Microsoft is getting Windows Phone 7 ready for commercial release for the holiday season, and is making good on its intention to bring Xbox Live integration to the smartphone platform. Xbox Live players will find quite a few games on Windows Phone 7 at launch, including titles from Gameloft, Konami, PopCap and THQ. Microsoft isn’t kidding around about gaming on Windows Phone 7: Over 60 titles will be available at phone launch time, with several more appearing each week after launch.
The games available at launch will have some popular titles: Guitar Hero 5, Fruit Ninja and The Harvest among them. Star Wars fans will be able to play the Battle for Hoth and Star Wars: Cantina on the phone.
Windows Phone 7 owners will be able to experience the rich environment of Xbox Live right on the phone. The famous Xbox Live player avatars will be alive and well on Windows Phone 7, and full interaction with gaming friends will also be part of the experience. Multiplayer games will allow other Windows Phone 7 owners to join in games on the phone.
This push into gaming is a smart move for Microsoft, as the connection to Xbox Live will be unique to Windows Phone 7. The Xbox team at Microsoft is developing this capability in conjunction with the Windows Phone 7 team, with a goal of providing the gamer a total immersion into the Xbox world through the Games hub on the phone. No details have been provided so far in reference to the pricing of games for the phone versions.
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