Porting Xbox Live Arcade games to Windows Phone 7 may be as simple as adding four lines of code.
Consumers looking forward to the new Windows Phone 7 will be in for a treat when it finally hits the market. According to Oded Ran, head of Consumer Marketing for Windows Phone, all games loaded on Xbox Live Arcade may be playable on the mobile OS. That's over 300 titles including Doom, Duke Nukem 3D, Marathon, Portal: Still Alive, Serious Sam HD, and more.
"Just four lines of code changed an Xbox Live Arcade game to a Windows Phone 7 game in a recent publisher test," Ran said during a roundtable briefing in London. Does that seem likely given that these games are configured to work with an Xbox 360 controller? Will games only need four lines of additional code in order to work on a smartphone?
According to Ran, Microsoft is currently working with publishers and developers to port the Arcade games over to the mobile platform. But there was also no indication that the games would be available at launch, or if Microsoft planned to release only specific titles--we imagine certain game availability would (obviously) depend on the smartphone's hardware.
At one time there were rumors that Microsoft was working on a handheld Xbox system. Is it possible the rumors could have been pointing at Windows Phone 7, and its ability to play games off Xbox Live Arcade, the whole time?
Cuz Battlefield 1943 is on XBLA, and I'd like to see that running on the phone.
If so... bye bye Android... we had a GREAT run, but it's not you, it's me. I like games.
Now if the ported games allow me to download for free if I own the same Xbox 360 Arcade game then I'd be quiet pleased with this feature.
As it stands it's a rapid development method for ensure lots of competition to the iPhone and Android App Stores.
The potential is awesome, though!
Um, just because. My motorola Droid hangs up with all the trashware on the Marketplace. This will be the first time I get a new phone before my contract is up. Sorry google some QC would of made me stay, but everytime I listen to slacker radio I get through about 4 songs then need to reboot my phone.... Lame
I agree. In theory, the games will work in WP7 with few extra codes. However it does not mean the interface/UI of the game can just jump from XBOX gamepad to touch screen control flawless.
While it will be easier than completely rewriting the game code, the programers still need to work on the UI to make it touchscreen friendly.
It really sucks, but I think Microsoft has made a huge mistake in overlooking the Zune HD like this, a device that isn't even a year old. I can't imagine what would've happened if similar actions were taken against the Moto Droid (people would probably think twice before buying the Droid 2).
I don't know, they could potentially do it well. Maybe by making areas at the bottom corners of the screen touch controls for the two joysticks, though as far as the rest of the buttons would go, that is a good question.
If they put R and L buttons (or multifunction buttons that could be used like them) to act as triggers it could work. It would be kind of weird to have buttons located on the top and bottom on the right hand side of the phone though.
Zune HD and other "portable media players" have become obsolete. Smartphones can handle audio, HD Video, games, and many other things easily. Some of them can even make phone calls. Microsoft saw the quickly increasing smartphone market and changed focus. Most MP3/MP4 players have not been getting support as of late, they aren't useful anymore. There's still a market for cheap and durable MP3 players, as many people don't want to risk breaking an expensive phone while working/jogging, but the higher end models are being phased out. People want one device that can do everything for them now, not several that serve a special function.
Also it would be good if you can hook the phone up to your 360 and get the game from there rather than using your 3G connection due to download caps.