Since the launch of the new Zune store and the advent of XNA development for Zunes, there has apparently been quite a lot of activity. I’ve been waiting for a nice omnibus post like this one to point me in the right direction. You’ve got your tetris, you’ve got your solitaire, you’ve even got a chat app — although if your Zune is close enough to another Zune that you can communicate, you’re probably better off talking than tapping out letter after letter on its little pad. Go, Zunatics! Download and see what’s must-have. I personally am going to get me a little Tetris. [thanks for the tip, Mike!] → Read More
Not content to let initiatives like Nintendo’s WiiWare and Sony’s PlayStation Network hog all the user-created glory, Microsoft has recently unveiled its “Community Games” project for Xbox Live, currently in closed beta, according to GamesIndustry.biz. Microsoft’s David Edery says that this project will “leapfrog” WiiWare and PSN, although it sounds similar to those two projects, except that the Microsoft one is in beta and you have to already be in the XNA Creators Club and pay $49 for four months or $99 for a year to be able to access it. It also appears, however, that any game can make it into the system and then the good ones get voted up onto Xbox Live, so it’s a bit more democratic. → Read More
(updated with a link to the freaking program) So with the XNA Game Studio released as part of Zune’s 2.5 update, what do you think is the first big release? A port of Doom, perhaps? An Atari emulator? Hello world? No. It’s a clock. Silencing the complaints of trillions of Zunatics worldwide, the new application zClock does what the Zune development team could not — or would not — do: tell time. Celebrate, people! → Read More
I’m hanging out at Microsoft with all the Zunatics here, and they’ve just made an interesting announcement regarding games on the Zune. If you’ll take a moment to look at your Zune, I think you’ll find there are, fact, no games at all. Well, they’re looking to change that – the guys here are creating a really robust game development suite that will have integration not only between all the different Zunes, but also with your PC and your Xbox 360. It turns out the Zune’s hardware is actually comparatively beefy (good processor, more RAM than handhelds really need, etc), and the games I just tested out ran smoothly and the touchpad control felt intuitive. Wireless was fast and easy, and joining my little Potato Chase game was seamless. They were reticent to comment on future integration with the 360 and PC, for example “squirting” a game to your 360 and playing it with the controller, but it definitely seemed like whatever the consumer base wants is possible. I don’t think you’ll be playing anything too crazy on your Zune (and not for a while) but I can tell you that Doom-likes and lots of casual games are going to be just right for it. → Read More
[photopress:rezzzz.jpg,full,center] Microsoft has said that video games from its XNA Game Studio will make their way to the Zune. Being the ambitious young man that I am, I thought to myself, “Well why stop at XNA games? What if Microsoft were magically able to strike deals with publishers, letting it port over other games to the Zune?” Perhaps the biggest problem is figuring out just what kind of games would work on the Zune—you’re probably not going to be able to effectively play an MMO or an RTS on the it. With that rather large restriction in mind… Rez Sega made, I think, 12 copies of Rez for the PS2 back in 2002; anxious, intrepid gamers could find the DreamCast version on eBay for outrageous sums of money (or you could, say “find” it online, like I did). Recently released in high-defintion on Xbox Live Arcade, the game is now being enjoyed by a new generation of youngsters. Rez could work pretty well on the Zune. The center touchpad/button would be used to control the hacker, while the two other face buttons would shoot. Nothing to it. And considering Rez focuses on trance, it’d fit thematically on the Zune—a music game on a music player. It’s almost poetic. The only thing you’d be missing out on is the rumble function provided by the provocatively named Trance Vibrator. To be fair, though, it’s probably not socially acceptable to be on the subway (or other public place) with a little, shall we say, device purring ever so emphatically; it’d be weird. And yes, I did have “Rez” blaring as I wrote this piece. → Read More
[photopress:littlegamers.jpg,full,center] Little Gamers is one such game Also mentioned in Microsoft’s Game Developers Conference keynote was that it will let independent developers release their XNA-created games on Xbox Live. The XNA toolkit came out in 2006 but there previously hadn’t been a way for devs to release their work for mass consumption. Seven such games, dubbed Communtiy Games, are already on XBL; they’ll only be downloadable until February 24 and then functional until March 4. So if you want a taste of what’s to come you’d better log on before Sunday. How much these games will cost in the future, not known. XNA games only available until March 9 [VideoGamer.com] → Read More
Taking a cue from Microsoft’s XNA Game Studios, Sony’s Phil Harrison recently said in an interview that Sony would be willing to open up the PS3 to independent developers. (Yes, we know, the Net Yaroze did this years ago, but nobody cared back then. Plus, the homebrew community today is able to produce software that’s better than what a lot of commercial entities come up with.) Harrison said such development will be a “crucial” aspect of the video game industry from here on out and that Sony wants to be a part of that. This can only be a good move for Sony if it actually goes through with it. Who knows how many young, aspiring coders have the next Katamari on their hands? Harrison hints at PlayStation 3 homebrew plans [GameIndustry.biz] → Read More
. The actual XNA will be $99 per year when it’s released, but you can try the XNA Express to get a taste of what you’ll get in the final version. Maybe you can make the next Geometry Wars! Sorry about that. Looks like this is only for Windows XP gaming. The Xbox 360 support will come later this year when the full version is released. Download Page [Microsoft via Major Nelson] → Read More
