Microsoft
has updated its My Xbox Live application, and now Android users can
access their Xbox Live games, friends, and achievements, from anywhere.
iOS users also received an update, adding the ability to use their
phones to remotely control the Xbox 360, a feature that is expected to
come to Android phones in the future. With My Xbox Live, Android users
can enjoy a fully-featured Xbox Live client, as well as one of the best
looking applications on the platform, as it does a great job of
replicating the "metro" look of Windows Phone 7.
Much like Microsoft's upcoming Smart Glass technology, My Xbox Live is
going cross-platform, giving Xbox access to more users around the globe.
My Xbox Live allows you to do just about everything you can from the
Xbox console dashboard besides playing actual games, a feature that is
still a Windows Phone 7 exclusive.
After signing into Xbox Live, the application is divided into three
segments, Spotlight, Social, and Games. Spotlight is where you'll find
video content such as game previews and developer interviews. Social is
probably the most useful area of the application, where you can view and
make changes to your Xbox Avatar, as well as message friends and see
what games everyone is playing. The Games section of My Xbox Live will
display a list of all the games in your library, as well as detailed
achievement lists for each title.
My Xbox Live is a useful app for gamers, but Microsoft didn't stop
there, packing in all sorts of little extras that make the experience a
more memorable one. For instance, your Xbox Avatar is fully animated in
3D, and reacts to touch and motion - if you shake the phone violently,
your avatar will stumble and fall, and will only get back up if you
shake him or her awake. There's also tons of content in the spotlight
section, and video playback is smooth, even over a 3G connection. As
previously stated, the entire experience mimics that of a Windows Phone 7
app, so it feels as if you're getting the full Xbox experience, rather
than a watered-down port.
While iPad users received retina support for My Xbox Live, iPhone users
gained the ability to use their phone's touchscreen as a wireless Xbox
controller, meaning they can fully navigate the Xbox, even if they don't
have an Xbox controller near by. iPhone control is a welcome feature,
but it is far more useful for basic navigation and accessing video
services like Netflix, rather than actual gaming. It is expected that
Microsoft will add remote control functionality to the Android version
in a future update.
My Xbox Live is free to download and available now.
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