SmartGlass for Xbox One will be a new app, coming later this year to Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8

By Sam Sabri
last updated

SmartGlass was unveiled during Microsoft’s 2012 E3 presentation in Los Angeles. The service allows users to connect to their Xbox 360 in a variety of ways through their smartphones, tablets, and PCs. However, it was introduced late into the Xbox 360's lifecycle, something that impacted performance and features.

The Xbox One has been built with SmartGlass in mind, so we can expect a lot of improvements not just in performance, but new features to take advantage of the platform. Here’s what we can look forward to.

Ron Pessner is a general manager on Xbox Live and also happens to lead the engineering team responsible for the new SmartGlass. He recently sat down with Xbox Wire to reveal some details about the upcoming changes and additions to SmartGlass. Here are some of the exciting changes coming:

  • Xbox One SmartGlass will be a separate app from the Xbox 360 version.
  • Xbox One SmartGlass will be available for Windows 8, Windows Phone, Android, and iOS devices later this holiday
  • Connection, speed and performance are 3.5x faster on Xbox One vs. Xbox 360
  • Up to 16 SmartGlass devices can be connected to a single Xbox One
  • Xbox One Smartglass will now connect directly to Xbox One via Wi-Fi or LAN connection
  • Developers can offer Game Help for games through SmartGlass

The article on Xbox Wire goes into more details on the new SmartGlass experience coming this fall. It’s worth reading and the link is below, but we’ll highlight a few of the more interesting features. For example, when you’re away from your Xbox One that SmartGlass app can function as the dashboard. Here you’ll be able to see what your friends are playing, pin games to your home, and much more. While it doesn’t explicitly say this in the post, it’s not hard to imagine a world where you’ll download games to your Xbox One from the SmartGlass app when you’re not home.

What do you think of some of the upcoming changes to SmartGlass and the Xbox One?

Source: Xbox Wire (opens in new tab)

Sam Sabri
Sam Sabri
58 Comments
  • No Blackberry
  • Can't BlackBerry run some Android apps? Either way, I guess even Microsoft needs to make sure there's an ROI when developing some apps. 
  • I think they can run them through some long process if the apps are made for older android devices like 2.3, but I was just thinking that since they've got Skype everywhere, they'd do the same for smartglass
  • Duh?
  • That's what Google said. ;)
  • BB left WP out of the BBM development, so glass for them. :)
  • MS Wants BB to die so they can buy it.
  • Why would you want to buy something that's dead❔
  • Patents, especially for businesses
  • More likely for services as well, but not dead services... It was more of a smart ass reply of mine.. More rhetorical..
  • I buy dead stuff all the time, it's delicious.
  • Blackberry the only animal thats alive when you kill it
  • Meat is murder
  • I love meat...
  • :p
  • Tasty, tasty murder!
  • Hopefully they update the 360 version too. It kinda sucks
  • It works OK for me, problem is the lack of things that actually support it.
  • I just want to know if I will be able to control XBM on my W8 laptop from my phone.. Anyone got any idea about this❔
  • Yeah it says Forza Horizon has smartglass features and yet nothing happens on my WP8??
  • Forza Horizon does have a SmartGlass integration.
    Just that it works with Windows 8 only. If you connect Win8 SmartGlass while playing Forza, it would show you a nice GPS-like map of the game. You can set waypoints, etc. Its pretty cool.
  • Later this year. Lol
  • What's so funny❔
  • I have to agree here. I expected more from SG and hope me can show some love to the 360 one.
  • Excited to see what I can do with my smartglass. I read an article about using smartglass with watchdogs allows you to attack another gamer by taking control of the city.
    Edit: it was a watchdog app not SmartGlass
  • Xbox can beat PS4 with having remote play capabilities.
  • Xbox One beat PS4 the day it was announced
  • Hopefully the RT version supports all features.
  • If it comes to iOS and Android before WP, I will literally take my WP, walk to a Microsoft Store, put the phone on the ground and light it on fire with some gasoline. Dramatic, yes..but completely justified.
  • Exactly dude. Will even do same thing if it goes to android and ios before Windows Phone 7.8......yeah WP7.8.
  • Lets not get crazy
  • Maybe Microsoft puts things on iOS and Android first so that they can be the guinea pigs to ensure that the WP community get things that work. Just saying.
  • Will it give me the option to turn my Xbox on?
  • Just speak. Kinect will do that
  • I suspect it will, at least for music streaming reasons... and will be on and streaming within seconds to boot. That Xbox 360 doesn't is a major limitation vs. every other music streaming device (even the original Airport Express.) The design of the One appears to be such that they can correct this (direct WLAN connectivity, low power standby.) I don't think you'll have to say anything at all to use Smartglass, the One will just turn on when Smartglass is used.
  • I hope your right, as I don't plan on talking to my Xbox more then I have to. Your also correct about it being a huge limitation on 360.
  • I would like to see some family games that take advantage of this. We have 5 Lumia's in our family which could be used as kind of Wii-U controllers that display player specific information.
  • Support OTA so I can justify the purchase.
  • Will it connect via Bluetooth or WiFi?
  • WiFi direct, says in article.
  • Now to my next question! Can and will it support Bluetooth connectivity?
  • Will the app come out for WP7.8?
  • I'd kill to have screen mirroring capability ala chromecast. Might get a ton of people to use Internet Explorer again...
  • exactly what i have been saying since smartglass first released... it should definitely have screen mirroring support it only makes sense. I think Windows Phone exclusive feature of screen mirroring would be an awesome way to increase sales of windows phones :P
  • Still not getting it ps4 still seems like the better choice
  • Really exciting news!
  • Maybe not again!!! That smart glass app will not be available in the Philippines when even Xbox one will be released to our markets.
  • Micro$oft has no love for the Philippines! Xbox360 users cannot do multiplayer, avail Xbox live features, avail the smart glass app and many more!
  • sayang
  • Tight, tight, tight! Yeah!
  • It is a little bit slow re-starting when I unlock the phone. So I'm glad to read it's going to be over 3x faster.
  • It better be out by the 22nd of Nov, I've got some zombies that need bombing. :D
  • Honeslty I am the same way this better be out either before or on the day of xbox one launch
  • Why couldn't they call it Smartass
  • They'll be sued by google. They patented it. :p
  • I hope a lot of developers will start to use smartglass to implement some form of achievement tracking!
  • I do believe all games will have achievement tracking built in (as in the os now say the achievement is for gettign 500 kills with a specific weapon) there is a built in counter you can refer to
  • Will the new app support the TV fuctions on Xbox One? Like can it be used as a TV remote control?