NEW: Users with Windows Phone 7 handsets will be able to access their friends lists, game library and Xbox Live messages.Microsoft will launch more and more games for mobile phones running its Windows Phone 7 operating system as the year goes on, unveiling 73 launch titles that integrate with the existing console service in one way or another.
Included in the roster are mobile versions of popular casual games Uno, Puzzle Quest 2,Bejeweled, and Flight Control, as well as more traditional console fare such as Assassin's Creed,Castlevania, Guitar Hero 5, and the blockbuster Halo series.
Integration with Xbox Live means that those with Windows Phone 7 handsets will be able to access their friends lists, game library, and Xbox Live messages.
Also included are leaderboard rankings and a cumulative, personal Gamerscore that can be increased via PC, Xbox 360, and mobile phone games that work with the Xbox Live service.
Latest estimates for Windows Phone 7's release indicate an October launch is most likely for European users, with United States joining in by November, though Microsoft has refrained from naming specific dates or, indeed, confirming anything beyond the 2010 holiday period.
Having elected to stand back from the handheld console market while Nintendo and Sony battled it out with their DS and PSP platforms, Microsoft looks well poised to leapfrog its console competitors, but face a tough challenge cutting through the established enthusiasm for Apple and Android handsets.
Given the buzz enjoyed by the iPhone 4 since its June release in the United States, and Google's march into the game space with its browser-based Web Store also targeting October, Microsoft need to come up with something special to cement its presence in the mobile entertainment sector - this could be just the foot in the door that it needs
