GDC: MS releases XNA tools, opens Xbox Live
by Christopher Grant 
{ Mar 20th 2006 at 2:45PM }
After being announced by J Allard at GDC two years ago (and again last year), Microsoft unveiled their XNA framework this morning, kicking off this year's GDC event. The tools are designed to streamline the development process, and facilitate porting of titles from the Windows environment to the 360 and vice-versa.
They've also announced that they're opening their Xbox Live Server Platform to publishers and developers. It appears this will allow game developers to add more functionality into their Live implementation and "can also be used to support the creation of massively multiplayer online game worlds." What's that? MMOs? A response to Blizzard COO Paul Sams' criticism that the Xbox Live is a "walled garden" or was that obfuscation until a real announcement can be made?
This announcement is ostensibly in lieu of a keynote from Redmond this year, and the raison d’être for Wednesday's blogger's breakfast with Peter Moore and Chris Satchell (GM of Game Developer Group... the XNA guys).
UPDATE: If you're really curious, you can check out the presentation, via Major Nelson. He also teases, "...the XNA team will be making some announcements. They are starting to trickle out... plus I am told more ‘wickedly cool tech’ news will happen later this week once the event kicks off and they start showing demos." Tip of the iceberg?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Cheatah @ Mar 20th 2006 2:58PM
Its very possible that WOW could and will be ported now to xbox 360. Not that id play it anyways its sorta lame, I get bored easily of MMORPGs. Yet, it is good potential for XBOX 360.
Enigma @ Mar 20th 2006 3:05PM
WoW is a "Walled Garden".
All the invisible walls everywhere so your set to follow paths. *chuckle*
With criticism from devs and pubs, and Sony's open architecture for this. Who didnt see this coming?
It can only benefit gamers everywhere.
Progz @ Mar 20th 2006 3:05PM
Sound kick ass! :)
soundboy64 @ Mar 20th 2006 3:17PM
Will this finally mean cross platform gaming between 360 and windows? and also give 360 users the option of keyboard mouse?
BPMΩ @ Mar 20th 2006 3:32PM
I have a question, that isn't completely related to this:
What is the deal with Microsoft's obsession with the letter "X"? :S
LunarDuality @ Mar 20th 2006 3:41PM
@ BPMΩ
Don't you know? It's the X-factor.
slow news day @ Mar 20th 2006 3:43PM
It seemed logical Microsoft would eventually provide tools to facilitate easier development/transition between PCs and their gaming console. Microsoft's strength has always been software.
watership @ Mar 20th 2006 3:53PM
>What is the deal with Microsoft's obsession with the >letter "X"? :S
I think that goes back to Direct X. Direct X made games programing work with Windows rather than just making DOS games which wrote directly to the hardware.
knight37 @ Mar 20th 2006 3:57PM
Is it just me, or does that J Allard guy look a lot like Paul Shaffer from Letterman? Are we sure they're not indeed one and the same persons? Has anyone ever seen them in the same room together?
Gonzo @ Mar 20th 2006 4:11PM
Yea
At first computers had nothing but crap applications, game wise. At some point ( I don't know when) they surpassed the consoles. As much as I love the boxes, cubes, and stations, they never quite top a real expensively upgraded computer.
What I've always wanted to see (in my fantasy world of course) is a vg console that you can install pc games onto. If I could install Dawn of War, Unreal Tournament 04, and Sims2 onto a next gen system, I could save over half the cost of my next computer.
The Bus @ Mar 20th 2006 4:22PM
I'm still wondering if and how MS's Xbox team has opened up Live's "web API" so to speak. Having sites like http://www.mygamercard.net/ or Major Nelson's comparison script (http://www.majornelson.com/) would be cool but AFAIK it's not heavily promoted anywhere. I could be wrong.
SuicideNinja @ Mar 20th 2006 4:30PM
Microsoft seems to be doing better with their products. Hopefully Windows Vista/Office 2k7 will be the versions we've always wanted.
I am curious to see how horrible the PS3's Linux will be. If Sony messed with any distribution, it can't possibly be worth anything. However, if it is useful, one has to wonder if we'll see Windows 360. That would mess up the PC market...
It's good to see the idea of streamlining cross-over. Especially for someone like me who refuses to game on a PC unless necessary. This can only be positive for game publishers.
dsub @ Mar 20th 2006 4:46PM
the X is just simple old marketing tactics. This is the same reason sony called there handheld the PSP. It's called brand recognition. MS wants there console/gaming divison, and everything that has to do with it to be sonomous with "X". Just as sony has named everything after playstation.
Master X 24 @ Mar 20th 2006 5:23PM
great now games like WOW can come to the 360 but i really dont care cuz i dont play MMOS i just a fanboy of xbox
Brandon @ Mar 20th 2006 5:36PM
Do they really just want to be known as a poor man's pc gaming rig? I mean, it sounds nice in theory, but the xbox had already been accostumed to pc ports, most of which were subpar to their pc counterparts. It just makes me wonder why this is such a good move other than artificially inflating their game library with games that people can already get elswhere?
ymmv @ Mar 20th 2006 6:22PM
XNA is a lot more than just a set of cross platform development tools to create PC and Xbox 360 versions in one go. It also makes managing assets and creating builds a lot easier and faster, plus it helps artists, developers and producers work more effectively together. I bet a lot of game development studios would be interested in those features even if they'd no intention of creating PC games but only console gaemes.
uglypimp @ Mar 20th 2006 6:23PM
"Do they really just want to be known as a poor man's pc gaming rig? I mean, it sounds nice in theory, but the xbox had already been accostumed to pc ports, most of which were subpar to their pc counterparts. It just makes me wonder why this is such a good move other than artificially inflating their game library with games that people can already get elswhere?"
Ports sell because many people don't own multiple systems. And as far as I remember, there were many more xbox -> pc ports than vice versa.
XNA is an approach to allow developers to collaborate more effeciently between porting between the 360 and the PC. Hopefully if it delivers in reducing the amount of time developers spend on project management we'll see better and better ports in the future.
Ports will never die, only the tools they use for them.
DjHyjak @ Mar 20th 2006 8:47PM
pc gamers always act as if they have it better, truth is
Doom didnt look any better to me then it did on my xbox, and it sucked on both anyway. Its the PC gamer way of thinking thats messin up video games anyway. The need to upgrade all the time instead of improve game play is why we have a premature next gen race going on. and why Nintendo just may get back on top(tho im not feeling the controler)
chudgoo @ Mar 20th 2006 10:57PM
Gonzo...
As a PC gamer for nearly 20 years I can say with the fuggin ultimate authority that PC gaming has almost always been 3-5 years ahead of consoles. (long before DirectX or OpenGL PC games were pulling off amazing feats of graphical superiority)
Now the important aspect to consider is the originality of the games and consoles win that particular race hands down. PCs had no Sonic or Mario....instead Commander Keen. Unfortunately FMV games dominated for too long around the time that the "MPC" rated computers were being sold...likely for their "OMFG! I can't believe the realism!" that "Dragons Lair" ushered into the arcades about a decade earlier)
That said, DirectX/OpenGL have made things much better for PCs and apparently the console experience is about to get a whole lot better thanks to said technologies as well!