JUST HOW INTEGRAL IS MICROSOFT’S BRAND NEW
SECOND SCREEN APP TO YOUR XBOX ONE EXPERIENCE?
Things have come a long war since the second screen SmartGlass
app was launched for Xbox 360. SmartGlass was released as a way to
connect your smartphone or tablet device with your Xbox, offering
extended or supplementary experiences. On Xbox One that process is
even faster, more varied and better integrated into the console. We’ll
walk you through all the key information you need to make the most of
this excellent supporting app on your device and direct you to all of the
Xbox One games and apps that make use of it.
Contents
WHAT IS
SMARTGLASS?
SmartGlass for Xbox One is an
app available for Windows 8, iOS
and Android devices offering
what’s known as a second screen
experience. The idea behind this
is that while your Xbox One is
displaying your game or movie
on your TV screen, you can use
a second device to give you
additional information or controls.
SmartGlass can be used as a
navigation tool for certain apps,
offer additional information while
watching movies or playing
games, or could be used in more
imaginative fashion to expand the
gaming experience beyond the
TV screen
HOW DOES IT
WORK?
To interact with your Xbox
One you simply need your
whether its a smartphone or
tablet, to be set up or signed
in to the same WiFi network.
When you choose to connect
You simply need to select the
device you want to use and
is technologically tethered to
you are, through your device.
HOW CAN YOU
USE SMARTGLASS?
1
ACHIEVEMENT TRACKING
Whether you’re at home or not you can keep
an eye on your Achievements and game
progress through the SmartGlass app. By selecting
your profile image rather than the Achievement
app, you can check in on your progress through all
of your games. That includes Challenges that are
still available, your recently unlocked Achievements,
those still to come and any game clips you may
have recorded.
2
LAUNCH APPS
Xbox One makes it very easy to access
every app, game and service you want from
anywhere. There’s Kinect for telling your Xbox what
you want, the Home button to bring up your full
dashboard or you can use SmartGlass. At any time,
whatever you happen to be doing on Xbox One, you
can bring up a different service by selecting it on
SmartGlass and selecting Play on Xbox One. It will
then be loaded up instantly on your console.
3
LAUNCH IN SNAP MODE
Rather than just taking over your Xbox
One, some apps can be snapped through
SmartGlass. Things such as Skype, Xbox Video
and Xbox Music can be multitasked so that they’re
running in the background while you’re doing
something else. With SmartGlass you can activate
this with a couple of taps instead of using Kinect
voice commands or moving back and forth from the
dashboard. Perfect for taking a Skype call or finding
some helpful videos on Machinima.
the clips created by others from any Xbox One
4
FIND ADD-ONS
Another great example of how you can
access important info while playing a game
is finding downloadable content without needing
to access the full store. By selecting games you’ve
been playing you get a list of potential add-ons for
that title. Simply select one you’re interested in for
more information through SmartGlass and then
choose to Open on Xbox One to launch the store
directly to that page on your TV.
5
PIN GAMES AND APPS
Pinning apps, services and games to your
Pins page is a great way of keeping your most
important applications close at hand, but you can
edit and add those pins from anywhere with
SmartGlass. Select any app or recently played
game and you’ll find the option to Pin or Unpin
that app from your home page. Swipe right to
reveal all of your pinned apps from the left of the
screen too and see what you have laid out.
6
WATCH GAME CLIPS
A surprise extra for SmartGlass. As well
as watching your recently recorded clips
through your profile page you can watch all of
the clips created by others from any Xbox One
game. Hit the Spyglass to search for a game, then
swipe to reveal more info to the right and some
recommended game clips. Tap the three dots in
the bottom right corner of these preview videos for
more options then scroll to the right for Community
Clips. There should be plenty to watch.
WHAT APPS USE
SMARTGLASS?
1
YOUTUBE
Nothing too
fancy here.
Just a simple
bit of swipe
navigation and
video controls
once you start
watching a
video through
the app.
2
MACHINIMA
Much like
YouTube,
swipe controls
and the ability
to control the
video as it plays.
An upcoming
update will add
second screen
video watching
for tips midgame.
3
BLU- RAY
PLAYER
Nothing
too fancy here,
except all the
touch controls
you need to
navigate the
menus and
control the
playback of any
Blu-ray in your
collection.
4
INTERNET
EXPLORER
One of the
best uses of
SmartGlass is as
your trackpad
mouse mover
and keyboard
when browsing
the web. It’s
super-smooth
and very
responsive.
5
XBOX MUSIC
Some really
nice controls
here above and
beyond the
usual playback
stuff. Select
details on any
track you’re
playing and
you can choose
what plays next.
WHAT GAMES USE SMARTGLASS?
DEAD RISING 3
One of the most exciting integrations of SmartGlass with
a launch game, Dead Rising 3offers exclusive missions
to those with the app. Launch SmartGlass while you’re
playing Dead Rising and the companion app option will
appear on screen. Now you can access the map, set
markers for nearby items and shops and accept calls
from in-game characters with additional missions and
objectives. It’s really well integrated and a lot of fun to
play around with.
BATTLEFIELD 4
The implementation of SmartGlass with Battlefield 4
couldn’t be simpler and yet it’s exactly the kind of
extension of in-game information to a smart device
that makes a lot of sense for many Xbox One games in
the future. Battlefield 4gives you a full overhead map
during multiplayer matches meaning you see what’s
happening without turning your attention away from the
conflict for too long. Better yet, have a buddy handle the
map and tell you what’s happening live.
RYSE: SON OF ROME
Acting as a virtual mirror of your game, Ryse’s
SmartGlass companion gives you full access to
your entire menu on your smartphone or tablet.
So, you can keep a live track of your progress
through a level, set up multiplayer sessions and
compare stats with your friends to see how
you’re all getting on. It saves having to jump back
and forth from the pause menu and keeps the
game moving at and fair pace.
JUST DANCE 2014
Another simple and smart solution to using
SmartGlass from Ubisoft this time, as Just Dance
2014puts playlist control in your hands. Creating an
endless playlist, you can add and remove upcoming
tracks using SmartGlass so as not to interrupt the
party or slow the tempo for one moment. Autodance
videos created in-game can also be edited more
easily using the controls offered via SmartGlass. It’s
a wonderful expansion of some fun features in this
social, party-friendly dance and karaoke game.
WHAT’ S STILL
TO COME?
PROJECT SPARK
Described by the developer as more of a ‘mirror’
to the game on Xbox One than a companion
app like so many others, SmartGlass for Project
Spark will offer everything you can do in-game
on your device. So that means creating worlds
and games, of course, but it also means being
able to play games designed for touch input. It’s
one of the most exciting games coming to Xbox
One and certainly the most integrated SmartGlass
experience anyone has announced so far.
16-PLAYER GAMES
We haven’t seen any games announced yet that will
take advantage of this, but you can have up to 16
SmartGlass devices linked with your Xbox One at
any time. That means 16-player multiplayer games
are a possibility. One example, which we doubt will
take long to manifest itself, is a poker game where
your hand is displayed via SmartGlass. That way
you can have a large group in your living room and
keep the game private. What more you could do
with that many players we can’t even think of yet,
but there’s undoubtedly a lot in the works.