Microsoft has announced that Xbox Smartglass will launch alongside Windows 8 and its Surface tablet on 26 October.
The dual-screen service will be rolled out through a worldwide update to the Xbox 360, and eventually enable users to interact with their console through a tablet, smartphone or PC.
Users will be able to control media playback from their smartphones, for instance, or use their tablet's touchscreen to navigate Internet Explorer for Xbox.
At launch, however, the main focus will be Surface.
Supportive
Certain Xbox 360 games will support SmartGlass functionality, enabling players to interact with console games through a touchscreen interface in a manner similar to Nintendo's Wii U.
Players will be able to use their phone as a virtual GPS in Forza Horizon, for example, or see statistics on their progress through Halo 4.
Although no comprehensive list of SmartGlass-compatible games has been released, Microsoft Studios corporate VP Phil Spencer recently said that he expects all future first-party titles to support the streaming technology.
Initially, only Windows Phone and Windows 8 devices will be able to connect to the console via SmartGlass, although Android and iOS support will follow 'soon' (early 2013 we expect) in the form of an update to the existing My Xbox Live app.
[source: Microsoft blog]
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