Live Anywhere News and Screens

[Jack Random]

Over at the TeamXbox (http://www.teamxbox.com) forums, someone got their hands on some excellent shots of Live Anywhere in action as well as some tasty details!

You can queue Downloads from your mobile phone and your 360 will download them while you are away! Check out the clan messages etc.

The goods are right here (http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=450464)

I was a bit apathetic on Live Anywhere until now...

[bapenguin]

Like I don't already spend enough time on Live. Fuck.

[fitbabits]

Holy shit, that looks sweet!

[jacktion]

I don't get it. What is so great about this? How often are you really going to be starting downloads for Live on your phone? I am honestly asking. Is this useful or just something we can point to and go "look how cool!"

[Rarely Operable Brain]

I don't get it. What is so great about this? How often are you really going to be starting downloads for Live on your phone? I am honestly asking. Is this useful or just something we can point to and go "look how cool!"

When I know a new demo, etc. has been released, and I'm not going to have much time play it when I get home from work, the ability to start the download from my phone would be great. As I find out about new content during the day, I can have it waiting for me when I get home. If you regularly download material from Live, I think it's very useful.

[bapenguin]

I don't get it. What is so great about this? How often are you really going to be starting downloads for Live on your phone? I am honestly asking. Is this useful or just something we can point to and go "look how cool!"

I'm sure you'll be able to kick them off from your PC as well. All those people that work and see a demo has been released will be able to queue it up and kick it off so by the time they get home it's sitting there wiating for them.

Hell I do that now with Remote Desktop and my home PC for PC Demos.

[CaptStu]

But, how good is it to leave your 360 on all day and/or night? It's not like the demo or whatever will load to a turned-off console.

[bapenguin]

But, how good is it to leave your 360 on all day and/or night? It's not like the demo or whatever will load to a turned-off console.

I've got a few devs on my friends list and their 360 is on at least 12 hours a day. As long as it's not playing any games it goes into a semi-sleep state after inactivity.

[antoniogaud]

But, how good is it to leave your 360 on all day and/or night? It's not like the demo or whatever will load to a turned-off console.

Do you have to leave on your X360? i would think that it is very simple to activate it remotely. I don't think Microsoft is asking for us to keep the power-hungry machine on all day.

At any rate, Microsoft is using Live as a PS killer - and on a majority of us - it is working! If PS3 doesnt have an Xbox Live equivalent, it will suffer mucho grande.

[Siraris]

This seems very gimicky to me. I don't know anyone who owns a Windows Smartphone or PDA running windows. I know they are out there, but it's not a commonplace device. I know a few people with Treo's, but you can't run Live Anywhere on a Palm device.

I just don't see the cool factor in this. If someone wants to download a demo or send messages they can do it when they get home. I feel like if someone needs to be in constant contact with their 360, they might need to seek some help at that gaming clinic in Amsterdam. There's a big difference between having a blackberry to get important business emails, and having a smartphone so you can find out when the next game of Burnout is.

[taxial]

Nice, I agree with some of ideas here, I think I a hibernate ability in the X360 Dashboard would be useful for this. I could shut my console down to like extra lite mode (99% off) but then activate it remotely from my Cell to participate in whatever I wanted to do - and then hibernate it again if I felt like I wanted to - not that MS is listening to forum requests...but it would make this feature a lot more worth while - as I'm not too crazy about leaving my X360 on 24/7

[Ridlin]

Nah it's cool. Those screen are from the E3 press conference (at least that's what they look like to me). Live anywhere also lets you play arcade games with whoever's at your house. Send them messages. They're even hoping to have video's you can send from your 360 to your phone. So if your son or daughter beats a level they can send you the replay, or you can play lummines or whatever it's called while you're on the train to work.

they plan on having it work on more than just Windows Mobile (gasp), and are reportably working on getting the system running in Java (gasp again).

I think it's cool. It's on the gimmicky side, but cool. You could also say that about the Wii.

