Microsoft XNA
XNA (XNA 's Not Acronymed, in German in about XNA is not an acronym ) is a technology for game development for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, Microsoft's MP3 player Zune and Windows Phone 7 XNA combines different game development programming interfaces, including Direct3D from DirectX version 9.0c for the representation of 2D and 3D graphics, XACT as a cross-platform interface for outputting audio data and XInput for communication with all the necessary peripherals, in a common framework. So to a faster development process facilitated and met the rising cost of game pressworkManufacture. The use for PC games is free of charge, while one (formerly XNA Creators Club ) needed for the Xbox 360 an App Hub Premium Membership.
The development environment XNA Game Studio Express is based on Visual C # Express and enables developers to develop software for both Windows and the Xbox 360. Since version 2.0 XNA can be used with any version of Visual Studio 2005 are used (including Express versions). The 2.0 version is Visual Studio 2008 not compatible. Version 3.0 also integrates with Visual Studio 2008, while Version 4.0 supports Visual Studio 2010. With the XNA version 3.1 especially many wishes of the developer community have been implemented. So now, for example, the integration and video playback, as well as XBox Party is supported. In addition, it is now possible to integrate your own avatar in the game. This function is limited to the Xbox 360. In addition, also have the functions of the Zune HD, so touch and sensors means of an add-on package, the XNA Game Studio Zune Extensions enabled.
With version 4.0, Windows Phone 7 was added as a target platform of the XNA Framework, support for the Zune, however, fell off again. The XNA Game Studio can be downloaded since then as part of the Windows Phone Developer Tools.
According to a message sent on January 31, 2013 Email concerning their Microsoft MVP Award Program is XNA no longer actively developed. There is thus with the XNA Framework .. neither the possibility of developing XNA applications in Windows 8 Modern UI design yet the development of applications for the Windows platform RT-
Meanwhile, however, several alternative open source implementations of the framework have emerged that also allows development of applications for not originally supported in the XNA Framework platforms.
Release dates
- Beta 1: August 30, 2006
- Beta 2: November 2, 2006
- XNA Game Studio Express 1.0: December 11, 2006
- XNA Game Studio Express 1.0 Refresh: April 24, 2007
- XNA Game Studio 2.0 (Beta): November 19, 2007
- XNA Game Studio 2.0: December 13, 2007
- XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP: May 7, 2008
- XNA Game Studio 3.0 Beta: September 17, 2008
- XNA Game Studio 3.0: October 30, 2008
- XNA Game Studio 3.1: June 11, 2009
- XNA Game Studio 4.0 CTP: March 14, 2010
- XNA Game Studio 4.0: September 16, 2010
- XNA Game Studio 4.0 Refresh Windows Phone Extensions: May 23, 2011
- XNA Game Studio 4.0 (Windows Phone SDK 7.1): September 28, 2011
Dream Build Play
Under the name of Dream Build Play Microsoft organizes international competitions for game development with XNA. At the competitions teams and individuals can participate. In addition to large amounts of money, contracts for publication of games in the Xbox Live Arcade games will be awarded as prizes.
Alternative implementations
A project called Mono.XNA was launched in 2009, which had as an objective, an alternative open- source implementation is platform independent, to develop. The project was terminated in the meantime.
However, based on the code base of Mono.XNA and Silver Sprite was the project Monogamous. The aim of this project is to provide XNA on alternative ( mobile) platforms. Currently there is support for Windows (OpenGL), Windows Store apps (for Windows 8 and Windows RT), Windows Phone, Mac OS X, iOS, Linux, Android, and the open source game console OUYA. Furthermore, there is limited support ( 2D only ) for the PlayStation Mobile.
An alternative independent open- source implementation of the XNA framework with the use of SharpDX and OpenTK also offers the ANX.Framework. ANX is also platform independent and supports Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Android, iOS, PlayStation Mobile and Windows 8 Modern UI design.