Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Series Bridges The Gap Between The Computer And TV

One of the biggest parts of Microsoft's keynote back in Barcelona, during Mobile World Congress, was the fact that Windows Phone 7 Series would finally do what everyone had been wishing for: integrate Xbox LIVE. They did show a couple screens of the hubs and subsequent tiles, and what it would all look like by the time this holiday season rolls around, but we were missing the most important part. We needed to see it in action. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that time has come. But, what we've been presented with has taken things to a whole new level.

The common assumption was that arcade games would just work on the 7 Series devices. You'd be able to shop from the same Marketplace, and you'd have your Gamerscore updated as you accomplished the necessary Achievements. All the standard material. But, as Eric Rudder showcases here at the TechEd Middle East conference, it goes beyond that. He shows us that he starts an arcade-style game, based on the popular fiction character Indiana Jones, from his computer. But then he tells us that when he needs to leave work, he can move the game (which has saved his level (approximately)) to his 7 Series device and play it on the bus on the way home.

Here's the kicker though. Let's say you love this Indiana Jones arcade game, and when you get home you wish you could just pick up where you left off, but on your big screen. That's exactly what happens. Rudder then shows the same game, saved from your last save point, and playing on the Xbox 360. Seamless. Frankly, it just works. The fact that the XNA, Silverlight, and .NET framework all come into play here is paramount, and this video shows us that games are about to change in a big way.

[via Windows-Phone]