[Mortis]

This seems very gimicky to me. I don't know anyone who owns a Windows Smartphone or PDA running windows. I know they are out there, but it's not a commonplace device. I know a few people with Treo's, but you can't run Live Anywhere on a Palm device.

I just don't see the cool factor in this. If someone wants to download a demo or send messages they can do it when they get home. I feel like if someone needs to be in constant contact with their 360, they might need to seek some help at that gaming clinic in Amsterdam. There's a big difference between having a blackberry to get important business emails, and having a smartphone so you can find out when the next game of Burnout is.

It's not just setting up downloads on your 360, PC and mobile games will also have achievements to boost your GS. This is just one of many features, such as the cross platform gaming and invite capability.

You do make a good point about the mobile device market though, I have never owned a Windows based mobile device. A new Windows mobile OS available on Blackberry's and other devices would be great, I use a Blackberry and they have pretty limited functionality that could no doubt be expanded upon.

[thegameguru]

Well it was at the BREW conference.. which leads me to believe that it will work on more than Windows Mobile devices.

[Varsity]

Semi-OT: I just read an incredibly insightful blog post (http://blogs.msdn.com/philipsu/archive/2006/06/14/631438.aspx) from a Microsoft employee on the state of Vista. Unsuprisingly, it is falling over through a combination of bureaucracy and having too many cooks stirring the broth.

Between this guy and Scoble's recent stuff (http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/2006/06/14/why-wall-street-didnt-believe-steve-ballmer-and-what-he-can-do-about-it/), you've got to wonder if Microsoft isn't having the programmer equivalent of a popular uprising.

[jacktion]

I wonder why downloads just can't start happening automatically? Isn't the hard drive big enough to accomodate most everything?
Nintendo sounds like it is going to have automatic downloads at night. This will probably create a constant rollover of new content since there won't be space enough to hold everything for very long. But of course since it has an SD card slot a user could just buy a 4gb one and have tons of storage.
hmmm

[bapenguin]

I wonder why downloads just can't start happening automatically? Isn't the hard drive big enough to accomodate most everything?
Nintendo sounds like it is going to have automatic downloads at night. This will probably create a constant rollover of new content since there won't be space enough to hold everything for very long. But of course since it has an SD card slot a user could just buy a 4gb one and have tons of storage.
hmmm

Yeah but there's a big difference between kicking off 1 million 500 megabytes downloads and 1 million 50 megabyte downloads.

[Kamalot]

I like my 360 a lot, but this Live Anywhere sounds like a solution for which there is no problem.

[Wonka]

I have a windows PDA in my phone. I love it. They finally seem to manage to fit A LOT of functionality into a small space...

And I LOVE the idea of LIVE! anywhere. Not only does it mean that some of my arcade games might run on my phone. But I love the idea of being able to kick off a download or to see who is online is a NICE thing.

These features are cute, but I could use them.

But what has me more excited is that when PCs and Xboxs are all on the same network with Phones, then we will see software that crosses over the boundaries. How about some software that lets you make content (like user created levels) for your 360 on your PC? LIVE anywhere is how they could do this. Just don't expect support for any of the really cool stuff outside of Vista.

[Jack B]

This seems very gimicky to me. I don't know anyone who owns a Windows Smartphone or PDA running windows. I know they are out there, but it's not a commonplace device. I know a few people with Treo's, but you can't run Live Anywhere on a Palm device.

I just don't see the cool factor in this. If someone wants to download a demo or send messages they can do it when they get home. I feel like if someone needs to be in constant contact with their 360, they might need to seek some help at that gaming clinic in Amsterdam. There's a big difference between having a blackberry to get important business emails, and having a smartphone so you can find out when the next game of Burnout is.

Siraris,

HA! I new it wouldn't take long for you to show up and find a reason Live Anywhere connectivity across PC's, Cell Phones and Consoles would fail... You live for this.

