Phone-to-Console Gaming Coming to Windows Phone 7
Following the recent release of Xbox Live titles that will work on Windows Phone 7 devices comes the news that Microsoft is also working on a way to allow users to play their console games through their phone from anywhere.
The revelation comes Microsoft's X10 even in Toronto where a rep confirmed in an interview that Microsoft wants to make this possible.
"So initially we're turn by turn-based," the rep said. "We are working on real-time phone-to-console, likely initially through Wi-Fi – again, operator networks are sensitive to that. That's not on day one; day one will be turn-by-turn as well as companion-type gaming where you play a level on the phone and it may unlock a level or a weapon or some special achievement on the console game. But, uh yeah – absolutely working on phone-to-console real-time. That is something we're working on and expect to have in the near future."
The rep also mentions that the same thing would be possible for PC games, though it would still use the Xbox Live infrastructure.
You can see the full interview above but fair warning: It's long. Around the 10:30 mark is where things get good.
This idea has been tossed around for quite some time, driven most recently by the popularity of gaming apps for smartphones.
Gaming apps are limited by the processing power of the phone, whereas a game piped through an internet connection to a phone, with the console doing all the work, would be a great way to game on the go. Sony has toyed with the concept, with limited success, but with Windows Phone 7 planned to arrive on a wide variety of phones, Microsoft just might have a broad enough base to make this viable.
