Microsoft: Windows Phone 7 Is Our Mobile Platform for Games.

No Plans to Release Xbox Portable - Microsoft

[01/11/2011 09:01 PM]
by Anton Shilov

Microsoft Corp. said in an interview that it still has no plans for a specially-designed mobile platform for video games. Instead, the company will concentrate on better Xbox Live experience on phones powered by Windows Phone 7 operating system (OS).

"This is our mobile platform for games. The same people who make the Halo game, the same development folks, work on this, this is our mobile console," said Kevin Unangst, senior global diretor of PC and mobile gaming at Microsoft, in an interview with Kotaku web-site.

Rumours about a portable game console from Microsoft have been circulating for years. But considering success of games designed for Apple iOS and Google Android mobile operating systems, it does not seem to make a lot of sense to design a competitor for Nintendo DS/3DS or Sony PSP. Instead, Microsoft needs to persuade game developers to design games for Windows Phone 7 and Xbox Live platforms.

At present there are about 5500 applications designed for Windows Phone 7, but it is unclear how many of those apps are games and how competitive they are. As a result, it is impossible to say whether Windows Phone 7 is a competitive mobile gaming problem. Electronic Arts and PopCar Games already support Microsoft WP7 platform, whereas companies like Activision, Epic and a number of others still have not announced their commitment.

Cell phones with Windows Phone 7 operating system are made following strict guidelines from Microsoft. Hardware should provide certain amount of performance and even hardware buttons should be located in certain parts of the phones. As a result, Microsoft Windows Phone 7-based devices deliver similar and consistent experience despite of the fact that those smartphones come from different manufacturers.

On the 21st of December, 2010, Microsoft said that 1.5 million Windows Phone 7-based phones had been sold. Windows Phone 7 launched in Europe and the Asia Pacific region on October 21 and in the United States and Canada on November 8.

Tags: Microsoft, Windows, Windows Phone

Discussion

Comments currently: 3
Discussion started: 01/12/11 08:36:01 AM
Latest comment: 01/12/11 11:51:23 AM
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No hardware controls is the problem with WP7 for games. MS needs to set a standard for hardware controls, perhaps by introducing a model. And then have a setting in the marketplace that filters software by whether hardware controls are needed.

0 [Posted by: CSMR Rating 94.34

| Date: 01/12/11 08:36:01 AM]

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What hardware controls? Games are based on the touch controls, while the hardware buttons are only used to go back, exit to home, or exit to bing search. The hardware inside the phones is all standard, are you talking about slide out keyboards?

0 [Posted by: blzd Rating 34.17

| Date: 01/12/11 11:12:52 AM]

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- collapse thread

Yes, some form of hardware control that might take the form of a slide-out keyboard or a bluetooth add-on. With a mapping for phones with an ordinary keyboard. The exact form doesn't need to be standardized as long as buttons and basic layout are.

0 [Posted by: CSMR Rating 94.34

| Date: 01/12/11 11:51:23 AM]

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