You're so one-sided it's comical. What a crack up! :D

[Jack B]

This is not just Microsoft PDA's and Phones. Microsoft is good at connecting users.

Live and Live Anywhere is all about community and extending that community to PC's, Java/Symbian Phones, PDA's, and the 360 is not a bad thing...

I will guarantee you that 95% of all Live users whether they play any cell phone games or not..., will one day, pull their Cell phone out of their pants while sitting on the can and check out what's happening with the friends list, new marketplaces downloads ect...

Especially, if you can't find a newspaper.... :D

Brew Announcement (http://www.cio.com/blog_view.html?CID=21685 )
Porting to Brew could allow Microsoft to reach a much bigger mobile market, though not as big as the universe of Java-enabled phones. Brew is offered on phones from 69 operators in 31 countries, according to the San Diego mobile technology company.

Since the E3 launch, Microsoft has said it plans to extend Live Anywhere to other mobile platforms, including Java and Symbian, but Thursday’s announcement marks the first time the company has given details about its work with a non-Microsoft mobile platform.

[rein]

As much time as I waste on the internet. I cannot think of a time I will be out someplace and think, damn, I need to see what my 'friends' are up to. I can't think of a time that I will be out someplace and think, I really need to get that X360 demo downloaded before I get home. How little of a life do you need to have for this to be something you need? Don't get me wrong, I have no life now. That is the point, if my life is this pathetic and I don't need it, who would?

...but yea, I can see why something like this is more useful than backwards compatibility. You know, that useless feature?

I guess I just don't get it.

[Kamalot]

As much time as I waste on the internet. I cannot think of a time I will be out someplace and think, damn, I need to see what my 'friends' are up to. I can't think of a time that I will be out someplace and think, I really need to get that X360 demo downloaded before I get home. How little of a life do you need to have for this to be something you need? Don't get me wrong, I have no life now. That is the point, if my life is this pathetic and I don't need it, who would?

...but yea, I can see why something like this is more useful than backwards compatibility. You know, that useless feature?

I guess I just don't get it.
Yeah. I don't see what problem this Live Anywhere is solving. I don't have such an issue with downloading things on Live that I can't just wait till I get home.

My phone (treo) has a web browser in it already. With it I can go to Xbox.com and sign in. I did. I saved a bookmark so I can check my messages. I haven't been back once. There just isn't a need.

This Live Anywhere is solving a problem that does not exist.

[Wonka]

I think you guys are missing the point by focusing on the cutesy things (like being able to cue up downloads or seeing who is on live) instead of on the truly important stuff.

The importance of this is that it will provide an avenue for content to be in all three places. For example, at one point they showed a demo of a future Forza motorsport where the guy was tweaking the stats of his car on his cell phone, making entirely new car models on his PC and then racing these tweaked/made up cars on his 360. THAT would be a HUGE leap forward in terms of what consoles can do.

Perhaps the largest value of LIVE! anywhere is that it provides a safe avenue for modded content to move onto the console.

But it can easily go beyond that. It could effectively turn the cell phone into an equivalent of the PC gaming platform (only for the handheld space). A platform which already has a reason to be in your pocket, and that (thanks to LIVE! anywhere) would already have a stable of arcade games available to it (alrdeady unlocked for people who use LIVE! arcade).

There would also be a huge host of opportunities for your gaming to creep onto your phone. Think of how people playing a MMORPG or the next Madden game might like access to aspects of their game via their phone (while they are out). Hell, an MMORPG might even be fuly playable on some of these phones...

This is AT LEAST as big a deal for moving gaming forward (in terms of raw potential) as Nintendos nifty controller. You guys just have no imagination.

[Kamalot]

You guys just have no imagination.
Quite the contrary, it is just that imagination does not equal reality. If we were going to believe what we were told by the marketing people, we would have our PS2s reading our email and turning on the lights when we came home from work. It would download movies and music while we were on the road. PS2 would be rendering Toy Story graphics and Xbox would be rendering Toy Story 2 graphics. All Xbox 360 games would play without the hard drive.

