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Microsoft are trying to get a foothold on the games industry, and they have done something which no manufacturer has the expertise or knowhow to match their effort.
See Microsoft's venture into the console hardware business was booed and ridiculed by "hardcore" console gamers who thought that Microsoft were just atempting to carve out a nice little slice of the multibillion pound console games industry, and they'd be spot on, the same way Sony jumped on the bandwagon on the back of Sony's success, and the way Nintendo and Sega jumped on the bandwagon after Atari's success.
The difference between Microsoft and all the other "new comers" over the years is that they are the first company to enter the industry from a software engineering background.
Nintendo made their money for over half a century selling traditional japanese games and trading cards. Sega was a Korean hardware manufacturer who merged with a small Japanese games startup company to produce arcade games. Sony were already in microelectronics with their massively successful WalkMan, so entered the industry also from hardware perspective.
But Microsoft don't make hardware, and still don't, they just fund the manufacturing of the systems by another company under the supervision of the companis supplying the processor, GPU and mainboard.
The Microsoft gaming platform really only just took off this month, and it is a way of integrating the system development tools for PCs, Xbox and Windows Mobile Devices into a single modular development platform.
The first titles which will be released from the XNA platform will be available before Christmas, this is when we will begin to see the effects of XNA, but it will not be until the release of the Xbox 2 which the industry experience of Microsoft will begin to tell.
So, now that's I've told you what XNA will aim for, I'll tell you what it is :D
XNA is a set of routines which will be created for Microsoft to allow developers to concentrate solely on developing good games. It will provide a very competent de facto standard game engine where people can choose to use certain features, leave them out all together, or plug in their own improved or modified version of the modules.
In effect, the XNA platform will allow a developer to technically make a brilliantly rendered and efficient game using a standard Microsoft game engine, meaning that the game will be more directed liek a film rather than bounded by the limits of what an engine can achieve.
XNA will also allow PCs to connect to Xbox Live, allowing PC gamers and Xbox gamers compete against each other in the same games.
What this means for gamers is that the standard of the poor titles on Microsoft platforms is about to be raised considerably. The Sudeki's, Halo's and PGRs will still be leading the field in revolutionary and ground breaking technologies, but the average title such as MechAssault or Unreal Tournament will never be blighted by silly game engine bugs again, the devlopers will only need to concentrate on developing games which can be played and which are fun.
Suddenly Microsoft look to be taking the lead in the next gen console race, before any console specs are even announced, why? Because the developers with low budgets and small R&D departments and are only really interested in making good games to entertain people will not have to struggle with a new technology platform ever again.
Games will be developed for XNA, and will be supported by the hardware which supports the modules used.
If you want the full low down on XNA and what it means for the games industry, grab this months Edge :D
See Microsoft's venture into the console hardware business was booed and ridiculed by "hardcore" console gamers who thought that Microsoft were just atempting to carve out a nice little slice of the multibillion pound console games industry, and they'd be spot on, the same way Sony jumped on the bandwagon on the back of Sony's success, and the way Nintendo and Sega jumped on the bandwagon after Atari's success.
The difference between Microsoft and all the other "new comers" over the years is that they are the first company to enter the industry from a software engineering background.
Nintendo made their money for over half a century selling traditional japanese games and trading cards. Sega was a Korean hardware manufacturer who merged with a small Japanese games startup company to produce arcade games. Sony were already in microelectronics with their massively successful WalkMan, so entered the industry also from hardware perspective.
But Microsoft don't make hardware, and still don't, they just fund the manufacturing of the systems by another company under the supervision of the companis supplying the processor, GPU and mainboard.
The Microsoft gaming platform really only just took off this month, and it is a way of integrating the system development tools for PCs, Xbox and Windows Mobile Devices into a single modular development platform.
The first titles which will be released from the XNA platform will be available before Christmas, this is when we will begin to see the effects of XNA, but it will not be until the release of the Xbox 2 which the industry experience of Microsoft will begin to tell.
So, now that's I've told you what XNA will aim for, I'll tell you what it is :D
XNA is a set of routines which will be created for Microsoft to allow developers to concentrate solely on developing good games. It will provide a very competent de facto standard game engine where people can choose to use certain features, leave them out all together, or plug in their own improved or modified version of the modules.
In effect, the XNA platform will allow a developer to technically make a brilliantly rendered and efficient game using a standard Microsoft game engine, meaning that the game will be more directed liek a film rather than bounded by the limits of what an engine can achieve.
XNA will also allow PCs to connect to Xbox Live, allowing PC gamers and Xbox gamers compete against each other in the same games.
What this means for gamers is that the standard of the poor titles on Microsoft platforms is about to be raised considerably. The Sudeki's, Halo's and PGRs will still be leading the field in revolutionary and ground breaking technologies, but the average title such as MechAssault or Unreal Tournament will never be blighted by silly game engine bugs again, the devlopers will only need to concentrate on developing games which can be played and which are fun.
