Windows Phone 7 and Xbox Live: What Features Do You Want?

One of the most fascinating aspects of the upcoming Windows Phone 7 is its connectivity with Xbox Live. Way back in Coffee Talk #86 I told you a bit about Windows Phone 7’s game hub. Here’s the official word from Microsoft, just in case you need a refresher:

This hub delivers the first and only official Xbox Live experience on a phone, including Xbox Live games, Spotlight feed and the ability to see a gamer’s avatar, Achievements and gamer profile. With more than 23 million active members around the world, Xbox Live unlocks a world of friends, games and entertainment on Xbox 360, and now also on Windows Phone 7 Series.

The games hub is a potentially cool way for Windows Phone 7 to differentiate itself from Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android, and Palm’s WebOS. If you think of Xbox Live as a social network, Microsoft already has millions of customers to draw from. That said, I’m not sure about Windows Phone 7’s timing — perhaps it’s too late. Let’s not focus on that right now. Let’s think about it in terms of gaming.

I’d like to know what features you’d like to see in Windows Phone 7’s game hub. What would enhance your Xbox Live experience? Any predictions on any connectivity features Microsoft will announced at its E3 2010 press conference? Do you think Windows Phone 7 will have a portion of the presser? Remember, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s future supposedly rests on the future of the company’s mobile products. Perhaps he’ll nudge the games team to highlight the WP7 games hub.

Author: RPadTV

https://rpad.tv

11 thoughts on “Windows Phone 7 and Xbox Live: What Features Do You Want?”

  1. i think it would be pretty sweet if you are able to play some of your xbox live arcade games on your zune or win7 phone.

  2. I am hoping for similar functionality that the PSP to PS3 gives you. Where you can start up your 360 and browse new titles and get them downloading, make purchases, have mini games that you can play on both the Phone and Console. Able to stream stuff from your PC via your 360 via your phone. Basically copy Sony but in a phone.

  4. Ok, seriously though, I've always wanted a feature on your mobile phone where you could connect to Xbox live and see the games that people on your friends list are playing. And before you say, "It already does that", what I mean is going into an app on your phone to sign into XBL, then clicking on one of your friends on your friends list and actually going into the game as an observer.

    For example, if N8 and Mr. Padilla are playing a game of Scrabble, I would be able to use my phone to sign into XBL and actually watch their game in real time (or as close to real time as possible). If Bsukenyan and Big Blak were playing Left 4 Dead 2 in co-op, I would be able to sign in and check out their game from either their first-person perspective or as a free roaming camera. The player would have the option of turning this spectator mode on or off, of course. This would be cool, because even when I can't play the games with my friends, I can watch them play the game.

    I wonder what it would take to do this besides massive amounts of additional programming. I mean, I know the technology to do this exists.

    -M

  5. I foresee a functionality like the Blizzard app for Iphone. It let's me view all of my characters, find upgraded loot for them, view friends and what they're doing, and let's me use the auction house remotely. Once remote AH is out of beta though I won't be able to do anything but check my own auctions and window shop unless I pay a fee. I could see MS charging for Live on a phone.

  6. This is one of the big reasons why the Windows Mobile 7 phones have been a huge option for me in my search for my next phone. On the gaming hub I would love to see an exclusive mobile only channel and also the ability to play 1 vs 100 through my phone when it is in season.

    @Tokz

    That was one of the rumors I heard before, that you would be able to play some games on the phone and transfer them to the xbox, and vice versa, so that you can play on the go. Hopefully it will come true.

  8. @Tokz

    As bad as some people might think it is, that rumor is one part of why I have kept up interest in the Windows Mobile 7 OS. I think it is a really cool concept. I have actually said before that they should have done something like this to help market the Zune against the iPod touch a long time ago. If they would have had that option before on a Zune I probably would never have even considered getting my iPod touch.

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