2012 or later. It will more than likely be for Windows Phone vs Windows Phone only.
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I disagree, I see no reason why someone on an XBox shouldn't be able to play against someone on a WP7 in realtime. This is going to be killer, MS will not miss this opportunity to outdo iPhone (for which there is no equivalent games console) and Android (closest thing is Xperia Play which is a bit poo).
I don't see any logic in your prediction.
^ maybe you're right. However, if and when Microsoft introduces true multiplayer gaming in 2012 or later. It will more than likely be for Windows Phone vs Windows Phone only.
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<br />
<br />
I disagree, I see no reason why someone on an XBox shouldn't be able to play against someone on a WP7 in realtime. This is going to be killer, MS will not miss this opportunity to outdo iPhone (for which there is no equivalent games console) and Android (closest thing is Xperia Play which is a bit poo).<br />
<br />
I don't see any logic in your prediction.
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Yeah they WP with Kinnect. However my point is in the mobile world. WP vs iPhone or WP vs Android, as we already have iPhone vs Android games(they're awesome).
Since the Xbox Live brand is involved I'm sure the chances of WP vs anything not Microsoft related are slim to none.
If you haven't noticed 360 users haven't been running in droves to purchase these phones. The average 360 user isn't of contracting age.
vetvito said:
Yeah they WP with Kinnect. However my point is in the mobile world. WP vs iPhone or WP vs Android, as we already have iPhone vs Android games(they're awesome).
Since the Xbox Live brand is involved I'm sure the chances of WP vs anything not Microsoft related are slim to none.
If you haven't noticed 360 users haven't been running in droves to purchase these phones. The average 360 user isn't of contracting age.
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I have to disagree there, especially considering that playing online on a 360 console actually costs money, and usually requires you be an adult... I have no idea where this misconception comes from that all Live players are kids, or even that half of them are... I'm assuming from people who have never played a day online.
I also don't see this phone as just "Live" services, there are other games that will go cross-platform... Has Apple developed a game that interacted with Android users? How about Google with iPhone? All the games are third party, aren't they? The Live games will interact with other Live games, obviously, I don't see why there would be any surprise or negative feedback there... But I do see third-party, real time multiplayer coming sooner than 2012, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of them get released once Mango goes live, as they would have been developing for a few months by then.
I don't get why people are so negative about things, as it is now, developers have pushed the available apis to their limits, why would that suddenly stop with a larger user base and greater access? I expect these sorts of post from certain biased users, but not users that appear to have brains most of the time.
I would also take the time here to note that if Google, or any other random developer, released a brand new desktop OS at this moment, version 1.0, would the same retards in this forum who are so Anti-Microsoft/Pro-Google be quick to say "this is trash because it doesn't live up to Windows 7 of today" or would they be hypocrites and label it a first release and state it has more features than Windows 95 did? Because I guarantee you it would be the latter, as we saw when Android was released in its G1 form far behind iOS.
Version 1 where is it? Please show me version 1. Get over it, this is a continuation.
I'm not being negative, just realistic.
How much do you want to bet Microsoft wont allow third party multiplayer games? They will have to go through Xbox LIVE.
Xbox LIVE users are different than the average 360 user/owner. Matter of fact I haven't met a person on Xbox LIVE who knows what WP7 is. Get on there and ask people yourself.
vetvito said:
Version 1 where is it? Please show me version 1. Get over it, this is a continuation.
I'm not being negative, just realistic.
How much do you want to bet Microsoft wont allow third party multiplayer games? They will have to go through Xbox LIVE.
Xbox LIVE users are different than the average 360 user/owner. Matter of fact I haven't met a person on Xbox LIVE who knows what WP7 is. Get on there and ask people yourself.
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I wasn't specifically talking about you, but this isn't a continuation, nowhere near it, and as long as you guys continue to paint it as one, you'll have ignorant, biased opinions...
And you're making assumptions, they allow games like AlphaJax right now to utilize what they can, I don't see why they wouldn't in the future. You guys create these scenarios where a lot of users come, think you know what you're talking about, and believe this bs... I can't keep track of how many people said that most of the features announced for Mango would take 2 years to implement...
A lot of people had no idea what Android was until Verizon joined the party, and even still, 8 out of 10 people will call any Android phone a Droid, and tell you that their Droid Does... Expecting overnight success isn't realistic, and neither is making assumptions when you have no idea what you're talking about, or have any type of track record to go off of...
I also only brought up 360 because you made the point of the user age... I don't see many people buying it just because of that from a platform standpoint because this isn't called "Xbox Live Phone" it's called Windows phone... I know a crap load of Live players who own Macs...
By the end of this year, I think we'll be looking at these devices entirely different. Both from a gaming standpoint and functional standpoint. Though, the phone is more than functional 99% of the time for me.
What number comes after 6?
I'm ignorant though.
vetvito said:
How much do you want to bet Microsoft wont allow third party multiplayer games? They will have to go through Xbox LIVE.
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Why would they not allow it? They allow you to make them today and will obviously continue to do so once there is raw socket support. They are however rolling out more support for indie developers to gain access to XBL as well, so I wouldn't be surprised to see more and more of the great games we have today become XBL games with achievements and whatnot - this does command a minimum price of $2.99 however.
vetvito said:
Xbox LIVE users are different than the average 360 user/owner. Matter of fact I haven't met a person on Xbox LIVE who knows what WP7 is. Get on there and ask people yourself.
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Really? Don't know who you've been speaking to, but everyone I've gamed with knows very well what it is. Hell, you must be a real ignorant bastard not to know it considering they've been showing loads of WP commercials on the 360 dashboard since launch.
--edit--
Oh and come on, WP7 is obviously a v1. Sure, it's built ontop of the same old WinCE kernel (well, an updated one) but it has absolutely nothing in common with the previous Windows Mobile versions. You couldn't even take a native WM6 app and run it on WP7 without heavy modification - and that's not just because of the locked down nature of WP.
Well done guys, insults are the way to go. I wonder more and more how old people on this forum are.
Sent from my Omnia 7 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
vetvito said:
What number comes after 6?
I'm ignorant though.
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WP7 is version 1.

