The Verge has a good little report on a supposed “Xbox Surface,” a 7-inch tablet that would be designed just for gaming. Author Tom Warren cites “multiple sources familiar with plans within Redmond,” but they’ve declined to be named, and Microsoft won’t officially comment. The whole thing is shrouded in secrecy–but if true, it could be very interesting for the world of gaming.
The name of the product alone–“Xbox Surface”–induces a kind of confusion, suggesting something in between a console and a tablet. I wonder, too, if the product would end up being something in between the two–and if mobile gaming could be transformed in the process. Like many people my age, I find myself in a funny, in-between kind of place: too busy for the console games that I loved in my youth, too discerning (if I do say so) for games like “Angry Birds,” which insult my intelligence. Could a dedicated gaming tablet nudge casual gaming in a more serious direction, or serious gaming in a more casual direction? In the process, would game makers start making games I’d actually play?
The Verge and others point out that an “Xbox Surface” might have much in common with the Wii U Gamepad, which is something of a hybrid between a console controller and a tablet. So perhaps we’ll have more data about the viability of this model soon. The Wii U and its gamepad will debut in a matter of days.
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