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Microsoft demonstrates how DIY game Project Spark integrates Xbox One, PC, and tablet

Project Spark

The build-your-own world game gets demoed at Build 2013.

Image Credit: Microsoft

The PlayStation has LittleBigPlanet for gamers that love to create, and now Xbox has Project Spark. To show off that game’s cross-platform creation capabilities, Microsoft closed out its Build 2013 developer conference today with an in-depth demonstration of Project Spark in action.

Project Spark is a digital canvas that has you using a controller, the Kinect, a mouse, or a touchscreen to design games that are immediately playable. It is due out this year for Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Windows 8.

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As part of the demonstration, Microsoft Game Studios general manager Dave McCarthy walked through one of the Project Spark’s developers building something on a Windows 8 PC with a touchscreen. They then saved their stage to the cloud and picked it up and played the level on an Xbox One.

Since this demo was all about Microsoft’s dedication to cross-platform support, they didn’t stop at that point.

Next, McCarthy had the developer make some changes to the level using a Windows 8 tablet running the SmartGlass app that connects tablets to the Xbox console. After around a minute in the tablet, the developer was able to change the game from a controller-based title to a touch-enabled game.

Build is Microsoft’s developer-facing show, so it’s obvious that it wants to inspire studios to use its services in a similar manner. The software company is putting a lot of effort into its ecosystem, and Project Spark is a good example of something that takes full advantage of it.