Engadget demos Madden Coachglass on Xbox One!

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Engadget details and demos Madden's Coach Glass for the Xbox One!

Microsoft and EA's CoachGlass Madden app for Xbox One lets you act as a defensive coordinator

By Edgar Alvarez posted Oct 8th, 2013 at 9:00 AM 0

At this year's E3, EA briefly mentioned that we would see a Madden 25 integration of sorts with SmartGlass in the near future, but that's as much as the gaming developer was willing to share back then. Now, some four months after the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2013 took place, EA Sports and Microsoft are finally prepared to show off what they've been working on. Meet CoachGlass. The aptly named companion app, which is an Xbox One exclusive, uses SmartGlass to connect with Madden 25 and allow users to control defensive plays during a game via smartphone or tablet. Essentially, CoachGlass lets players take over the role of a defensive coordinator, allowing them to handle all the play-calling and recommending formations it believes will be successful against the rival offense.

Obviously, it's easy to see how this took a cue from the renowned "Ask Madden" feature. However, CoachGlass differentiates itself by resorting to data collected from the Madden community, as well as recently used plays, to make its suggestions. Better yet, it also pinpoints who the opposing team's biggest offensive threats are, while "Track Tendencies" displays whether the squad you're up against prefers to throw or pass the football in most situations. EA tells us that as more people get to playing its popular NFL title, the recommended plays will become more efficient, since it'll show ones which have been successful for other gamers around the world.

Is it easier to use the sticks? Perhaps. But CoachGlass is all about the experience, really -- think about it, you can have a friend calling the plays on defense while you take care of business on offense. Just don't forget the popular saying: "Offense wins games, defense wins championships." When the Xbox One arrives next month, CoachGlass is set to be compatible with SmartGlass-friendly platforms such as iOS, Android and, naturally, Windows 8. For now, check out our video below to see the Madden 25 application in action.​



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Xbox One Game changer!

http://www.insidemobileapps.com/2013/10/08/madden-25s-coachglass-app-is-an-xbox-one-game-changer/

With millions of sports gamers debating the differences between the upcoming Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles, EA Sports is teaming with Microsoft to offer an exclusive second screen app called CoachGlass that should send Madden fans making a mad dash toward the One.
Utilizing CoachGlass, gamers will be able to use their tablets or smartphones to help strategize against opponents, almost like becoming a computerized defensive coordinator. You’ll be able see your opponent’s offensive strategies as the game plays out, complete with previous play calls, and even player tendencies per formation.
Seriously, this is the type of next-gen technology Madden fans have been begging for, and the fact that it’s exclusive to Microsoft’s new system, could really help swing the console race, especially considering that EA Sports’ Madden NFL 25 is expected to be one of the best-selling games when the two systems launch in November.

Here’s a quick breakdown of how CoachGlass works:

As soon as your opponent picks a play, CoachGlass will give you three recommended defenses based on tendencies, formation, and personnel straight to your tablet or smartphone. The recommendations aren’t just based on pre-programmed Madden A.I., however, as the details on how to stop the offense will be based off of tens of thousands of online games. The information you receive gives you the specific defensive formations and plays that work best to shut down your opponent. Once you select your defensive play (simply tap the touchscreen), you’re then given a quick breakdown of the offense’s biggest threats on the field so you know who to focus on out of their called formation. And with all of this info constantly updated throughout the game, you’ll see the recommendations change as the percentages of success also change depending on how the calls actually play out.

And the information gamers receive through the app is truly amazing, showing, for example, out of the bunch formation, the percentage your opponent passes compared to runs, while also breaking down what side of the field the quarterback tends to throw to (left, right, middle), in addition to whether they prefer to pass the ball short, medium, or long.
But that’s not all, as you can also quickly scroll through the last 64 plays your opponent has called in the game, enabling you to not only know what formations you need to work on stopping in the future, but what plays are working so next time you’re playing as that team (or that team’s playbook), you’ll know a few calls of your own you can make in order to find success.
CoachGlass is also a fun new way to play co-op, as one person can play the game with the controller on the TV, while the second player calls the plays and tracks the trends using the tablet or smartphone. This is a way to not only really get down and dirty in the details, but is also a great first step to teaching strategy to younger football fans who want to learn more about formations and play types.

And with CoachGlass working across all play modes (excluding practice), I can already see this becoming a natural fit into the Madden universe, and might just be the coolest innovation the series has seen since the Hit Stick. With so many back-of-the-box features debuting and disappearing every year, this is one of those sticky-type tools I think will be around for years to come. It’s already an extremely useful feature year one, and with the second screen technology continuing to advance, this is one of those features that should just continue to improve as the years go on.
If you’re a sports fan, this is the type of innovation that should make the Xbox One jump to the top of your holiday wish list, especially if this is just a hint of SmartGlass features to come with the new console.

Who knows, maybe the next Rob Ryan will get their first taste of defensive strategy thanks to Madden 25 and CoachGlass. It’s the type of feature that’s not only teaching you the knowledge necessary to improve your video game skills, but it’s teaching you advanced football IQ that translates from polygons to real life.
 
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Yep now this is something that makes sense for second screen type experiences.
 
Seems like the 2nd screen is really going to be a defining feature of the next gen. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing yet, but I'm excited to find out.
 
Ok, I was going to cancel my madden pre-order, but I think Im going to keep it.
 
This is a nice implementation of Smartglass. It can help the casual player have an idea what to pick and it is a quicker option for the experience player to make changes without jumping through a lot of menus.
 
This would be great just for playing against each other in the same room so you wouldn't have any idea what the other guy was doing.
 
Have yet to see anything that excites me about Smart Glass. I predict it will be the next gen feature gimmick for the first year and then will disappear into obscurity. It is a yawn that MS is desperately pushing to try and separate themselves from the competition only Sony now has their own "connect" app for the PS4.
 
You know, this could be HUGE with online multiplayer games on Madden.You could have a squad of about three of your mates on each team with controllers, and the fourth could be your defense/offense coordinator on the tablet, playing against a similar team setup online somewhere across the world.

FOR THE RECORD:
I don't see this going away any time soon.
 
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no freaking wonder 2K and EA are not showing us freaking gameplay footage of their nextgen games...it looks like current gen during actual gameplay. Also I don't see the point of this feature. Why the hell do I want to be holding a controller and a tablet at the same time to call plays? it looks like to much of a hassle and I would stick with just the controller.
 
no freaking wonder 2K and EA are not showing us freaking gameplay footage of their nextgen games...it looks like current gen during actual gameplay. Also I don't see the point of this feature. Why the hell do I want to be holding a controller and a tablet at the same time to call plays? it looks like to much of a hassle and I would stick with just the controller.

This feature will also work with any Windows 8 laptop so you don't have to be holding a tablet and a controller for this to work. I keep my laptop open next to me when I am playing a game.