Microsoft’s XNA in-depth

What’s great about this console generation is the amount of support that the console makers are giving to the end users when it comes to development. After the fiasco of PSP firmware updates, Sony decided to keep their platform open by supporting Linux. Microsoft, on the other hand, went a different way and created a totally new platform for the 360 which gave power to amateur developers.

The difference between the two was that Sony supported Linux, which meant that the end-users already had a huge repository of applications, while Microsoft created XNA, a totally new platform. On paper, Sony’s decision of going with Linux seemed much more clever, since there were Linux applications for just about every purpose.

Even though my primary reason for buying the PS3 would be Linux, if I had to choose between the amateur-developer support between the two companies, I’d go with Microsoft. Shocked? Read on…

Read on after the jump. Click on the “Full Article” link below.

What’s great about this console generation is the amount of support that the console makers are giving to the end users when it comes to development. After the fiasco of PSP firmware updates, Sony decided to keep their platform open by supporting Linux. Microsoft, on the other hand, went a different way and created a totally new platform for the 360 which gave power to amateur developers.

The difference between the two was that Sony supported Linux, which meant that the end-users already had a huge repository of applications, while Microsoft created XNA, a totally new platform. On paper, Sony’s decision of going with Linux seemed much more clever, since there were Linux applications for just about every purpose.

Even though my primary reason for buying the PS3 would be Linux, if I had to choose between the amateur-developer support between the two companies, I’d go with Microsoft. Shocked? Read on…

With PS3 Linux, Sony simply dumped a set of drivers and applications so that people could get it running. There was no other form of support. Sure, third parties like Terrasoft do sell support, it’s only if you BUY their operating system. Microsoft instead decided to give almost official recognition to all homebrew games. Everyone who spends $99 to get into the Creators’ Club not only gets the chance of developing for the 360, but they also get a huge repository of code, models, textures and other samples. Plus, you have companies like Rare who have been giving out samples for XNA development. Another site that comes to mind is Turbo Squid which has built a seperate section specially for XNA. Again, it offers a lot of resources for budding developers.

So while Sony expects the developers to do all the hard-work which  includes learning to code for the Cell, Microsoft and other companies are going to help you and support you at every step. Not unexpected really; Microsoft’s support for developers on the PC has always been good.

Alright, now Gamasutra had a great chance to speak with Dave Mitchell, Director of Marketing for Microsoft’s Game Developer Group. What follows is a list of important things which were spoken about.

The buzzword was Youtube, and the 15 minutes of fame which it gave to the people. Microsoft are trying to emulate the success of Youtube here, though in a different field. The great thing is the recognition which you’d get if you were to make a great game. The other great thing was the portability of code between the Xbox360 and Windows. All your XNA homebrew would run on the Xbox360 and Windows.

One really important thing which he spoke about was a revenue model for the developers. Obviously, when you make a great game, you’d expect to be paid something in return. And yes, Microsoft is concentrating on that aspect. Though nothing has been finalised yet, they have said that if the game is really good, they would be happy to distribute it officially via Xbox Live Arcade and give you a cut out of every download. The great thing for the end users here is that it could mean more content through Xbox Live arcade, which has been going slow lately.

The XNA platform download for the Xbox360 will be about 10MB, but it will require you to have the hard-disk. Another important thing is that while you have to be a member of the Creators’ Club to even check out others’ games, Microsoft is looking to opening up the download side to everyone. My guess is that they make it a pay-to-play for non-Creators’ Club members. This way, the developers can expect to get a lot of money if the final product is good. It will happen in 2007 though, so we must wait until the new year. Better integration with Live has been promised too.

The final, and the most important advantage with XNA is the ability to use all the hardware of the Xbox360, including the graphics chip, which means that if you have the expertise to code, you will be able to make full fledged 3D games with 1080p output and advanced graphics effects like HDR, lens flare and much more.