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Universal Windows applications running on the Xbox

J

JaggedSac

Member
SegaShack said:
Maybe I am misreading, but is it saying that any tablet or smartphone can now get Windows OS for free.
Click to expand...

That news is mainly for OEMs. Devices 9" or under get Windows for free.

Don't count in it. Seems like it's just metro apps. Microsoft won't want to make it easier for you to watch your own content when they are selling their own services.
Click to expand...

Guess what, there are Plex and VLC metro apps. So you can count on those being ported.
 
M

Mr_Zombie

Member
gofreak said:
Perhaps I'm misreading this, but as far as I can tell there is no automatic compatibility with existing apps - be they RT, Metro, whatever - as seems to be suggested in some of the posts here.

This is a new framework. Devs will have to build their app to specifically support each of the target devices, then that app will be a 'universal' Windows app.

Obviously devs who have a RT or Metro app already out there have a headstart, and making their app universal may be relatively straight forward. But this doesn't automatically open Xbox to existing apps.

I know it would have been less straight forward, but I figured they were going to allow more or less all touch windows apps on Xbox with a Kinect 'touch emulation' layer. That would have automagically brought existing apps to Xbox.

Also noteworthy is that devs can choose to charge you differently for each version of the app.
Click to expand...

It's not automatic, because you still have to adjust the UI and of course recompile the program. But the main logic and most of the UI can be reused and shared between various version of the app (PC/tablet, Windows Phone, Xbox One). They showed live how quickly a WinRT App can be turned into Windows Phone app.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
mcrommert said:
All they have to do is recompile for xbox...no extra coding (though they can)...game over playstation :)
Click to expand...

Hell yeah, man. Sony wishes it could get a piece of those hot Windows 8 store apps.
 
B

BLACK AMERICAN PSYCHO

Junior Member
zephervack said:
There is no way Nintendo is gonna let them put SNES/GBA emulators to be able to play in the Xbox One.

This development will make Microsoft clamp down on stuff like that in their store like Apple does with iOS.
Click to expand...

What can Nintendo do? They can't do shit and MS isn't as snobby as apple when it comes to emulators iirc. They can't really afford to be :lol
 
H

HooYaH

Member
SPDIF said:
Off topic, but I'm sure this will please some people:

Dhla8Ca.png
Click to expand...

MS really need to revamp their icons. Now we get Windows 95, XP, Vista/7, and now 8.
 
S

Sword Of Doom

Member
Nzyme32 said:
I've said this was going to happen from the start, and frankly I think it's a great way for the xbox one to differentiate itself and add value for those in the ecosystem. I look forward to seeing what developers bring
Click to expand...


And like everything else In life it comes with a downside which is a games console that is underpowered and dedicates way too much of whatever power it has to these extra features. Microsoft has to be very careful with this. IMO it's always better to do one thing and do it well then to do everything half assed.
 
M

mcrommert

Banned
Salvor.Hardin said:
Could someone explain what kind of benefits we can expect? Does Windows 8 have any apps that could have practical use on the XBO which aren't already on it? For example I don't think Office would be of much use on the console. Help me understand what the big deal is here.
Click to expand...

Think of any mobile apps you would use that would work on a tv...mainly video and audio apps like plex, vlc, etc or google music, etc
 
Kibbles

Kibbles

Member
Does this mean I can play spartan assault on my surface and xbox? I bought it on xbox but it wants me to buy it again on the surface which is bullshit
 
J

justsomeguy

Member
Sword Of Doom said:
And like everything else In life it comes with a downside which is a games console that is underpowered and dedicates way too much of whatever power it has to these extra features. Microsoft has to be very careful with this. IMO it's always better to do one thing and do it well then to do everything half assed.
Click to expand...

Do you use your phone for things other than phone calls?
 
G

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
MaulerX said:
No. Are you watching the conference?
Click to expand...

To be clear, I'm not saying they need entirely separate code bases for each platform. Obviously not. I'm reading the Verge's live feed where they say there'll have to be some unique code per platform while much of it is shared.

My point is that RT or Metro apps aren't being automagically turned into 'universal apps' you can run anywhere, which was the vibe I was getting from some posts earlier in the thread. It requires developer intervention, so you can expect some subset of those existing apps to come over.
 
L

LukasTaves

Member
gofreak said:
Perhaps I'm misreading this, but as far as I can tell there is no automatic compatibility with existing apps - be they RT, Metro, whatever - as seems to be suggested in some of the posts here.

This is a new framework. Devs will have to build their app to specifically support each of the target devices, then that app will be a 'universal' Windows app.

