With no new hardware releasing this year, Microsoft made sure to focus squarely on games and new experiences powered by Xbox 360. It was announced that this year the company’s seven year old console went from being the #1 selling game machine in North America to being the best selling console in the world. And with everything that Microsoft showed off at their E3 press conference this year, you’d be remiss to think that they’ll lose the crown anytime soon.

Before jumping into the exciting software titles Microsoft has in store for gamers in the not-so-distant future, let’s dive into the most talked about announcement coming out of their presser: Xbox SmartGlass. Leading up to E3, a rumor leaked that Microsoft was cooking up a new Xbox feature that would work similarly to AirPlay from Apple; one could wirelessly beam video content from a smartphone or tablet to the big screen TV in your living room. The leak became official at Microsoft’s briefing, but it would be proven that Xbox SmartGlass offers so much more than Apple’s AirPlay beaming. Real world examples follow. Start watching a movie on your tablet and with one click transfer it to your TV. As the movie is resumes on the big screen, your tablet doesn’t remain idle; instead it provides relavant content to what’s being played on your TV. Say you’re watching Sherlock Holmes; while it’s playing on the TV you can use your tablet to delve into the movie’s synopsis, cast, bonus features, and other content that pertains to the movie.

A neat feature, it still might not stimulate your appetite for SmartGlass. This will. Hop onto HBO GO and watch an episode of Game of Thrones. Through the power of SmartGlass you can follow the story that unfolds on the TV using your tablet as a guide through Westeros. In real time SmartGlass will help you keep up with the large cast of characters and goings-on with an expansive interactive map of Westeros. Microsoft is working close with content providers to bring these kind of experiences to Xbox, so this is only the tip of the iceberg.

In additional to expanding the world of movies and TV, SmartGlass will serve as a gaming controller of sorts to enhance gameplay for compatible titles. In Madden, for example, SmartGlass transforms your tablet into a playbook and allows you to create and execute routes using an innovative, touch-based interface. Will you be able to take control of Master Chief in Halo 4? Definitely not, but Microsoft showed off another way SmartGlass can enhance even the most hardcore games they offer. In Halo 4, Halo Waypoint data can be unlocked in-game and later accessed on your smartphone. Stuff like that. Again, Microsoft is spearheading the SmartGlass initiative, and soon we’ll see what game developers can think up to enhance their experiences by making them more interactive across multiple screens.

Movies, TV, games. What else will SmartGlass affect on Xbox? It will (at long last) enable Internet browsing on the console. Internet Explorer is coming to Xbox, and SmartGlass allows you to scroll and pinch-to-zoom on-screen content. Using Kinect you’ll also be able to control the web browser with your voice. SmartGlass also gives you the ability to navigate the Xbox dashboard using your fingers, in addition to your voice (Kinect) and a traditional controller.

Xbox’s Marc Whitten summed it up best when he closed the segment like this: SmartGlass is “when devices work together to immerse you in entertainment.” He also went on to make a great point. You already own the devices that will make SmartGlass a possibility: smartphones, tablets, PCs. There is no need to purchase an additional controller, peripheral or console (looking at you, Nintendo) to make a second screen experience a reality. The SmartGlass companion app will be compatible with Windows 8 PCs, tablets and phones, as well as devices powered by iOS and Android. There is one catch, however. If you’re planning on beaming content from portable devices to the TV, said content must be purchased and rented from within Microsoft’s ecosystem, i.e. the Xbox Video storefront. With that said, Xbox SmartGlass is coming to Xbox, Windows 8, and the other aforementioned mobile platforms this fall.

Other announcements made at Microsoft’s press conference include:

• Bing search by genre is coming (say “Xbox, Bing comedies” or “Xbox, Bing sci-fi” and results will follow)
• Bing voice search is expanding to 12 additional countries
• 35 new entertainment partners were announced including Nickelodeon, Paramount Movies, Machinima, and Univision
• Joining UFC and MLB.tv is NBA Game Time League Pass (today) and NHL GameCenter (next season)
• ESPN on Xbox Live is being upgraded with 24/7 live HD programming events through WatchESPN (this includes content across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, and ESPNU)
• Microsoft is ditching the Zune brand by renaming their music hub Xbox Music. It will bring “a world-class library of over 30 million tracks” to Xbox 360, Windows 8 PCs, tablets and phones this fall
• Microsoft has found their Wii Fit killer by partnering with Nike for Nike+ Kinect Training. “This experience gives you access to the same assessment training methods and real time feedback we give our athletes,” said a Nike spokesperson. It is “the most personalized digital training experience in the world.” With the separately sold game, you can earn Nike Fuel points by participating in Kinect-enabled exercises and set up alerts on your smartphone that’ll remind you about your next workout session. Every four weeks Nike will reassess your progress to show your development. The game releases this holiday season.

And now, the games. Microsoft kicked the show off with a new look at Halo 4 from 343 Industries. An exciting live-action trailer turned into a somewhat lengthy in-game demo that successfully hyped the game’s November 6 release date. The next game in the Splinter Cell franchise also looks quite good; Splinter Cell: Blacklist from Ubisoft ships Spring 2013. This game, along with Madden NFL 13 and FIFA 13 from EA Sports, will pack Kinect voice support. EA invited footaball hall-of-famer Joe Montana on stage to demonstrate the ability to make and execute plays in the Madden which releases August 28. Other games that turned heads include the new Gears of War game subtitled Judgement, the long-anticipated Tomb Raider origin story, a possible puzzler called Matter from filmmaker Gore Verbinski, Resident Evil 6, South Park: The Stick of Truth (show creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone entertained the crowd for a minute with a memorable and quite unscripted appearance), Dance Central 3 (Usher promoted the new Harmonix game by performing his new single “Scream” in front of a crowd filled with laptop-wielding journalists), and, of course, Call of Duty: Black Ops II. Aside from Halo and Dance Central, these games are not exclusive to Xbox but many of them will provide downloadable content to Microsoft’s creation first before hitting other platforms. At the bottom, view a list of all the games that made an appearance at Microsoft’s event with links to their respective trailers and demos.

In sum, Microsoft is doing a phenomenal job at extending the life of their aging console by injecting new kinds of innovation that go beyond the hardware’s main duty of serving as a gaming system. With video and music services that tap into the libraries of a wide variety of content providers, Xbox 360 is fulfilling its destiny in becoming more than just a video game console–it’s the entertainment hub of your living room.

The games

• Halo 4 – 343 Industries – November 6, 2012
• Splinter Cell: Blacklist – Ubisoft – Spring 2013
• FIFA 13 – EA Sports – this fall
• Madden NFL 13 – EA Sports – August 13
• Fable: The Journey – Lionhead Studios – this fall
• Gears of War: Judgement – Epic Games – 2013
• Forza Horizon – Turn 10 Studios – October 23, 2012
• Tomb Raider – Square Enix – March 5, 2013
• Ascend: New Gods – Signal Studios – 2013
• Loco Cycle (Twisted Pixel) – 2013
• Matter – from Gore Verbinski – 2013
• Resident Evil 6 – Capcom – October 2, 2012
• Wreckateer – Iron Galaxy – coming this summer to Xbox Live
• South Park: The Stick of Truth – Obsidian – March 5, 2013 (Parker & Stone announcement)
• Dance Central 3 – Harmonix – TBA (Usher performance)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops II – Treyarch – November 13, 2012