Tech Shout!

Yesterday, Microsoft released the final version of the Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express that was launched as a beta version in the beginning of November. Together with the launch, Microsoft also launched the XNA Creators Club, a “Dream-Build-Play” game development contest and the beta version of Torque X platform for game development.

The Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express version 1.0 is based on the easy-to-use Visual C# 2005 Express edition and Microsoft.NET Compact Framework. Primarily used for game development, Microsoft has launched this software with the masses in mind. XNA Game Studio Express is available for free to anyone who has a Windows XP-based PC here.

With the launch of the XNA Creators Club, Microsoft aims to open up the video game development process to creative minds who wish to put their skills to use. This enables just about anyone to build and play amazing game ideas on Xbox 360 systems at an affordable rate of £30.00 for a four-month subscription, or £65.00 for an annual subscription. The XNA Creators Club is available on Xbox Live Marketplace. Both the above mentioned subscriptions provide aspiring game developers access to loads of game assets from Microsoft and its key supporters like Turbo Squid Inc., and white papers, specialized starter kits, samples and technical product support to enable users to turn their dreams into reality.

“The XNA Creators Club is really the first of its kind — an opportunity to join a community of other developers who are empowered to bring their game ideas to life on a next-generation console system,” said Chris Satchell, general manager of the Game Developer Group at Microsoft. “When it comes to encouraging development on XNA Game Studio Express and through the XNA Creators Club, the limits are truly endless. What users will see today is just the beginning of the plans we have to revolutionize game development one creative game idea at a time.”

Besides, Microsoft has also launched the “Dream-Build-Play” contest to coincide with the worldwide launch of XNA Game Studio Express. This contest will be open to XNA Game Studio Express customers who operate on Windows as well as those on Xbox 360 through the XNA Creators Club membership. The “Dream-Build-Play” contest will begin in January 2007. For more information on the contest, visit this site.

The “Dream-Build-Play” contest offers a chance to the creative community to showcase its innovation and talent to the world. The winner’s game will be published on Xbox Live Arcade, which is the premier source for downloadable independent, retro and original games.

Microsoft has also launched an open beta for its Torque X platform, which includes the Torque Game Builder. The easy-to-use Torque X tools are based on the XNA Framework, and have helped to bring the simple drag-and-drop game developments to Windows and Xbox 360. The final version of Torque X platform is scheduled for release in early 2007.