Obviously devs who have a RT or Metro app already out there have a headstart, and making their app universal may be relatively straight forward. But this doesn't automatically open Xbox to existing apps.

I know it would have been less straight forward, but I figured they were going to allow more or less all touch windows apps on Xbox with a Kinect 'touch emulation' layer. That would have automagically brought existing apps to Xbox.

Also noteworthy is that devs can choose to charge you separately for each version of the app. So it won't necessarily be 'buy once, use anywhere'.
Click to expand...

Not exactly a new framework, but rather a tool that automatizes much of the hurdles between porting them, plus apis being a lot closer between them. The framework is still winRT (not the arm version), and VS have support to add specifics to a platform, so you can have the same basic functionality across all platforms, but a optimized UI for each of them for instance.

Oh, and they now support cross buy too. They specified for apps, but I guess that for games shouldn't be much after before that.
 
S

Scully Scully Scoo

Member
justsomeguy said:
You're definitely not seeing the big picture - imagine the same game you buy on your Win8 PC also working your phone and your Xbox - or vice versa and so on. Plex for Windows 8? Also Plex for XBox and Plex for Phone all at once. It's potentially huge.
Click to expand...
why would i want to play a phone/tablet game on my xbox though? this is like the cross buy thing sony does, no one except the hardcore will care. this is the first time im hearing about plex so i dont know the ins and outs but i dont see how a media organiser is a big deal for the mass market. its neat for hardcore who like everything super organised but most casuals just dont care

Dega said:
Because it also could lead to many nice apps each with potential to be very helpful and welcome additions to the Xbox One? Is that not better than how it is currently? I'm sure there are many thinking up or have already been working on things for awhile now. It's still great to many even if you never see a reason to like it yourself.
Click to expand...

i never said it was worse than not having this feature but most reactions on here suggest this is a game changer but i dont think the majority will care about this at all.
 
W

Wereroku

Member
9thwonder said:
What can Nintendo do? They can't do shit and MS isn't as snobby as apple when it comes to emulators iirc. They can't really afford to be :lol
Click to expand...

Nintendo could sue Microsoft for assisting in ip theft. Even if the program itself does not infringe on ip if the only possible use of it is infringing then it is illegal.
 
A

Astral/H3X

Member
While I personally like the start screen, I'm sure this is a good way to get people to shut up about how horrible Win8 supposedly is.
 
B

Bsigg12

Member
gofreak said:
To be clear, I'm not saying they need entirely separate code bases for each platform. Obviously not. I'm reading the Verge's live feed where they say there'll have to be some unique code per platform while much of it is shared.

My point is that RT or Metro apps aren't being automagically turned into 'universal apps' you can run anywhere, which was the vibe I was getting from some posts earlier in the thread. It requires developer intervention, so you can expect some subset of those existing apps to come over.
Click to expand...

There will be platform specific work to be done but the new Visual Studio looks to ease as much as that as possible. It's really a huge amount of awesome especially since I'm just now getting into making apps.
 
J

JaggedSac

Member
Bsigg12 said:
There will be platform specific work to be done but the new Visual Studio looks to ease as much as that as possible. It's really a huge amount of awesome especially since I'm just now getting into making apps.
Click to expand...

And since something like Plex already has an app on Win8 and WP8, it would behoove them to convert to the new universal app platform and take advantage of those benefits from a development perspective in VS.
 
N

Nzyme32

Member
Sword Of Doom said:
And like everything else In life it comes with a downside which is a games console that is underpowered and dedicates way too much of whatever power it has to these extra features. Microsoft has to be very careful with this. IMO it's always better to do one thing and do it well then to do everything half assed.
Click to expand...

True. Some people have already mentioned some of the holes this pokes into using xbox live as a barrier to access of things like netflix. It really needs to be implemented well and not half arsed. Putting anything behind xbox live gold membership just highlights issues to consumers, particularly if they expect access compared with other platforms/OS that they use. Ultimately, i'd hope competition makes them do it right
 
G

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Bsigg12 said:
There will be platform specific work to be done but the new Visual Studio looks to ease as much as that as possible. It's really a huge amount of awesome especially since I'm just now getting into making apps.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think it makes Xbox hugely more accessible for app developers. It may seem like a pedantic point but I just think that the distinction between 'RT/Metro apps' and 'RT/Metro apps that devs tool for x-plat' could be an important one in terms of relative app availability from an end users' perspective. I expect there'll be many such apps over time, but it won't be 1:1 with RT/Metro.
 
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