What's Unique about Windows Phone?

Hi all!
I've been using Mango 7740 on my Titan for about a month. I totally love it. I have falled head over heels for WP! I switched from Android. This felt so much more professional and in many ways a complete approach to fresh smartphone UI. I know the UI is unmatched by anything in the market and so is social network integration. I was showing off my phone to few friends who loved it while they played with it. Obviously lack of few big apps was noticed very soon and they do understand the fact that it's a new OS and apps take time to come to new OS. But one of the friends asked me: "So what's unique about this OS apart from the new and sexy UI?"
To be honest I did want to tell him the list of things, but then in my head most other OSes can do things I know of. Can someone help me to figure out the uniqueness of this OS? I know this sounds very silly knowing I have a Titan in my hand to explore and know.
I've looked through two major comparison threads for WP vs iPhone vs Android and I think without rooting/jailbreaking all of these OSes have similar or same functionality limitations and app dependencies. Some platforms fulfil that via apps whereas WP will eventually fulfil it via apps.
Please try to not add the spice of trolling and fanboy teaming up here, I just want to get involvement from Windows Phone users in terms of what they found to be unique in this OS compared to their previous phone(s).
I don't think you'll find anything unique, as in something that sets things apart, until the next iteration. Frankly, with the exception of Apple in very specific respects, I don't think you'll see things that are unique to mobile platforms just because of the nature of competition among Google, Apple, and Microsoft.
Things have evolved to a point now where it's not so much about features, but more of the overall ecosystem and how in tune that is to your lifestyle.
the only really unique thing it has is the fact that you have to use the worst software in history of PC software to put music and movies on it... Zune is horrible
EDIT: I just realized that iPhone users are forced to itunes, so I take my statement back. Second worst software in the history of PC sotware
Zune is actually cool. They should kill all the other media players on the PC, and make just one.
Unique: battery life. That's it.
For me, it's the integration of social networking, the intuitive metro UI and the stability.
The OS simply works. It's quick, clean and easy.
It does everything I want it to do so I have no need to look elsewhere.
^ uniqueness minus UI.
All smart phones generally do the same thing, it isn't really about what they do for me, it's about HOW they do it. Windows Phone centralizes all information, in the most fluid, involving way I have ever experienced. You feel like you're in the phone, and as though everything is catered to you and the information you want. It lacks in a few areas, all phones do, but when you understand the gap covered in one year, you'll see this OS evolve quickly, and amazingly.
Android does voice search, yeah, but WinPhone and iPhone do it differently, better. The UI as an argument for WinPhone IS the main argument, because the UI is more than how the tiles are curved, or the widgets align, its how the information is displayed, carried through, and experienced.
That's just me. All phones play music, all phones have a camera, all phones have sms, email, a phone, apps, a market, but none of them deliver it in the same consistent way that Microsoft has here.
FiyaFleye said:
All smart phones generally do the same thing, it isn't really about what they do for me, it's about HOW they do it. Windows Phone centralizes all information, in the most fluid, involving way I have ever experienced. You feel like you're in the phone, and as though everything is catered to you and the information you want. It lacks in a few areas, all phones do, but when you understand the gap covered in one year, you'll see this OS evolve quickly, and amazingly.
Android does voice search, yeah, but WinPhone and iPhone do it differently, better. The UI as an argument for WinPhone IS the main argument, because the UI is more than how the tiles are curved, or the widgets align, its how the information is displayed, carried through, and experienced.
That's just me. All phones play music, all phones have a camera, all phones have sms, email, a phone, apps, a market, but none of them deliver it in the same consistent way that Microsoft has here.
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Hehe this basically sums it up for me. However you said it far more eloquently than I did
After getting my lumia, i can say its the fastest os out there.
The biggest unique features imo are the live tiles and the way information is presented.
The hubs are also unique and amazingly well thought out.
But underneath the ui all os perform the same task just in a slightly different way.
Btw all people i showed the os on the lumia loved the blazing speed of it and the feel. So ms is doin something right
Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express
now i can just sit on my bed and command my TV to play my favorite movies off my Desktop HDD with HTC Connected Media , or control my XBOX 360 without touching the controller and all that's kinds of stuffs. Almost all electronic in my house are the part of the ecosystem.