I'll be more excited about this when/if it happens to show up in the real world. I am very skeptical that the cell phone will turn into a worthwhile effort for 95% of the gaming population when tied to Live.

Maybe Microsoft can prove me wrong and make my cell phone a useul and, most importantly, FUN, part of Live.

[shnastybiznastic]

The phone thing is cool... I guess. Wasn't live anywhere suposed to move Windows PC gaming onto the live system eventualy?

[Jack B]

With the millions of units sold of the Gameboy(s), PSP, DS, DS Lite ect, I see more and more mobile content being developed.

John Carnack is certainly the most vocal of the mobile games on Cell phones supporter, but he's not alone. Each year cell phones do more things with better screens and more powerful processors inside.

I don't own a PSP/DS/DS Lite, but it does give you something to do when waiting in lines, on a train, in the can (substitute for a sports page)...

If Live Anywhere becomes the glue that connects gamers, it will be a value. Not everyone can invision how, but connectivity and community is a good thing. Everyone on Evil Avatar is part of the EA community. Community and connectivity is the killer app. Not this year, probably not next year, but it's coming. Microsoft will try to do it with Live Anywhere, Nintendo did it with the Wifi in the DS. Sony will try to do it too. It's the future.

Live Anywere is all about connectivity. How game companies and Microsoft use it will evolve over time..., but connectivity and communtity for gamers is good and that's what Live Anywhere is all about.

I predict, it will have value for a large percentage of game players. I just don't think everyone can see the value yet, but it will be there over time.

[Kamalot]

I predict, it will have value for a large percentage of game players. I just don't think everyone can see the value yet, but it will be there over time.I could be convinced.

Here's hoping it does not suck! Cheers! :D

[rein]

I think you guys are missing the point by focusing on the cutesy things (like being able to cue up downloads or seeing who is on live) instead of on the truly important stuff.

The importance of this is that it will provide an avenue for content to be in all three places. For example, at one point they showed a demo of a future Forza motorsport where the guy was tweaking the stats of his car on his cell phone, making entirely new car models on his PC and then racing these tweaked/made up cars on his 360. THAT would be a HUGE leap forward in terms of what consoles can do.

Perhaps the largest value of LIVE! anywhere is that it provides a safe avenue for modded content to move onto the console.

But it can easily go beyond that. It could effectively turn the cell phone into an equivalent of the PC gaming platform (only for the handheld space). A platform which already has a reason to be in your pocket, and that (thanks to LIVE! anywhere) would already have a stable of arcade games available to it (alrdeady unlocked for people who use LIVE! arcade).

There would also be a huge host of opportunities for your gaming to creep onto your phone. Think of how people playing a MMORPG or the next Madden game might like access to aspects of their game via their phone (while they are out). Hell, an MMORPG might even be fuly playable on some of these phones...

This is AT LEAST as big a deal for moving gaming forward (in terms of raw potential) as Nintendos nifty controller. You guys just have no imagination.


I have an Ngage (still) and I can already play games on my phone. Anyone who has a smart phone has access to plenty of games. Most other phones play cell phone games. Why is the Live Arcade version of a game going to be any better just because it connects to my Live account? Did I miss the part where Microsoft said they were going to be giving away 'phone' versions of a Live Arcade game when you buy it? Or, do I have to buy a Live Arcade version and a 'phone' Live Arcade version?

I am sure there will also be data fee's attached to using these 'anywhere' functions for people who do not already subscribe to that on their phone plan.

What happens when MS decides it no longer wants to play nice? What if they start backing one phone/carrier over another?

I can already play GB/GBC, nes, Worms, Bejeweled, and many other games on my phone that are the equivalent of Live Arcade games. I am not sure why we need convergence like this.

[Kamalot]

I've got a series of emulators on my treo including:

NES
SNES
Genesis
Sega Master System
TG16
Neo Geo Pocket Color
Comodore 64

I'm set.

