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    Xbox 360 Tech-savvy: four Xbox 360 updates that will change everything

    Screw waiting around for next generation consoles - thanks to a steady stream of software updates, the humble old Xbox 360 is practically a different machine to the one that launched in 2005, and the most dramatic changes of all are planned for later this year. Here's what we're most looking forward to.

    SmartGlass
    Available: Autumn

    Trying to find a piece of mobile technology that doesn't have a shiny black touchscreen covering at least one of its faces is becoming increasingly difficult. So while Nintendo is busy building its own bespoke controller for the Wii U, Microsoft has opted to take advantage of the touchscreen devices you already have in your living room, your pocket and occasionally your bathroom. SmartGlass is an app, rather than new hardware, and one that will work with Apple, Android and Windows Mobile devices, including the new Surface Tablets that Microsoft unveiled earlier this year.



    At its most basic level, it works as a convenient remote control for the Xbox Dashboard, allowing you to swipe through the various tabs using your phone. Text can be entered just as easily using the phone's on-screen keyboard, and it's particularly useful when you're browsing websites using Internet Explorer 9. There's also the option to 'throw' Zune movies between tablet and console, meaning you could begin watching a film on the bus and, when you arrive home, continue watching on your television.

    Where SmartGlass becomes more interesting is when it's interacting directly with the content itself. Similar to the Kinect mandate, expect all first-party games from Microsoft to boast some kind of SmartGlass functionality. Halo 4's likely to be the biggest early proponent, with a live-updated version of Halo Waypoint ticking away on your tablet as you play through the campaign. Make it to the crashed USC Infinity, for example, and a wealth of additional information, including nifty technical schematics, is unlocked in Waypoint.

    It's not just single-player that will benefit. You'll receive invitations to online games direct to the mobile device, and be able to join them simply by tapping the notification. Progress in single-player is automatically saved and you're taken to your Slayer match.

    In Dance Central 3 songs can be cued up ahead of time on the mobile device, meaning there's no lengthy wait in between tunes as people select their next track. Madden would allow you not only to choose and modify plays using the touchscreen, but also hike and throw the ball by dragging and releasing like in Angry Birds. Microsoft's Marc Whitten, vice president of Xbox Live, has also already suggested a version of Uno that will finally support local play, allowing each player to hide their hand on a separate screen.



    In addition to games, Microsoft wants interactivity delivered during more passive entertainment as well. Watch a film on Zune and, depending on which scene is playing, you'll be presented with details on the cast, trivia and background information as standard. In some cases there'll be more bespoke features. The Game of Thrones TV series was used as an example, with a map of Westeros showing where scenes were playing out in the show's world.

    As a free addition to the Xbox Live Gold offering, which is likely how it'll be presented, it's brilliant, requiring no new hardware if you already own a tablet or smartphone. Up to four devices can be connected at once and they'll all live-update to reflect what you're up to, even if you're not directly using that particular device at the time. Less well publicised is the fact that SmartGlass will also retain some functionality even when you're away from your console. In an ideal world, this would allow you to tweak loadouts, customise items or earn XP for games. Of all the tech updates coming to Xbox 360, this is the one that has the greatest potential.

    Kinect PlayFit
    Available: now

    You might have noticed in the last Dashboard update the covert inclusion of a new entry on the profile section of your Xbox's settings menu. It says 'Manage Exercise Info' and allows you to enter details about your age, gender, height and weight. The idea is that Kinect games can use this data to better analyse how many calories you're burning as you play the more active motion-control titles.

    This information flows into a new app called Kinect PlayFit, which is available to download free from the 'Games' section of the App Marketplace. This aggregates your fitness accomplishments across games such as Dance Central 2, Kinect Star Wars and YourShape Fitness Evolved, will compare them to the PlayFit community at large and will even dish out Achievements, Gamerscore and Avatar awards as you reach calorie-busting milestones.


    Expect this to integrate with Nike+ Kinect Training, which was unveiled at E3 and integrate with Nike's new FuelBand system. If the FuelBand allows you to combine exercise away from your Xbox with calories burnt in Kinect and earn you Gamerscore, we might just be tempted to start working those atrophied limbs.

    Internet Explorer 9
    Available: Autumn

    Long-requested by the Xbox 360 community, this autumn's Dashboard update will finally bring an internet browser to the system. The internet browser in question is, naturally, Microsoft's own Internet Explorer 9. In addition to SmartGlass control, there'll be Kinect voice command and gesture support. Saying "Xbox, Web Hub", for example, fires up the browser, presenting you with a convenient list of your favourite sites, and then simply by saying the clearly displayed name of the bookmark or selecting it using the Kinect-controlled cursor, Internet Explorer 9 will take you to the site itself. The browser will work with the Xbox 360 control pad as well, but apparently it's very much geared towards Kinect and SmartGlass.

    Cross-platform play
    Available: Autumn

    Wondering what happened to 17-Bit's stylish indie strategy game Skulls of the Shogun? It's still in progress, and looking more polished than ever, but it's been delayed until the autumn in order to integrate the next stage in Xbox 360's cloud technology. In line with Xbox's expansion onto Windows 8 and increasing numbers of Windows Phones in circulation, the cloud save system, which is currently only practical if you have more than one console, is expanding to encompass Xbox 360, PC and mobile devices. In Skulls of the Shogun's case, the campaign is identical across all platforms, so you can start playing the game at home on your Xbox 360 and finish on your laptop at work or, better yet, on your phone from the beach.



    The associated update to Xbox Live has wide-ranging implications for multiplayer as well. With Skulls of the Shogun's 'Skulls Anywhere' mode you can play the turn-based game by sending your movements back and forth between players even if they're not online at the time or playing on the same platform as you. Live has been tuned to deliver notifications every time your opponent has taken their turn. For an XBLA game, which has potentially a much smaller userbase online at a time, it's a perfect way to ensure multiplayer still works.

    Source
    Have you joined the DF discord server. https://discord.com/invite/YajVGQxDaw

    Thanks to Teajunkie

    ap0c (6th September 2012)  


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