All TV has one HDMI hook up to one desktop (not all ATI Radeon or something like that , just Intel GMA HD) . All benifit from Windows 7 - Zune Cilent - XBOX 360 - Windows Phone 7.
Not everyone realize that is what Microsoft are trying to head us: " Make our life easier with Ecosystem"
vetvito said:
Zune is actually cool. They should kill all the other media players on the PC, and make just one.
Unique: battery life. That's it.
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How is the battery life unique?
But what makes Android unique vs iOS? As crazy as this sounds, there will come a point in time when they all are so similar in capabilities that we will be bickering about minute differences (oh I get 30fps playing crysis 5 mobile edition and you get 28!). The answer right now is the how and not the what. the user experience is quite different in Android vs iOS vs Windows Phone. UI, stability, battery life, features, apps, everything. But that will change.
I think that is the reason for all the litigation. Which is sad, because the car companies seem to differentiate themselves quite fine without having to litigate like crazy.
Great info about windows phone...thanks for sharing
Guys, thank you so much for all the input.. There are few points I din't realise that put this OS as much unique concept. I am a little more educated now. If anyone else has more uniqueness about this OS please do share with me and the others as it does seem to bring out different point of views from real Windows Phone users.
This might be more UI related anyway, but some points do make the OS look much unique against iOS.
JVH3 said:
Things I miss the most.
Not seeing calendar events or weather on the home screen.
The People hub. And no way to directly go to a contact. Must launch Phone first.
No easy way to immediately close an app when done with it, like the Back button in Windows Phone 7. I seem to end up with about 10 apps running all the time and need to close each 1 individually.
I liked the large Tiles of Windows 7 because I can easily hit them with my thumb using it 1 handed. They might be bigger than they need to be. Maybe 3 columns of Tiles would be better, and to not waste the space to the right of the Tiles. iPhone is much more difficult for 1 handed use with big thumbs.
A seperate indicator for work email and my combined email and no easy way to dismiss the indicator. This should be easy enough for Apple to do. An indicator for default in one corner and combined in another.
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Xbox achievements.
I think the overall usage flow of Wp7 is the best. Also the obvious superior design of the UI I would say is a huge differentiator. Zune is great for one reason "send to phone" any file, no more maintaining playlists.
Sent from my HTC Titan using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
clfosk said:
Xbox achievements.
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"250 texts sent!" ;-)
Madmanden said:
"250 texts sent!" ;-)
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haha what does that mean?
Can you actually send your achievements via texts? I din't know that!
I should get bragging about my achievements using all the unlimited texts in that case
Integration, the Metro UI and the stability !
Calendar + email: Outlook -> Windows Live -> Windows Phone (and vise versa)
Here's my take:
Since I have many appointments during the week, I need an easy way to manage them. The best software, IMHO, for doing this, is Outlook.
The best integration of Outlook with an online calendar is with the Windows Live calendar.
The best integration of Window live calendar with a smart phone is with the Windows phone.
So while talking on the phone at work, I add an appointment to my calendar from Outlook. On the road, I get a reminder from my Windows phone. When I go to the other guys office, I set up a new appointment using my phone. When I get home, I see it in Outlook and make a few changes.
It all just works.
(The same can be said about email, but for me, the calendar integration is a killer feature, and I did look at other calender options. However, I would like to see improvements to the calendar software on the phone, such as a built in week view).

An Xbox 360 developer space in this forum

Hi!
Now that it seems that PC, XBOX and Mobile phone are getting closer to each other with the OS,I think it would be interesting to open a Space to talk about Xbox 360 App and OS development, like we did with Windows 8.
I say this, because XBOX dashboard, is not a game-only dashboard anymore, now its getting more complicated and maybe all together we could find out interesting things.
Good idea, maybe it would make more sense when Microsoft makes a bit more of an official announcement about any upcoming plans between Win8, WP8, and the Xbox.
I say that because as they move closer to the vision of three screens and a cloud it might make more sense when the integration between WP and Win8 with the Xbox.
It would be tits when you're watching a movie on your phone or laptop...pause and resume it instantly on your TV.
Pretty good idea IMO, Microsoft has been working on integrating everything in the house for a long time now so I'm kind of surprised they haven't done it already.
You should run it by them here to see what others think about it.
ok thanks, I just sent the request hope they will accept it!
this Idea seems to be interesting for the members but not for admins

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