Microsoft: 'Amazing games coming to Windows Phone 8'

1 hr.

Winda Benedetti

At its Windows Phone Summit Wednesday, Microsoft showed off its new mobile operating system and in doing so highlighted how Windows Phone 8 will bring some?big improvements to mobile gaming.

One of the primary points Microsoft wanted the developers,?tech pundits and, yes, gamers,?to take away from its presentation was the importance of gaming ?- and how Windows Phone 8 will make it easier to bring PC games to mobile phones.

Microsoft execs announced that Windows Phone 8 would use a native game development platform based on DirectX and showed off how, when Windows Phone 8 arrives in the fall, it will share a "common core" with the Windows 8 operating system for the PC.

As our own Wilson Rothman explains, what this means is that "under the hood,?the phone platform will look enough like a Windows PC to share common file formats, networking,?security protocols, IT?management tools and apps." (Check out Wilson's full?coverage of the Windows Phone 8 event?right here.)

All of this means that developers won't have to spend a bunch of time re-writing code and can, instead, quickly port PC games to Windows phones.

Middleware partners such as Havok Technology and Autodesk will support Windows Phone 8. And?Havok?s Andrew Bowell took to the stage Wednesday to explain that Windows Phone 8 games developed using the Havok?Technology Suite, will feature "immersive and real 3-D worlds, highly realistic characters and cinematic visuals."

Microsoft it trying hard to woo more developers to its smartphone platform ?- and understandably so. When it comes to the amount of apps available, Microsoft's current mobile operating system -- Windows Phone 7 ?- is signficiantly behind the Android and iOS platforms.

But?"amazing games are coming to Windows Phone 8," promises Microsoft's Kevin Gallo.

Winda Benedetti writes about video?games for msnbc.com. You can follow her tweets about games and other things?on Twitter?here?@WindaBenedetti?and you?follow her?on Google+. Meanwhile, be sure to check?out the?IN-GAME?FACEBOOK PAGE?to discuss the day's?gaming news and reviews.?

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