[theguido]

I couldn't give less of a care if I tried.

[Wonka]

I have an Ngage (still) and I can already play games on my phone. Anyone who has a smart phone has access to plenty of games. Most other phones play cell phone games. Why is the Live Arcade version of a game going to be any better just because it connects to my Live account?

I don't know. I am not sure that anybody knows. It depends what they do with it. My bet is that it will pretty much be the exact SAME LIVE! arcade game, but just living in two places instead of one. If you get an achievement, it will probably show up on your gamerscore and you should only have to buy it once. But this is NOT the point. The LIVE! arcade games are just one benefit of LIVE! anywhere. The other possibilities are really MUCH more interesting than just the LIVE! arcade games.

Did I miss the part where Microsoft said they were going to be giving away 'phone' versions of a Live Arcade game when you buy it?

Yes. But I don't recall where I read that now so, <shrug> that's your loss. I guess you will have to just stay bitter and mad at the world since I doubt you will believe me. Sucks to be you...


I am sure there will also be data fee's attached to using these 'anywhere' functions for people who do not already subscribe to that on their phone plan.

Maybe. I imagine this depends on how much of an asshole your carrier is.


What happens when MS decides it no longer wants to play nice? What if they start backing one phone/carrier over another?

Gee whiz thats really terrifying. What happens if MS stops playing nice? What happend when uber-Bill decides to stop playing nice and start charging rental fees to use Internet Explorer???? Oh wait thats right, we all stop buying their shit when that happens... If they pull this crap, then screw em. If they don't make a good product I certainly won't buy it. This seems simple enough to understand...


I can already play GB/GBC, nes, Worms, Bejeweled, and many other games on my phone that are the equivalent of Live Arcade games. I am not sure why we need convergence like this.

Thats great for you. But it's not the point.

Live games that I already bought on my console to appear on my phone is just a nice side effect of this process. It is *NOT* the main point. I want convergence of my PC and my console (especially). I want user created content to have a safe avenue from the PC to the console. If I am out, and someone wants to schedule a game for later, they would be able to reach me easily using the service they already subscribe to. Thats worth a lot to me. I strongly prefer to play with real friends instead of random asshats. There is also a lot of creative potential here for the non-arcade games. A lot of games have things that could be "fiddled with" while on the road. A lot of games could be extended in ways that typically get neglected on a console. Imagine a mech game where you can set up loadouts on your phone. When you are at the console, you might not bother with some new combination of parts, but while you are on the train... There is a lot of potential here.

Rein, you seem to be smart enough to understand all of this. So your effort to write the whole effort off as if the *only* thing they wanted to do was make arcade games accessible on your cell phone seems rather disingenuous to me.

[rein]

Rein, you seem to be smart enough to understand all of this. So your effort to write the whole effort off as if the *only* thing they wanted to do was make arcade games accessible on your cell phone seems rather disingenuous to me.

Actually, you are the one that wrote of my other concerns. You don't remember the quote that says the games will be free on the phone? That is my loss and I am bitter. Concerns about the carrier charging fees? They are assholes. Concerns that someday MS may not play nice? sarcasm.

This is my view on the whole Live Anywhere feature. People have down played backward compatibility because few people really use it. How many people are really going to use Live Anywhere? It's not that I think it is bad for the few that will use it, I just do not think it is necessary. Then again, I'm not playing X360 games to pump up my gamer score. I play a game if I think it is fun, for as long as I think it is fun.

The only thing about Live Anywhere that has me half excited is the pc modding of X360 games that could happen. If MS opens games up for modding maps and levels, I will be extremely happy with that feature of Live Anywhere. IF, they open up and I don't have to pay 'points' for every map I download.

[rein]

I've got a series of emulators on my treo including:

NES
SNES
Genesis
Sega Master System
TG16
Neo Geo Pocket Color
Comodore 64

I'm set.

