Another supposed leak out of Redmond this morning where it seems Examiner.com got some insider information, and it’s one of the biggest yet.
According to a report from Nicholas Gigante, the article’s author, Microsoft is poised to unveil “Smart Glass” to the world at E3 via some behind-closed-doors meetings that we can only hope to be a part of.
What the technology does is very similar to Apple’s AirPlay streaming tech, which lets you stream content between your iOS device and your computer and television. With Smart Glass, the idea is similar, but it adds a few key features that could really blow the tech wide open.
- Users will be able to control their Xbox 360 remotely. Whether this is like Location-free TV streaming over the web or it means remotely on the same WiFi network, we’re intrigued.
- Applications will be accessible via streaming in addition to video and Xbox first-party content.
The big question is this: will we be able to play our Xbox games via the streaming technology? If we lay down with our iPad or laptop in bed, and our Xbox 360 and a copy of Halo 4 is sitting in the next room – or better, halfway across the city at our parent’s house – can we actually load up a game and start playing? Part of us says no infrastructure capabilities will be added because the controller’s wireless frequency will only give us about a hundred foot range, but there’s nothing stopping Microsoft from letting you use the tech on the same WiFi network.
Microsoft is also said to be working on a tablet specifically for this technology, although whether it is just for demonstration purposes remains to be seen. So far, we know that the technology, should this all not turn out to be one massive hoax, will be compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows Phone devices, as well as laptop and desktop computers.
It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out, and if we will actually get our location-free gaming on, because it could certainly be a way for Microsoft to turn the tide in their favour. Of course, this might also be the closest we get to a portable Xbox if Microsoft is indeed going to stay console-centric for the time being.