Reports: Xbox Smart Glass at E3, perhaps mobile app as well
updated 07:00 pm EDT, Fri June 1, 2012
Reports unclear if product is hardware or software
Behind closed doors, sources tell The Examiner, Microsoft may be showing off an advanced tablet peripheral for its Xbox 360 game console. The device, currently known as the Xbox Smart Glass, is said to bring a number of new interactivity possibilities to the aging console. Other reports have the software giant foregoing a hardware peripheral in favor of a software solution that would operate across all of the major mobile platforms.
Reportedly, Smart Glass -- be it hardware or software -- will enable remote control for the Xbox 360. Applications on the Xbox would be accessible through Smart Glass, and users would be able to stream content from a mobile device to the Xbox. Purportedly, Microsoft's presentation at E3 will show off a demo of the technology, but no live video will be shown.
While the report tags Smart Glass as an actual Microsoft-produced tablet, aspects of that report would seem to indicate that the technology would take the form of a multi-platform software solution. Specifically, the report states that Smart Glass "will be available cross platform on multiple operating systems including Windows, Windows Phone, Android, and iOS." Taken in consideration with Microsoft's rumored recent willingness to work across competitor platforms to deliver its products, Smart Glass would more likely take the form of a cross-platform companion application.