Suddenly Microsoft look to be taking the lead in the next gen console race, before any console specs are even announced, why? Because the developers with low budgets and small R&D departments and are only really interested in making good games to entertain people will not have to struggle with a new technology platform ever again.
Games will be developed for XNA, and will be supported by the hardware which supports the modules used.
If you want the full low down on XNA and what it means for the games industry, grab this months Edge :D
Page:
that was very confusing i had to read it twice to get a grasp on it.
the only good idea i saw there was xbox live and pc, although that means they would have those weird headphones for pc.
this whole XNA thing i don't understand is it a catogory of games or a new peice of programming software, or what is it.
your not that clear about it.
the only good idea i saw there was xbox live and pc, although that means they would have those weird headphones for pc.
this whole XNA thing i don't understand is it a catogory of games or a new peice of programming software, or what is it.
your not that clear about it.
That's the point though, I think. All this is doing is reducing the complexity for programming for games companies.
Why would you need to write a portal renderer for a First Person shooter? There have been millions of First Person Shooter engines written which use portal rendering, so why not have MS supply a portal rendering module to games companies, and then they can concentrate on the art and gameplay.
Sure there will always be companies who are pushing th boundaries and develping new tchnologies, as well as unis now who are beginning to research games specific computer graphics solutions.
This is getting back to the days when any random joe could sit in their bedroom and write a classic game without having to struggle too deeply into the world of maths, physics and computer graphics engineering.
Why would you need to write a portal renderer for a First Person shooter? There have been millions of First Person Shooter engines written which use portal rendering, so why not have MS supply a portal rendering module to games companies, and then they can concentrate on the art and gameplay.
Sure there will always be companies who are pushing th boundaries and develping new tchnologies, as well as unis now who are beginning to research games specific computer graphics solutions.
This is getting back to the days when any random joe could sit in their bedroom and write a classic game without having to struggle too deeply into the world of maths, physics and computer graphics engineering.
The way I see it, it just seems to be standard middleware, but made first party instead of by other tech companies like Criterion with Renderware. The ability to add modules to suit a particular area of the game is very welcome, but it's the same as Renderware, which if I recall correctly can also support add ins.
What really got me interested was Allard's comment - imagine a world where all the tools and middleware snap together like Lego... my tool is free during pre-production... you can do whatever you want with it for nothing... maybe that's not exactly where XNA will land, but I think it's possible".
The consequences of the last statement is fantastic; no more over reliance on publishers, and developers can really take a game and refine it before submission.
However, it did get me thinking... the Gamecube API is one of the easiest to program for, but it was well known for preventing programmers direct access to hardware, instead "shielding" them with the API. As a consequence, GC games would look the same in areas, though to be honest it hasn't had much of an effect for the games so far released as GC games are mostly ports from PS2 and nowhere near their technical peak. What if it's the same for Xbox, will we same similar looking game engines that have identical character models, building etc.?
It's all very well building a framework for use in film production, because in the end all you are dealing with is real life - the world always looks the same in tree models, people, buildings. While it can save time for games, I'd rather see differences in some games that boost creativity as a result. Should be good for startups though.
What really got me interested was Allard's comment - imagine a world where all the tools and middleware snap together like Lego... my tool is free during pre-production... you can do whatever you want with it for nothing... maybe that's not exactly where XNA will land, but I think it's possible".
The consequences of the last statement is fantastic; no more over reliance on publishers, and developers can really take a game and refine it before submission.
However, it did get me thinking... the Gamecube API is one of the easiest to program for, but it was well known for preventing programmers direct access to hardware, instead "shielding" them with the API. As a consequence, GC games would look the same in areas, though to be honest it hasn't had much of an effect for the games so far released as GC games are mostly ports from PS2 and nowhere near their technical peak. What if it's the same for Xbox, will we same similar looking game engines that have identical character models, building etc.?
It's all very well building a framework for use in film production, because in the end all you are dealing with is real life - the world always looks the same in tree models, people, buildings. While it can save time for games, I'd rather see differences in some games that boost creativity as a result. Should be good for startups though.
Microsoft are trying to get a foothold on the games industry, and they have done something which no manufacturer has the expertise or knowhow to match their effort.
See Microsoft's venture into the console hardware business was booed and ridiculed by "hardcore" console gamers who thought that Microsoft were just atempting to carve out a nice little slice of the multibillion pound console games industry, and they'd be spot on, the same way Sony jumped on the bandwagon on the back of Sony's success, and the way Nintendo and Sega jumped on the bandwagon after Atari's success.
The difference between Microsoft and all the other "new comers" over the years is that they are the first company to enter the industry from a software engineering background.
