Microsoft is all geared up to launch the next generation Xbox console by the end of 2013 but it has been reported that that’s not all they have in store for the gaming industry. The widely recognized developer of the Windows operating system reportedly has plans of building a wider ecosystem for hardcore gamers, including a tablet and smartphone designed specifically to couple with the Xbox 720.
In the last few years, the gaming industry has evolved to the point where gaming consoles aren’t solely for gaming anymore. Hideo Kojima, renowned game creator, gave an interview with Hip Hop Gamer at Spike TV’s Video Game Awards and highlighted the importance of inter-connectivity in gaming. From wireless internet connectivity to media applications, gamers today are shifting their interest towards devices that enable them to access a wider range of applications, other than gaming, in a single console. Gaming consoles, while having been adapted to support applications like Skype and even browse the internet, still have something of a disconnect with smartphones and tablet computers today. Kojima feels that there is a lot of potential present in developing smartphones and tablet computers that have a direct relationship with gaming consoles and encouraging inter-connectivity between these devices will appeal greatly to gamers all over.
Microsoft, from the looks of it, may be channeling Kojima’s thoughts as a report from The Verve earlier this November revealed that the company was working on a 7-inch tablet designed for gamers. The tablet, titled the Xbox Surface, will be Microsoft’s next step towards drawing a connecting line between the gaming industry and the tablet industry and will run on a custom Windows OS. The device will reportedly utilize a custom ARM processor to run the device and will feature very high bandwidth RAM, a specification that hardcore gamers pay very close attention to.
There may also be a smartphone in Microsoft’s pipelines, as another report from DigiTimes revealed that Foxconn had been tasked by Microsoft to produce a Windows 8 smart phone by mid-2013. Following a gamer-targeted tablet computer, one can reasonably expect a gamer-targeted smartphone to be in Microsoft’s pipelines this year and, if the rumours are true, this could be more than just a possibility for 2013. Microsoft’s plans to build upon their specially designed gaming ecosystem have all the potential for widespread popularity amongst the gaming community. The specifications, graphics capabilities and processing power of the tablet or the smartphone aren’t likely to match up to those of any high-end gaming consoles but gamers can look forward to a more seamless interconnected environment between devices, as well as a synchronized ecosystem allowing for continuity of gaming sessions.
