微软Windows Phone 7还不能算是个成功的手机平台，目前WP7手机出货量仅200万部。与此同时，诺基亚却在2010卖出了4.6亿部手机，占全球智能手机市场的31%。这也正是为何诺基亚与WP7联姻的消息引起业内围观的原因所在，它们的结合对双方公司来说都是件大事。

nokia-windows-phone-7

那么对手机游戏玩家和开发商来说，这两者的联手又有什么重大意义呢？

据游戏邦了解，这个消息的好处在于，微软拥有强大的游戏资源和功能，WP7又绑定了Xbox Live在线服务，所以这个平台对游戏开发商来说是个十分理想的选择。

从手机游戏用户，尤其是非iPhone用户的角度来看，诺基亚与微软实在是天作之合。

微软可以提供强大的软件，而诺基亚则可制造强悍的硬件设备，从高端到实用型的手机产品应用尽有，而且这些手机还有可能连接到Xbox Live，绑定Xbox游戏，联合进行市场推广活动。

除此之外，这些手机还有可能同时访问微软Marketplace和诺基亚Ovi Store这两个应用商店，并使用运营商计费系统而非信用卡为游戏产品买单，总之一切皆有可能。

不过游戏邦认为，对手机游戏领域来说，诺基亚与WP7的合作最值得期待的是，究竟有多少智能手机将运行Windows Phone手机游戏。

因为WP7手机用户明显不足，所以现阶段的开发商很难通过该平台创收，这也正是iPhone为何成为开发商首选平台，Android平台则成为他们投入广告赞助版免费游戏的原因所在。

总之，诺基亚与微软的联姻显然有助于扩大Windows Phones手机的销量，从而让该平台成为开发商销售游戏的好去处。由此看来，苹果和谷歌这次真的遇到劲敌了。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

Why Nokia’s Microsoft deal is great news for mobile gaming

Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 has been a critical success, but with only 2 million devices shipped it isn’t yet a commercial success.

Meanwhile, Nokia sold 460 million phones in 2010, and has 31 per cent of the global smartphone market.

That’s why Nokia saying it’s using the Windows Phone operating system for its future smartphones is a big deal for both companies.

Come together

Big deal for them, but what about for mobile gamers and developers?

Well, the good news is that, thanks to Microsoft’s gaming heritage and features such as integration with Xbox Live online services, Windows Phone is great for games and easy for game developers to use too.

In fact, from a pocket gaming point of view, especially for non-iPhone users, the link up between Nokia and Microsoft is the best thing that could have happened.

Microsoft provides great software while Nokia makes great handsets, ranging from high-end to the affordable, all of which will now gain access to Xbox Live, Xbox tie-in games, and joint marketing.

Throw in a combined app store – phones will have access to Microsoft’s Marketplace and the Ovi Store – and operator billing, so the price of games is added to your phone bill, not your credit card, and there’s massive potential.

A third force

But, perhaps, the most important factor in the whole deal is the sheer number of smartphones that will now be able to run Windows Phone games.

At present, it’s very hard for developers to make money out of Windows Phone 7 because so few people own the phones. That’s why iPhone remains the primary option, with some developers also releasing freemium and ad-supported games on Android.

Combining Nokia and Microsoft will see tens of millions of Windows Phones sold each year, making it a great place for developers to sell games.

Apple and Google finally have some serious competition.（source:pocketgamer）