DailyTech - Microsoft Releases XBOX Development Tools Beta for Hobbyists

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Software Microsoft Releases XBOX Development Tools Beta for Hobbyists
Chris Peredun - August 30, 2006 1:45 PM

16 comment(s) - last by pixelslave.. on Sep 15 at 3:07 PM

Free development tools encourage user-created games on Windows and Xbox

With the rising popularity of sites such as YouTube, MySpace, and YTMND, Microsoft's XNA Game Studio looks to capitalize on the desire of the end-user to see their own dream game brought to life on their computer or home console.

DailyTech earlier reported on Microsoft's upcoming development framework for hobbyists, XNA Game Studio. Today, Microsoft released the first public beta of XNA Game Studio Express.

XNA Game Studio Express provides a set of cross-platform libraries and development tools for creating games for Windows XP, Vista and the XBOX 360 console. The current beta is targeted for Windows only, and requires Windows XP SP2 according to the official Microsoft requirements. The current beta allows for development of PC games only, but the final release, scheduled for a release "this holiday season" will allow developers to join the "XNA Creator's Club" for a $99/year membership fee. Joining the "Creator's Club" will allow aspiring game designers to build, test, and distribute their games on the XBOX 360 console. Microsoft has previously stated that no modifications will be required to a retail-boxed XBOX 360 to allow it to run XNA-built games.

Beta 1 of XNA Game Studio Express also includes a sample game "Spacewar" with source code, so that novice developers can start modifying an existing code base rather than have to build from scratch.

Installing the public beta of XNA Express requires Visual C# 2005 Express Edition, which is also available for free from the Microsoft website.

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I might try this...

By therealnickdanger on 8/30/2006 2:28:39 PM , Rating: 2

I have exactly ZERO programming experience (unless you count HTML and VBA scripts - which my even mentioning those might brand me more of a nub than I think I am). I would like to give it a shot though, I've always wanted to make my own games, so this could be a sweet way for me to learn. Go Microsoft!

RE: I might try this...

By Trisped on 8/30/2006 2:46:22 PM , Rating: 2

Same here (except I also know C++, Assembly, VB, and am learning Java). Anyone want to start a mod group?

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RE: I might try this...

By MrDiSante on 8/31/2006 9:58:28 AM , Rating: 2

... So let me get this straight, you know the two most commonly programmed-in languages and you know Assembly on top of that. But you barely know any programming. I don't get you.

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RE: I might try this...

By pixelslave on 9/15/2006 3:07:41 PM , Rating: 2

You need to read the first message of the thread. The keyword is "experience". One can know many programming language, but still has no experience.

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RE: I might try this...

By BladeVenom on 8/30/2006 4:10:28 PM , Rating: 2

If you want an easy way to make simple games check out Game Maker. www.gamemaker.nl MS should make something like that for the XBox.

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RE: I might try this...

By Samus on 8/31/2006 5:40:11 PM , Rating: 2

The XNA Devkit is a lot like GM, actually.

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Just checking

By CU on 8/30/2006 3:00:56 PM , Rating: 2

So, you can use this to create games for Windows for free, but to create games for the xbox 360 you have to pay $99/year correct.

RE: Just checking

By smilingcrow on 8/30/2006 3:54:39 PM , Rating: 2

It might be that you’ll be able to host your Xbox360 masterpieces on the Xbox360Live (or whatever it’s called) site. So they want to charge you for the privilege of uploading and downloading your own and other peoples’ creations to & from the site.
Or maybe MS are feeling sorry for Sony and trying to find a way to bump up the price of the Xbox360 experience.

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RE: Just checking

By Hypernova on 8/30/2006 5:34:53 PM , Rating: 2

I think they will also host your game for distribution, so just think of it like paying for a high preformance web hosting service (Which for 99$/year isn't much).

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Title is misleading (as in "blatantly wrong")

By ET on 8/31/2006 3:09:58 AM , Rating: 2

The beta release is specifically *not* for XBox 360 development. It's for PC development. Only the final release (which should be at the end of the year) will support XBox development.

RE: Title is misleading (as in "blatantly wrong")

By PrinceGaz on 8/31/2006 5:58:25 AM , Rating: 2

Incorrect. Although the current release only allows created games to run on Windows, a future version will allow those same games to run on an XB360, so this version does allow you to develop games for the XB360 but you are currently limited to testing them on a PC.

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RE: Title is misleading (as in "blatantly wrong")

By ET on 8/31/2006 10:36:13 AM , Rating: 2

Okay, so maybe "blatantly" was a bit too strong. You're still getting just a PC tool, whose programs you'd need to adapt to the XBox 360. It shouldn't be a major deal, but what you write right now won't run as is on the XBox.

Not to mention that even the release version, as currently defined, will only allow you to share XBox 360 games in source code forms with other developers.

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Forget games

By OrSin on 8/30/2006 3:25:03 PM , Rating: 2

I would like to see mod be able to be added to games.
Even if its user created context I bet MS would find a way to sell it. They could sell it though the market plays like they do now, but it would be user content.. Would you pay $2-5 to add a few user greater maps to your favorite game or even some inferace mod they made for oblivion. Whole games would be hard but mods would be sweet.

You got love MS's sneak attacks against Sony

By PAPutzback on 8/30/2006 4:24:36 PM , Rating: 2

Give out cheap tools to developers, they make games, MS lets them post their games, one becomes popular and get downloaded for a few credits and MS makes money on both ends. It used to be developers got paid to make games. NExt thing you know there is a game development course available. The school buys 360's MS makes mroe money, we get a larger base of 360 developers, In a few years 360 games are coming out faster than Sony can put movies on their Blu-ray player. MS pwns Sony flat out.

wow

By iwonthealu on 9/8/2006 9:23:16 AM , Rating: 2

now microsoft has hit a new low...letting just about anyone create a game? thats just stupid...the apocolypse of video games is coming upon us all...they should leave the game creating to people that have atleast a decent amount of experience in that field...next thing thats coming is video games being put into play by middle school kids...im gonna have to take all the games i have and treasure them now

Firefox Port

By MrDiSante on 8/31/2006 10:00:30 AM , Rating: 1

How long till soemoen makes one? Shouldn't be that difficult to port it from Vista (the libraries are fairly similar although the architecture isn't...)