Microsoft Windows Phone 7: Game On

Microsoft is showing off 50 video game titles that will run with Windows Phone 7, including such popular titles as "Assassins Creed" and "Guitar Hero 5," in a move the company hopes will make the upcoming mobile operating system more attractive to the gaming set.

Microsoft is counting on the games, along with its integration with the Xbox Live online gaming service, to boost the popularity of Windows Phone 7 when it debuts later this year.

Microsoft made the announcement Monday at the Gamescon 2010 gaming conference taking place this week in Cologne, Germany.

Microsoft is playing catch-up in the mobile operating system arena where Windows Mobile, the current version of the vendor's mobile operating system, lags behind leaders Symbian and Research In Motion, and even more recent entrants Android and Apple's iPhone OS.

But Microsoft has said that a number of handset manufacturers, including LG and Samsung, have committed to building Windows Phone 7 into their products.

Earlier this month Microsoft launched a Web site to recruit third-party developers to build applications for Windows Phone 7.

The links with the Xbox Live portal will allow users of mobile devices that run Windows Phone 7 to log into their Xbox Live accounts and play such games as "Age of Zombies" and "Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst." They also can earn achievements, keep track of their gamerscore and update their avatar through their phone.

Microsoft said the 50 video games it announced Monday at Gamescon, which it described as a mix of new and familiar titles, will be available for Windows Phone 7 when the operating system ships or shortly thereafter -- all in time for the holiday shopping season. The company also promised that additional titles are in the works for Windows Phone 7.

Microsoft said its internal research shows that 80 percent of video gamers in the U.S. already have a smartphone or will purchase one this year, and that one-quarter of the spending on video games is spent on mobile gaming.