My review of "Microsoft XNA Unleashed" by Chad Carter. XNA is Microsoft's game development platform for Windows and Xbox 360. This book provides a great introduction to game development with XNA, covering key concepts like componentization and game components/services. It also touches upon physics and AI. While the book is light on visuals and the AI chapter could be more substantial, it's a good starting point for C# programmers wanting to explore game development using XNA. It's less suited for experienced graphics programmers or those unfamiliar with C#. The release of XNA v2 might make some parts of the book outdated.
I'm starting to port the Parallax Engine to XNA Game Studio Express Beta 2 due to major changes from Beta 1, notably the removal of Game Designers. While I liked the rapid configuration they offered, their removal seems necessary for Xbox 360 support.
I bought a used Xbox 360 controller to test game development using XNA for PC and the upcoming Xbox 360. The XNA programming model works well, and I can access controller inputs like trigger pressure. I couldn't install the official Xbox 360 controller driver for Windows XP, but the XBCD drivers worked seamlessly. Find them at xbcd360guide.50webs.com (use at your own risk, the site looks a bit sketchy).
Microsoft plans to upgrade the Xbox 360's CPU in early 2007. The new CPU is expected to generate less heat and consume less power. While some consumers are threatening returns, this upgrade is a standard practice in the console industry and will likely result in a cooler, quieter console rather than a faster one. Sony, for example, made similar upgrades to the PS2 after its initial release.
I'm excited about the newly announced XNA Framework from Microsoft! It's supposed to make game development for Windows and Xbox 360 easier by unifying the class libraries. Imagine the code and asset reuse possibilities! They even showed off some demos at GDC running managed code on the Xbox 360. Sadly, I doubt they'll let homebrew developers like me use it, which is a bummer. Think of the cool Xbox Live content we could make!
I've noticed a lot of searches related to C# and Xbox 360 development. While it's unclear what the future holds, some recent posts suggest that using the CLR on the Xbox 360 may be possible someday. Whether this will open up homebrew development remains uncertain, especially considering potential licensing restrictions. Though it's unlikely, we can still hold onto a glimmer of hope!
In a previous post, I discussed using the .NET Framework on the Xbox 360. It turns out you can create Media Center applications, install them on your media server, and then control them via the Xbox 360 UI. The processing happens on the Media Center PC. More details are available in an MSDN article.
This post addresses the numerous Google searches related to ".NET framework" and "Xbox 360." Despite the search traffic, I currently have no information on this topic. It seems unlikely that .NET Framework would be available on the Xbox 360 due to the console's different chip architecture and the recent introduction of x86 64-bit support in .NET 2.0. However, I remain open to the possibility.
I just cancelled my Xbox Live account after 3 months of not using it, mainly due to a poor internet connection with Wanadoo. The cancellation process was quick and easy, taking about 2 minutes. I might consider subscribing again when the Xbox 360 comes out.
