Confused Xbox terms and development?
Community Forums/General Help/Confused Xbox terms and development?
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| Hi all, If we want to start creating games on pc and Xbox 360, is the following stuffs enough to do so? 1. pc 2. c#, XNA 3. Xbox 360 4. becoming a Xbox club member 5. a broadband internet connection That's all? Am I missing something? Any other charges for permission of downloading trial games? Besides, what are difference between the following: Xbox 360 Pro Console Xbox 360 Arcade Console Xbox 360 Elite Console 120GB Xbox 360 Premium Gold Pack Video Game System Xbox 360 Live Are they referred to the same things, just difference in configuaration? I am confused. Thanks in advance |
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| If your considering going into XNA development then it might be a good move to go on an XNA forum. They will be able to help you a little more concisely. |
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| It would also help you to know a bit more about the platform that you want to write code for. Xbox Live is Microsoft's online service for the Xbox 360 and a "Gold" membership is required for multi-player ONLINE games. They also push software updates through Xbox Live. The "Silver" membership is free, the "Gold" membership costs. The Xbox 360 Arcade console does not have a hard disk. All other versions of the Xbox have either a 20 GB, 60 GB or 120 GB hard disk. The 20 GB model is no longer sold, current versions start with 60 GB. And yes, you will need a computer with Windows XP or Windows Vista and at least Microsoft's free-of-charge version of Game Studio. And you need to become a member of the XNA Creator's Club - which is a different beast than Xbox Live, but you also need to be a member of Xbox Live (which basically all Xbox owners are anyway). The Game Creator's Club membership allows you to upload your games to Xbox Live and to transfer them to your own Xbox 360. And, yes, you definitely need an Xbox 360. Game Studio does not come with a software emulator for the Xbox 360 (would be a bit of problem, regarding the specs of the Xbox 360, which basically is a triple core 3 GHz PowerPC G5). There's only a software emulator for the Zune coming with Game Studio - which means, yes, you can also write games for the Zune with XNA. You really should visit more official Xbox/XNA forums for more info. |
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| @boomboom: Thanks. @Winni:Thank you for your tips. In that case, To play online with others, I need to pay for Xbox 360 live. To upload my games to Xbox, I need to pay for premium Xbox membership. I still considered whether to buy Xbox 360 or not. |
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| You should post in the XNA forums - someone there will help you. 1) You do not need a LIVE membership to develop games! A free Silver account will be enough to transfer your games to the Xbox. You will only need Gold (the paid one) if you want to do networking or online gaming. 2) You do not need an Xbox right away. While there is no Xbox hardware emulator, it's usually very easy to write your games on Windows, and when you have an Xbox/want to submit to XBLCG you can convert your project into an Xbox compatibly project in literally 3 mouse clicks. 3) When you're ready, the minimum Xbox you can use for XNA development is the Pro version. You absolutely, 100% need a hard drive! A Memory Unit is also a good investment, since there's some storage device code that can only be tested with one of those. 4) The Premium Membership ($100/yr) is only needed for when you're ready to submit to XBLCG, or want to Playtest or Peer Review other games on the service. Also, you cannot deploy games to your Xbox without the Premium Membership. So, you can try out XNA for $0 down. You should go to the XNA forums, and read all the FAQs. They will tell you what you need to know! |
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| Also, you'll need an Xbox with a hard disk to store the games you push to it. |
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| It's more expensive to develop for the iPhone or the Wii, and as far as I know, you wouldn't even have such an option for the PS3. I don't play online, so it really doesn't matter to me whether they charge a premium for that or not. It's still possible to connect multiple Xboxes on a home network and play against each other without that online feature. The Creator's Club Membership is not expensive and it gives you access to Microsoft's Xbox Marketplace to advertise and sell your game there - like Apple's AppStore, but as far as I know, without Apple's arbitrary approval policy. In summary, I think the Xbox 360 is the most attractive console platform on the market, for both gamers (greatest choice of games, best hardware platform for games) and game creators (lowest barrier of entry). You should also not forget that Microsoft's XNA is a multi-platform tool. You can develop for Windows, the Zune and the Xbox 360 with it. Why don't you simply start with XNA for Windows and when you're making progress and like it, you can still buy an Xbox 360 and the required memberships and make your product run on the Xbox, TOO. I think that the console market has a much brighter future than the game market on PCs, so I find this perspective very attractive. But that's just me. |
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| Sammy, have you released anything for the PC yet? I am not trying to put you down, but if your looking to put money into making games for the xbox, but haven't made a game for the PC yet then maybe you should work on that first? Why don't you use XNA to make a PC game, then if its good buy the equipment you need to publish it on an xbox. |
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| Thanks a lot, Glenny-boy, Winni, boomboom. I agree with you and decide to delay buying a Xbox 360. :D |
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| i agree with boomboom regarding getting to know xna with a pc before porting to 360 (i myself would get an elite for 360 port/testing) im not sure if you can post a zip of a 360 game for other 360 owners to dl to a pc and transfer or if you can only do so via live and as has been seen with the iphone development they can close the flood gates on any and all games/apps just cos they can but with a pc version already out then microsoft might be more willing to host it if they are the only method of getting your game on other systems that arnt xna enabled |
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| Thank you, Ginger Tea. |
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