Build the next generation of games for Windows, Xbox 360 and Zune
Most of you must know of the Xbox 360 and am sure that most of you must also know that you can develop your own games for Windows and Xbox 360 using the Microsoft Game Studio (If not please check out the XNA Developer Center on MSDN and XNA Creators Club website). Yesterday the XNA Community Games Platform team announced that XNA Game Studio 3.0 will also enable developers to build games for the Zune platform. This will let you write one game and deploy it to all three platforms that XNA Game Studio 3.0 will support: the Xbox 360, Windows, and now the Zune. While the Zune lacks the 3D graphics horsepower to drive high-end games like you can on the Xbox 360, the XNA Framework APIs will allow you to create fun Zune games while still letting you integrate carefully with the overall Zune media experience. You will be able to discover/access the user’s music – allow the user to customize background soundtracks or create real-time visualizations at their discretion. In addition, the XNA Community Games Platform team has announced the ability to have multiple Zunes wirelessly engage in an ad-hoc gaming experience (think of the possibilities!).
So what are you waiting for. Stop developing those boring Windows and Web projects and start developing some cool games. To all those who are ne to Game Development I would suggest the following approach –
- Go to the Education section of the XNA Creators Club – Read the instructions and download and install XNA Game Studio 2.0
- Read all the articles in the tutorials section. Start with the Beginner's Guide to XNA Game Studio.
- Read the Articles listed under the Articles section for additional topics.
- Download these new samples and starter kits to jumpstart your experience and to help learn about the new features available in XNA Game Studio 2.0.
If you get stuck please visit the XNA Forums.