How are you liking the Treo? I have to get a new phone eventually. I have read reviews where some Treo phones were locking up and had some problems. I have also been looking at some of the windows based smart phones. I already have a ppc but an upgrade wouldn't hurt. It just seems that the smart phones are a tad bulky.

[Wonka]

Actually, you are the one that wrote of my other concerns. You don't remember the quote that says the games will be free on the phone? That is my loss and I am bitter. Concerns about the carrier charging fees? They are assholes. Concerns that someday MS may not play nice? sarcasm.

Yes.

1) You DO seem bitter. Maybe that's not true, but it's the impression I have. 2) Carriers that charge extra fees are insanely unpopular with me. And 3) MS HAS to play nice (at least for as long as they are being forced to compete). God help us all if they somehow gain monopoly control.


This is my view on the whole Live Anywhere feature. People have down played backward compatibility because few people really use it. How many people are really going to use Live Anywhere? It's not that I think it is bad for the few that will use it, I just do not think it is necessary. Then again, I'm not playing X360 games to pump up my gamer score. I play a game if I think it is fun, for as long as I think it is fun.


I agree with you about backwards compatibility. MS should have delivered better on that. Especially by NOW. Right at launch I could have cut them some slack since they DID have to get everything ready in a narrow window (including software BC).

But what does that have to do with LIVE! anywhere?

Absolutely nothing.

A company the size of MS can take care of BC if they decide that its worth their time. Shame on them for not making it more of a priority. But this has nothing whatsoever to do with LIVE! anywhere. They HAVE the resources to do both. They have simply CHOSEN not to.

Am I supposed to now hate everything they do because of their BC failings? That does not seem rational to me...

[rein]

Wonka

I'm not bitter at all. I have much more in my life to be bitter about than a gaming company if I ever do decide to be a bitter old man.

I didn't bring up backward compatibility because Microsoft may, or may not, have resources to work on both. My point was, people (on this very site) have stated that BC was not a big deal because not enough people use it. I just feel that this is a feature that even fewer people will utilize. That hardly makes me bitter, or hate MS because of BC issues. That would be irrational.

I gave you a few concerns I have about Live Anywhere. The major one being about price. You said you read 'somewhere' that they phone versions of games would be free if you bought them on Live. I have not seen that quote anywhere. That has me concerned that, A. I will need to buy the phone version and the X360 version to enjoy that feature, or B. They will increase the cost of Live Arcade titles to offset the cost of the 'free' phone version. Those are legitimate concerns, not anti-MS propaganda or bitterness.

You seem to be under the impression that I am anti-MS because I do not see a compelling reason to be excited over Live Anywhere. On the contrary, I have had an active Live account since the beta. Kamalot said it better than I did above, this is solving a problem that does not exist. I also agree with him on being able to be convinced. If there turns out to be a compelling reason to use Live Anywhere, I will be using it too.

[Kamalot]

How are you liking the Treo? I have to get a new phone eventually. I have read reviews where some Treo phones were locking up and had some problems. I have also been looking at some of the windows based smart phones. I already have a ppc but an upgrade wouldn't hurt. It just seems that the smart phones are a tad bulky.
I love the Treo. I have a 650 from Sprint. It originally rebooted all the time, but I RMA'd it for a new one that works like a charm. Every PocketPC phone user at work has their phone reboot several times a day, which keeps me away. Plus, I want the phone to be fast, responsive and quick. The Pocket PC phones are too much PC. I deal with Windows all day long and don't want to worry about running programs consuming memory, saving work in applications, etc. On the Palm, all programs can be switched to/from without consuming memory. Sure, with a few exceptions like playing MP3s in the background, it isn't a multitasking phone. But how often are you doing multiple-things on your phone at the same time anyway? I can stream shoutcast stations in the background over the data connections and send/receive email at the same time. That's enough for me.

[Kamalot]

This is what I imagine Live! Anywhere being about...

http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2006/20060619.jpg

And frankly... I don't see the point. :confused: