Microsoft Names Windows Phone 7 as Its Mobile Gaming Platform

Logan Westbrook

Transform, Roll Out, Etc
Feb 21, 2008
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Microsoft Names Windows Phone 7 as Its Mobile Gaming Platform

The platform holder says it is taking games content very seriously, and has top flight developers working on it.

Microsoft has elected to take a rather non-standard route into the world of handheld gaming. Rather than create a dedicated, portable console like the PSP or DS, it's treating it more like PC gaming and has made a software platform - specifically the Windows Phone 7 platform - its mobile gaming solution.

Much like Google's Android OS, WP7 is available on a variety of different phones. Microsoft has set a minimum hardware requirement, however, in order to ensure a base level of performance across all handsets. Of course, these minimum requirements aren't fixed in stone for all time, and Kevin Unangst, Microsoft's head of mobile and PC gaming, said the company would periodically review them, and adjust them if necessary.

Unangst said that Microsoft was taking the platform very seriously from a games point of view, and that its triple A developers were working on content for the platform. Microsoft has also been able to convince the likes of EA and PopCap to develop for WP7, and hopes to add games like Epic's Infinity Blade to the library in the future. WP7 currently has around 60 Xbox Live enabled games in its marketplace, and nearly 6,000 apps in total.

I doubt that Microsoft is expecting people to rush out and buy a WP7 phone just to play games on. It seems a lot more likely that this is an effort to generate more excitement about its new phone platform - which is still only a few months old - among the gamer demographic. Whether or not it will actually work remains to be seen, although Microsoft is claiming that 1.5 million WP7 handsets have been sold since the platforms' launch.

Source: Kotaku [http://kotaku.com/5730581/microsofts-answer-to-portable-gaming-is-windows-phone-7]












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Virgil

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Jun 13, 2002
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I've been decently impressed with the games available on the platform so far, particularly some of the Microsoft Game Studios titles. Sure, some of them are just ported iPhone titles, but they're definitely making an effort to get some quality games out there.
 

HentMas

The Loneliest Jedi
Apr 17, 2009
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I... kind of liked that...

now for the PS PHONE!!

i wonder how many phones i´ll have to buy to "catch em all"... i mean, have the whole consoles in my power... or something less evil.
 
Jul 22, 2009
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I don't own one but I did see someone using one a few weeks ago.

Damn I was actually quite impressed... maybe if I get a job I'll save up for one.
 

Rad Party God

Party like it's 2010!
Feb 23, 2010
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Meh, so much to play games on a phone, I still like my DS and I'm eagerly waiting for the 3DS and the unevitable PSP2. (fuck the PS Phone)
 

Crazie_Guy

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Mar 8, 2009
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Well, this is disappointing, if it means we'll never see a proper handheld from Microsoft. Not that a (3)DS and a PSP(2) aren't enough.
 

Crazie_Guy

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Mar 8, 2009
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psrdirector said:
Crazie_Guy said:
Well, this is disappointing, if it means we'll never see a proper handheld from Microsoft. Not that a (3)DS and a PSP(2) aren't enough.
do we really need a xbox handheld? i think two is more then enough
Quite enough, yes. But more is always better!
 

Kenjitsuka

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Sep 10, 2009
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"Unangst said that Microsoft was taking the platform very seriously from a games point of view, and that its triple A developers were working on content for the platform. "

Really, Microsoft? You are taking it very seriously by simply naming your existing mobile operating system your mobile gaming initiative/platform. I will believe it when I see actual followthrough.

Games for Windows, cough, cough...
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/experienced-points/8365-Experienced-Points-Games-for-Windows-FAIL
 

theriddlen

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Apr 6, 2010
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iPhone is so popular because of apps. And you tell me that it is wrong expecting people to want to have other great phone with this feature. Do you want to create misinformation between your fellow squishy humans?
 

Danpascooch

Zombie Specialist
Apr 16, 2009
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I salute them for trying this.

I think they will fail....but still, proud of them for trying. It's about time somebody got serious about mobile phone development, enough of this "doodle" crap.
 

glenbruton

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Mar 5, 2010
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My wife bought a WP7 and its surprisingly good. The games are more costly but its worth it for non crap. Some are great, Ilo Milo is a must buy .
If WP7 fails it'll still have been a good product.

I have android btw .
 

Sebenko

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Dec 23, 2008
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Nah, I ditched it when I saw the interface. I'm not a fan of minimalism, and I don't want to use Zune software to connect it to my PC.

Give me ornate interfaces and the option of disk drive-type behaviour every time.