The upcoming Mango update will bring a new service dubbed as Fast Async on Windows Phone that will offer better turn-by-turn based gaming or asynchronous multiplayer gaming experience, Geekwire has reported. Notably, Microsoft had detailed a number of new Xbox LIVE features with the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update.
According to the report, Fast Async service would be flexibly used across different Xbox LIVE platforms apart from Windows Phone. The Fast Async will be part of the Game Hub in the Mango update which is expected to release next month.
Last month we reported about Microsoft Research scientists working on the Switchboard App for real-time multiplayer gaming. Cloud servers based Switchboard service was created to enable the smartphones to link with other devices for multiplayer gaming. Fast Async service appears to be a similar implementation of the cloud-based Switchboard service.
Detailing Fast Async service’s features, Microsoft said: “It’s a new Xbox LIVE service that improves gameplay for multiplayer, turn by turn (or asynchronous) Windows Phone games.”
Microsoft clarified that this service will expand the turn-by-turn based multiplayer gaming as well as asynchronous gaming experience so that Xbox LIVE games will be able to manage game data as well as sessions.
Further to that, Microsoft also added that the matchmaking service can be used from “any Xbox LIVE platforms, not just Windows Phones.” Basically, the Xbox LIVE platform will be featured on the desktop with deeper integration in next major operating system update – Windows 8. So Xbox LIVE games will be enjoyable and managed via three different screens – Windows Phone, Windows 8 and the Xbox 360 game console.
With the Games Hub, Microsoft is directly competing with the Apple’s Game Center on the iOS platform. Google too will join the league; it has been working on a social gaming platform since a while. Along with the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update, Microsoft may release another system update for the Xbox 360 LIVE Dashboard for better compatibilities with the mobile devices.