XnaGameStudioExpress
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WiiWare paves the way for homemade Wii games
In a move that's sure to delight the literally millions of Wii owners out there, Nintendo has announced that it will be offering a development platform which will allow almost anyone to create games that can be downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel. Like Microsoft's XNA Game Studio Express before it, the so called WiiWare service gives at-home developers the tools to create content playable with those magical controllers, meaning that many of the strange and disturbing concept titles we've seen may actually come to fruition starting next year. Since no one wants to sit around coding for free (except for, you know, the entire open source community), Nintendo will allow devs to sell their wares to the public -- "reducing barriers to entry," as the economists say, while giving gamers a potentially endless source of cheap and innovative content. Just remember, Nintendo, when you gift the masses with the power to create, you're definitely not gonna like all of their creations.[Via Joystiq]
XNA contest will be making dreams come true
As part of Microsoft's GDC announcements, Microsoft will be partnering with numerous other companies to jumpstart XNA community development by starting a contest. The Dream-Build-Play contest will be offering over $40,000 in cash and prizes, where the grand prize winner will not only bank $10,000, but will also have the opportunity to bring their creation to the XBLA. Also announced was the future release of XBLA game Schizoid, the first game ever created using XNA Game Studio Express and released to the arcade. To sign up for the Dream-Build-Play contest, read the official rules, and get your feet wet make the jump or read the full press release after the break. Just curious, do we have any fanboys who are working on a XNA game project and are willing to share the details?
The state of Xbox 360 homebrew
Joseph Molnar, who recently informed us of magical Video Marketplace downloads that don't expire, is back again with an interesting article on the current state of Xbox 360 homebrew. Posted on his blog, the Pensive Gamer, the article is the third in a series dedicated to the homebrew scene on each new gen console (guess which systems the first two articles were about). The piece, naturally, centers on XNA. Molnar notes that there are many things that make the Xbox 360 attractive to homebrewers, most notably that Microsoft itself is aiding the homebrew scene with tools like XNA Game Studio Express. As it stands though, the homebrew aspect of the Xbox 360 certainly isn't without its faults. There are a few quibbles about feature support, but the most obvious barrier to homebrewers is the price. In order to run code on a 360, you must have a subscription to the Creators Club, which runs at $49 for three months or $99 a year. Before 360 homebrew can reach a mass market and attain wide acceptance, Microsoft will have to address this and other issues, especially if they plan to deliver the oft promised "YouTube for games."Remember folks, YouTube is huge for two reasons: it's user friendly and it's free. What would you like to see added to the Xbox homebrew scene? What could Microsoft do to improve it?
Microsoft releases XNA Game Studio Express
Microsoft's been talking this one up for some time now, but XNA Game Studio Express, the so-called "YouTube for games," has finally hit the big 1.0 and is now available for would-be game designers everywhere to get their hands dirty with. The software is a trimmed down version of the company's full-fledged XNA game devleopment platform, based on Visual C# Express and able to run on a standard Windows PC (XP for now, Vista later). The YouTube analogy is, of course, a bit of an overstatement as you'll need some honest-to-goodness programming skills to actually create something resembling a game. While the core software is available as a free download, to get the most out of it you'll have to sign up for the XNA Creators Club, which will run you $49 for a four month subscription or $99 for an annual sub through Xbox Live Marketplace. In addition to letting you play user-created games on an Xbox 360, it'll also give you access to a library of game assests, as well as sample products, white papers, and technical support. If you need an added incentive, Microsoft's also announced the "Dream-Build-Play" game design competition, though the only details they're providing at the moment are that you can win "fantastic prizes" and "global envy." Funny, we thought you needed a PS3 for that.
XNA Studio Express beta 2 announced
Following the release of the XNA Game Studio Express beta at the end of August, the XNA Team blog -- guys, put some pictures up or something, seriously -- has announced the XNA Game Studio Express beta 2. For those that don't know, XNA Game Studio Express is the free, hobbyist programming suite that makes creating your own games a snap. This suite also promises the ability to run code on an Xbox 360. The idea is to bring back the days when two people in their garage could make and sell a game. Microsoft hopes to one day put user created games on Xbox Live Arcade, for example. The new beta promises to incorporate many features requested during the first beta. Expect new details in the coming weeks. Do we have any programmers out there? Have you put together any games with XNA? Send us a link and we'll check 'em out.[Via Let's Kill Dave]
XNA Game Studio Express FAQ not entirely worthless
Ever since Microsoft announced their intentions to open up the stage and let any tonedeaf buffoon grab a microphone and engage in the game developing equivalent of drunken karaoke, gamers and hobbyists have been asking questions. Frequently. That's largely the reason the delectable acronym sandwich and informative document, XNA Game Studio Express FAQ, exists for all to peruse and to briefly summarize on video game blogs. The important questions with matching answers:What's in the XNA Game Studio Express package? We'll tell you. XNA Game Studio Express is comprised of the XNA Framework, a stash of managed code development libraries which is intended to increase productivity, and the XNA Framework Content Pipeline, a collection of tools designed to aid in adding 3D content to games. Included documentation, how-to's and starter-kits help you come to grips with the basics.Can I make a commercial Xbox 360 game with it?Only if said game is actually about commercials, possibly a Joe in the Fast Lane take on the exciting life of a marketing mastermind. In fewer words: no. You can sell Game Studio Express titles for Windows, but you'll need Game Studios Professional (available next Spring) to hawk your goods on the Xbox 360. Isn't this just another annual Xbox 360 fee I have to pay?You and your entitlement complex don't have to do anything. XNA Game Studio Express for Windows is free. If you want to create, share and play custom Xbox 360 games, however, you need to sign up to a "Creator's Club" subscription through Marketplace for $99 annually or $49 for four months. It's your choice.Speaking of choice, I just switched to Mac OSX.No.I haven't even asked the question yet!XNA Game Studio Express will only be available on the Windows and Xbox 360 platforms.
Microsoft planning "YouTube" for games
User-created games are nothing new, but now that they've got a nice Web 2.0 buzzword to glom onto, maybe they can amount to something. Microsoft is developing a new app to allow hobbyists to build their very own playable titles for Xbox Live. The program, called XNA Game Studio Express, will cost $99 a year, and will be available for Windows XP and Vista. Apparently the toolset is a heavily trimmed down version of the one available to actual developers, and will still require at least basic programming skills, but users will own their work. Peter Moore calls it "our first step of creating a YouTube for videogames." He also added "I'd love to send a royalty cheque to a kid," but we'll believe that when we see it. It doesn't sound like anything incredibly complicated will be possible with the system, but if YouTube video bloggers are any indication, you don't need snazzy effects -- or necessarily talent -- to make it big on the Internet.
