Microsoft's promise of "three screens and a cloud" back in 2009 might be finally reaching fruition soon. Windows Phone 7.5 introduced a number of important features for mobile gaming, including fast async turn-by-turn support and the ability to resume games across multiple Xbox Live-enabled devices. Sonic the Hedgehog: Episode II appears to be one of the first games to take advantage of these unique capabilities in Windows Phone.

Ken Balough, a manager on the latest Sonic game, has revealed that Windows Phone users will be able to play Sonic the Hedgehog: Episode II on the go and then resume where they left off from their Xbox 360 console. Balough is a huge fan of this functionality, stating that it's "a really cool thing Microsoft has going between the devices." The game, expected to mark the conclusion of the Sonic 4 saga, will also make its way to PlayStation 3, iOS, Android, and PC — although it's not clear if there'll be additional ways to resume games across platforms.

With Windows 8, Windows Phone, and Xbox 360 all sharing the same Metro style interface, it feels like Microsoft will attempt to unite all three with a similar codebase for games and apps developers in future. Although it has been a few years since Microsoft's original vision, games like Sonic the Hedgehog: Episode II prove that it's nearing reality.