Nintendo made their money for over half a century selling traditional japanese games and trading cards. Sega was a Korean hardware manufacturer who merged with a small Japanese games startup company to produce arcade games. Sony were already in microelectronics with their massively successful WalkMan, so entered the industry also from hardware perspective.
But Microsoft don't make hardware, and still don't, they just fund the manufacturing of the systems by another company under the supervision of the companis supplying the processor, GPU and mainboard.
The Microsoft gaming platform really only just took off this month, and it is a way of integrating the system development tools for PCs, Xbox and Windows Mobile Devices into a single modular development platform.
The first titles which will be released from the XNA platform will be available before Christmas, this is when we will begin to see the effects of XNA, but it will not be until the release of the Xbox 2 which the industry experience of Microsoft will begin to tell.
So, now that's I've told you what XNA will aim for, I'll tell you what it is :D
XNA is a set of routines which will be created for Microsoft to allow developers to concentrate solely on developing good games. It will provide a very competent de facto standard game engine where people can choose to use certain features, leave them out all together, or plug in their own improved or modified version of the modules.
In effect, the XNA platform will allow a developer to technically make a brilliantly rendered and efficient game using a standard Microsoft game engine, meaning that the game will be more directed liek a film rather than bounded by the limits of what an engine can achieve.
XNA will also allow PCs to connect to Xbox Live, allowing PC gamers and Xbox gamers compete against each other in the same games.
What this means for gamers is that the standard of the poor titles on Microsoft platforms is about to be raised considerably. The Sudeki's, Halo's and PGRs will still be leading the field in revolutionary and ground breaking technologies, but the average title such as MechAssault or Unreal Tournament will never be blighted by silly game engine bugs again, the devlopers will only need to concentrate on developing games which can be played and which are fun.
Suddenly Microsoft look to be taking the lead in the next gen console race, before any console specs are even announced, why? Because the developers with low budgets and small R&D departments and are only really interested in making good games to entertain people will not have to struggle with a new technology platform ever again.
Games will be developed for XNA, and will be supported by the hardware which supports the modules used.
If you want the full low down on XNA and what it means for the games industry, grab this months Edge :D
See Microsoft's venture into the console hardware business was booed and ridiculed by "hardcore" console gamers who thought that Microsoft were just atempting to carve out a nice little slice of the multibillion pound console games industry, and they'd be spot on, the same way Sony jumped on the bandwagon on the back of Sony's success, and the way Nintendo and Sega jumped on the bandwagon after Atari's success.
The difference between Microsoft and all the other "new comers" over the years is that they are the first company to enter the industry from a software engineering background.
Nintendo made their money for over half a century selling traditional japanese games and trading cards. Sega was a Korean hardware manufacturer who merged with a small Japanese games startup company to produce arcade games. Sony were already in microelectronics with their massively successful WalkMan, so entered the industry also from hardware perspective.
But Microsoft don't make hardware, and still don't, they just fund the manufacturing of the systems by another company under the supervision of the companis supplying the processor, GPU and mainboard.
The Microsoft gaming platform really only just took off this month, and it is a way of integrating the system development tools for PCs, Xbox and Windows Mobile Devices into a single modular development platform.
The first titles which will be released from the XNA platform will be available before Christmas, this is when we will begin to see the effects of XNA, but it will not be until the release of the Xbox 2 which the industry experience of Microsoft will begin to tell.
So, now that's I've told you what XNA will aim for, I'll tell you what it is :D
XNA is a set of routines which will be created for Microsoft to allow developers to concentrate solely on developing good games. It will provide a very competent de facto standard game engine where people can choose to use certain features, leave them out all together, or plug in their own improved or modified version of the modules.
In effect, the XNA platform will allow a developer to technically make a brilliantly rendered and efficient game using a standard Microsoft game engine, meaning that the game will be more directed liek a film rather than bounded by the limits of what an engine can achieve.
XNA will also allow PCs to connect to Xbox Live, allowing PC gamers and Xbox gamers compete against each other in the same games.
What this means for gamers is that the standard of the poor titles on Microsoft platforms is about to be raised considerably. The Sudeki's, Halo's and PGRs will still be leading the field in revolutionary and ground breaking technologies, but the average title such as MechAssault or Unreal Tournament will never be blighted by silly game engine bugs again, the devlopers will only need to concentrate on developing games which can be played and which are fun.
Suddenly Microsoft look to be taking the lead in the next gen console race, before any console specs are even announced, why? Because the developers with low budgets and small R&D departments and are only really interested in making good games to entertain people will not have to struggle with a new technology platform ever again.
Games will be developed for XNA, and will be supported by the hardware which supports the modules used.
If you want the full low down on XNA and what it means for the games industry, grab this months Edge :D
Page: