Microsoft is set to add Silverlight to the Xbox 360 in an effort to take on Apple in the app streaming market.
Microsoft is set to add Silverlight to the Xbox 360 in an effort to take on Apple in the app streaming market.
The feature has been in development for “some months” say Company insiders who are now claiming a new level of integration between the Xbox and Windows Phone.
On the Xbox, Silverlight could give Microsoft an edge over Apple by making a platform where media playback and other functionality would be extended. The current Apple TV is more extensible than the old model but still doesn’t have an easy way to roll out new features or third-party apps.
The software will let developers easily port WP7 apps over to the larger screen.
Electronista said that the choice might also help streamline Microsoft’s work with Windows 8, where the new Immersive interface will be combined with a Silverlight-based app framework, Jupiter. A chance exists that certain apps written for the Xbox could carry over to Windows 8 or, eventually, in the opposite direction.
Windows 8 may also have its own app store out of the box and would clone the Mac App Store.
Microsoft hasn’t directly confirmed its plans, but the job listing that tipped off the plans made it clear Silverlight would reach the Xbox. Company officials have also said the role of Silverlight had been shifting away from a Flash-like plugin to a full app platform. It already forms the basis of most WP7 apps but could now be the unifying thread for every platform Microsoft makes.
