Microsoft to offer cheap Xbox 360 game development kit

[dukmahsik]

March 21, 2006 2:40 PM PST
SAN JOSE, Calif.--Since last spring when the Xbox 360 was first announced, one of the biggest concerns was that it would be too expensive for most game developers to create games for the next-generation console.

In the end, it's hard to judge whether those concerns were valid, since the Xbox launched with a pretty solid lineup of games. However, almost all of those games were published by the big dogs of the industry: Electronic Arts, Activision, Sega and the like. Not so many mom and pop-type development shops were in the mix.

But at the Game Developers Conference here on Tuesday, the rumor is that Microsoft plans on announcing Wednesday a developers kit that would make it possible for anyone to build games for the console, or for PCs, and that the kit will cost only about $100.

http://news.com.com/2061-10797_3-6052255.html

 

[Inane_Dork]

Xbox or Xbox 360? I can't imagine MS offering an X360 SDK kit for $100 unless it's vastly less featured than the usual one.

 

[Nicked]

Slightly misleading topic title...or at least very easy to misinterpret.

Anyway, what are we talking about here? I don't think MS is going to release the XDK for $100 (or to 'the mass market' of developers, indy, homebrew etc.). I don't see the benefit to them, honestly. Access to MSDN+XDK are going to remain expensive propositions for a long time. Releasing the toolset without documentation or support is always possible, but pointless.

 

[pegisys]

I think they are talking about the XNA studio which is pretty good

I wonder of they have a XNA express version :smile:

 

[dukmahsik]

Slightly misleading topic title...or at least very easy to misinterpret.

Anyway, what are we talking about here? I don't think MS is going to release the XDK for $100 (or to 'the mass market' of developers, indy, homebrew etc.). I don't see the benefit to them, honestly. Access to MSDN+XDK are going to remain expensive propositions for a long time. Releasing the toolset without documentation or support is always possible, but pointless.

my thread title was taken directly from the report

 

[Trawler]

I'm thinking this will be targetted at Xbox Live Arcade development for the 360. Makes sense to me. Where do I sign up?

 

[mckmas8808]

Isn't that kinda cheap? What do you get with this environment? What are companies like EA and Ubisoft getting that this $100 SDK doesn't have?

 

[LightHeaven]

Isnt the new Torque avaiable with a US$ 100 licence?

Since Torque is ported to 360 MS and Garagegames made a deal to offer an cheap (in terms os cost, not quality) game enviroment to develop cross plataform games.

 

[Guden Oden]

Releasing the toolset without documentation or support is always possible, but pointless.

Don't misunderestimate the homebrew crowd. Just look at what they've done with a number of consoles without any tools or documentation at all. If MS DOES release some sort of SDK for $100, we can all expect great things in the future methinks.

The homebrew community will support itself with web forums and the like just like always. They'll figure things out, just you wait.

 

[one]

I think it's the same news in this thread...
http://www.beyond3d.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29302

 

[Lysander]

100$, that is cheaper then console, i don`t get it

 

[Carl B]

Well, if true we'll be finding out later today supposedly. Good move though if it pans out.

 

[skilzygw]

What does a development kit consist of? Is it software and hardware?

Anyone know what the full blown microsoft kit comes with? I mean do they include prepaid licenses for stuff like Havok engine physics, unreal engine technology etc...

Maybe this one has stripped down features and not full licenses to some of these extras.

 

[pipo]

If it's true it's probably PC (Visual Studio / XNA) based...

 

[a688]

What does a development kit consist of? Is it software and hardware?

Anyone know what the full blown microsoft kit comes with? I mean do they include prepaid licenses for stuff like Havok engine physics, unreal engine technology etc...

Maybe this one has stripped down features and not full licenses to some of these extras.

SDK = Software Development Kit. It sounds like all they are doing is providing basic (Windows based) tools to create programs (games) on the xbox360. It'll probably be like the express versions of Visual Studio which Microsoft is giving away for free compared to the Enterprise versions which cost over a thousand per seat.

 

[Lysander]

If it's true it's probably PC (Visual Studio / XNA) based...

I dont think so, its very hard (impossible?) for pc to emulate x360; you can train on pc for x360, but not really develope games.

 

[Guden Oden]

Um, guy... Just how exactly do you think software for the 360 is developed really?

Of course it's done on PCs. How else would they do it?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

SDK = Software Development Kit. It sounds like all they are doing is providing basic (Windows based) tools to create programs (games) on the xbox360. It'll probably be like the express versions of Visual Studio which Microsoft is giving away for free compared to the Enterprise versions which cost over a thousand per seat.

A full development kit has the hardware too, plus debug and analysis tools. This is essential to maximize the hardware, such as you can't test performance of the XeCPU <> Xenos transport and uses of MEMEXPORT without the hardware. They're not going to make full XDK's widely available as that's a hacker's dream!

I'd agree that this is probably a software emulation, similar to the original alpha kits. As for cost of developing titles, the SDK's are but a drop in the ocean. They might allow homebrew Live! Arcade games, which is a sensible area of development, especially given the extra prominence Indie is getting as their quality improves no end.

 

[Lysander]

Of course it's done on PCs. How else would they do it?

No its not.

 

[Griffith]

for $100 I will buy one..
or two