SmartGlass on Xbox One: nine reasons you shouldn't miss it

Really good article on some of the things that Smartglass will bring to the table.  I know not a lot of people really know much about it so I figured this article would shed some light on it.

Second screen support is smashing stuff

URL blocked at work :'(

I've been keeping up on it though, smartglass would be nice to see FINALLY implemented well.

AtrumX wrote:URL blocked at work :'(

I've been keeping up on it though, smartglass would be nice to see FINALLY implemented well.

Hmm, I'll do my best to copy/paste the wording...


1. More ambitious multiplayer games


The Xbox 360 is able to support a SmartGlass connection with up to four devices via 3G and wireless. Xbox One, by contrast, will support up to 16 SmartGlass connections on a single unit. So now, theoretically, you can draft in your flatmates, your neighbours and the pizza delivery guy to engage in some touch-screen multiplayer, or even boost you through a particularly tough section of a console game.
The new SmartGlass will also be able to read local hardware inputs in touch devices, such as accelerometers and touchpads, meaning developers will be able to dream up more ways for you to interact with your games. Specialised apps currently being developed by the likes of Ubisoft also allow you to join mates playing console multiplayer via a tablet while riding the bus, on holiday, or wherever else in the world you might be.


2. Developers and publishers see the potential


Ubisoft and EA have both spoken out recently in enthusiastic support of more involved second-screen integration on next gen platforms. Ubisoft, which currently has four games in development that will offer 'significant' companion apps, have said that console-to-mobile play could become the norm next gen, while EA has declared that the next wave of mobiles and tablets will rival current gen console graphical capabilities. As a consequence, both EA and Ubisoft along with the likes of Kojima Productions and Robert Bowling's new studio Robotoki are piling a tremendous amount of time and money into substantial second-screen content.


3. View your homemade gameplay videos anywhere


According to early reports from the likes of Engadget, the new rendition of SmartGlass will be able to store and access video clips recorded via the Xbox One's built-in DVR. So, if you're down the pub swapping stories, and your mates don't believe you've completed that near-impossible stealth section without alerting a single soul, or that you made that match-winning shot with one second left on the clock, you can simply whip out your tablet or phone and show them the indisputable evidence.


4. It'll completely do away with matchmaking lobbies


The new and improved Xbox One SmartGlass is capable of handling all your matchmaking for you, meaning that you'll never again have to wait around twiddling your thumbs in a boring old lobby as the game rounds up other players. The new Smart Match feature will let you create a queue of multiplayer matches remotely while you carry on watching telly, listening to music or finishing up the game in question's single player campaign. SmartGlass is surely worth a free download for this handy feature alone (although if you want to keep everything on the big screen, it's also possible to use this feature from an app you can leave running in the background).


5. It allows your friends and family to engage in more casual co-op


SmartGlass, in its current incarnation, is probably at its most helpful when you're using it as a remote to browse TV, music or movies. It's slightly more difficult to make use of the service's functions when you're in the middle of a game like Call of Duty. To make full use of that second screen functionality, the answer is simple - procure extra hands. Get a willing friend or family member to help you out, with one person on the console and another on SmartGlass in a more casual, supporting role.
In Dead Rising 3, for example, the app can be used to call in airstrikes, drones or other zombie distractions. You can also use it to locate points of interest in and around Los Perdidos on your map, should you need to. Using SmartGlass unlocks exclusive Dead Rising 3 missions, completion of which unlocks other exclusive features within the SmartGlass program. So, you get rewards, and your mum gets to feel useful while bombing scores of undead. Everybody wins.


6. Easier chat functionality via touch-typing could help MMOs


One of the biggest obstacles that stands between MMOs and consoles is a shortage of input options, limiting necessary features like chat functionality and customised hot-key binding. The ability to use touchscreen typing via SmartGlass is already helpful when composing lengthy Live messages at home, but with a little tweaking it could also help make MMOs like the upcomingElder Scrolls Online fit more comfortably on Xbox. SmartGlass integration could also take on some of the more fiddly functions in MMO and RPG games, like inventory management and raid/instance queuing and group assembly. Goodbye forever, LFG/LFM spammers.


7. Set up and record a livestream without pausing or leaving your game


During the Killer Instinct gameplay demo at the Xbox E3 media briefing, we saw how SmartGlass could be used to launch a livestream via the new Twitch TV integration on Xbox Live and the built-in DVR recording on Xbox One. Using your tablet or Kinect, there's no need to pause your game to set-up the stream - you can simply select from a couple of pre-set options and instantly broadcast live to your followers. Great if you're on the winning end, not so good if you're receiving a very public thrashing.


8. It will offer more cross-platform companion content


Like the current iteration of SmartGlass, the next edition of the app will offer tailor-made companion content for participating TV shows. But while SmartGlass-TV crossover has been fairly passive so far - while watching Game of Thrones, for instance, you can access a map showing you where in Westeros each conversation takes place - next generation companion content has the potential to be more involved, as we'll see more TV-game crossover in general. Additional apps won't just be an afterthought - they'll give the developers of trans-media projects like Quantum Break and the Halo TV show the chance to deepen player engagement across all platforms, and offer more experimental out-of-game experiences.


9. It's always a bonus, never a necessity


One of the best things about SmartGlass functionality and second-screen support at large is that it remains an entirely optional addition. Instead of forcing all kinds of extra functions on players who just aren't interested, game developers will find ways to enrich the console experience, without diminishing the main game in any way. If you don't see yourself ever using SmartGlass, you simply don't have to download it. It's possible, of course, that developers might not feel obliged to create content for SmartGlass given that they can't guarantee players will use the app. But that's preferable to being forced to bring your phone to the party.

Sound cool and I can see if being fun to use. I hope more games use it especially games that your character uses a pda or map. It would be nice to be able to bring up the map plot your path and see objectives from instead of having to do that in game all the time you could do all that while at the load screen or during dialog points

Shweet. Thanks Husker [ZOMG YOU"RE SUCH A XBOXORZ FANBOI!!!11!!!111111] lol

Looks awesome, that's partially why I switched to Windows Phone with the Lumia 920 - getting the best Smartglass integration. Smartglass has been lame so far but I was hoping they'd make big improvements.

Yeah, I only currently use Smartglass to check my friends list and occasionally send a mass message.  It is a little better on the tablet but still mostly useless right now.

Yeah, I was very annoyed that it never worked on my phone with Game of Thrones. After endless searching and testing I found out GoT only worked on Tablets. -_-

Sounds cool as long as I don't have to download a sh1t ton of content for each game on my tablet or phone.
I use smart glass now like Zak said to check my friends list send out messages.

S7 OC wrote:Sounds cool as long as I don't have to download a sh1t ton of content for each game on my tablet or phone.
I use smart glass now like Zak said to check my friends list send out messages.  

Same here. It would be nice to see features like a mini map or objective list without having to pause your game.