Prepare your development environment
environment
- XNA Game Studio
-
- 1.0 Refresh
- 2.0
- 3.0
- 4.0 β
summary
To develop with XNA, you need to have the following: If you're making a game for Windows, you're making a game for Xbox 360, and you're making a game for Windows Phone.
- Because it is based on XNA Game Studio 4.0, Zune is excluded.
- Windows Phone is available for 7 and later.
| What to prepare: What | do you need to develop your game for? | |
|---|---|---|
| personal computer | Windows, Xbox 360, Windows Phone | Depends on the type of computer |
| Windows 7, Vista, (XP) | Windows, Xbox 360, Windows Phone | Depends on OS type |
| Xbox 360 | Xbox 360 | Base price |
| Windows Phone console | Windows Phone | Base price |
| television | Xbox 360 | Base price |
| Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller (for Windows) | (Windows), (Xbox 360) | Base price |
| Internet connection environment | (Windows), Xbox 360, (Windows Phone) | By provider, etc. |
| Xbox 360 Connected Network Environment | Xbox 360 | Depends on the built environment |
| Windows Phone Developer Tools | Windows, Xbox 360, Windows Phone | Free |
| Visual Studio 2010 | Windows, Xbox 360, Windows Phone | Free or paid |
| XNA Game Studio 4.0 | Windows, Xbox 360, Windows Phone | Free |
| Xbox Live Membership | Xbox 360 | Free or paid |
| credit card | Xbox 360, (Windows Phone) | It depends. |
| XNA Creators Club Membership | Xbox 360 | compensation |
| XNA Game Studio Connect | Xbox 360 | Free |
| DirectX SDK | Not mandatory | Free |
| other | Not mandatory | ---- |
* Parenthetical characters in the platform may or may not be necessary.
We will explain how to obtain each necessary item and what to keep in mind.
Computer : Windows, Xbox 360, Windows Phone
First of all, you will need a computer, so please prepare it. It must be a computer that has "Windows" installed or can install it. (See this section for more information on Windows types, etc.) The computer can be either a desktop or a laptop.
It should have an interface to connect to the Internet and your Xbox 360 (where you can plug in a network card or cable (which is usually included, so that's fine). You'll also need a PC with a USB port to connect your Windows Phone to. (This is also usually attached, so there is no problem)
As for the specifications of the computer, it is better to prepare the highest performance possible and have an environment where you can develop without stress. However, I think that there are people who are not necessarily able to do so, so I will write down the minimum necessary according to the development application.
If you are developing a game that runs on Windows
When starting a program using the XNA Framework on Windows, a graphics card (video card or chipset) that supports shader model version 2.0 or higher is required (What is a shader model?). (from Wikipedia)). If you have a PC on the market recently (as of 2010), there is a high possibility that you meet this condition, but if you have a PC or netbook that you only use for business use a while ago, you need to be aware that your graphics card may not support the shader model.
Other specs do not have a particularly minimum line. It can be the difference between heavy and fast operation.
If you need a video card for a desktop PC, you may want to look into online stores or parts stores. If you want to buy a PC itself, I think that a PC that is said to be for games will be more comfortable to develop.
If you are developing a game that will run only on Xbox 360
If you're only going to run the game on Xbox 360, there's no minimum set for PC specs.
If you're developing a game that runs only on Windows Phone
If you want your game to run only on a real Windows Phone device, there is no minimum set for PC specs. However, if you want to use an emulator, you need to have some specifications.
Other Specs
Hard disk space is taken up by several gigabytes for the installation of the development environment. It should be enough to have about 10GB~20GB free. I don't think it's a problem if it's a recent computer.
If you are making a game for Windows, it may be better to prepare a test computer to check "at least run with this spec" according to the game you have created.
Windows : Windows, Xbox 360, Windows Phone
Windows supports development on the following versions: (As of the release of XNA Game Studio 4.0)
Windows, Xbox 360 game development
- Windows XP SP3 or later, Windows Vista SP1 or later, Windows 7
Game Development for Windows Phone
- Windows Vista SP2 or later, Windows 7
Xbox 360 : Xbox 360
Required to debug and run games on Xbox 360. Conversely, if you are not developing games for Xbox 360, this is not necessary.
If you're using an Xbox 360, you must have an Xbox 360 Hard Drive installed in addition to your console. There are several hard disk capacities, such as "20GB", "120GB", and "250GB", but any of them does not matter. Without it, you will not be able to store the environment you need for XNA development or the data you create.
Also, please note that there is an "Xbox 360 Memory Unit" as the same storage medium, but it cannot be saved here.
If you want to connect to your Xbox 360 wirelessly, you will need an "Xbox360 Wireless Networking Adapter" separately.
Windows Phone body: Windows Phone
* To be described at a later date
TV : Xbox 360
Required to use Xbox 360. It's natural because you usually use it in games, but let's prepare an appropriate one. It also supports high-definition video output, so you can instantly watch the game you created on a powerful screen.
Also, if you use the cable in the link below, you can also output it on a computer monitor. If you only have a monitor for your computer, we recommend that you have this one available.
Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller (for Windows) : (Windows), (Xbox 360)
Required if you want to use the Xbox 360 controller on Windows. It comes with a CD, so if you're using Windows XP, install it and then connect your controller via USB (or follow this linkYou can download and install the Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller Game Controller Software for Windows from . In the case of Windows Vista and Windows 7, it is OK to connect as it is.
If you have an Xbox 360 console, you won't have any problems because it comes with a dedicated controller from the beginning. However, if you want to make a game with multiple controllers, you will need to purchase it separately. The same is true for Windows.
Internet Connection Requirements: (Windows), Xbox 360, (Windows Phone)
At the time of looking at this page, you probably are connected to the Internet, so I don't think there is a problem. If the environment you are developing is not connected to the Internet, please make a separate contract with a provider. Windows, Xbox 360, and Windows Phone game development each have slightly different requirements for connecting to the Internet.
If you are developing a game that runs on Windows
If you're only developing games for Windows, you'll need to be connected to the Internet when you install the development environment, but you don't need to be connected after that.
However, for network games, an Internet connection is required.
If you're developing a game that runs on Windows Phone
If you're only developing games for Windows Phone, you'll need to be connected to the Internet when you install your development environment, but you don't need to be connected during game development.
However, if you want to play a network game using an emulator, you will need an Internet connection. This does not apply to tests on actual devices.
Also, for Windows Phone games, you must be connected to the Internet when you register your application.
If you are developing a game that will run only on Xbox 360
This is always required when developing games for Xbox 360 because you must connect to Xbox Live over the Internet to launch XNA Game Studio Connect. The connection is required on the Xbox 360 console.
Xbox 360 Connected Network Environment: Xbox 360
For more information, visit the official Xbox website.
Windows Phone Developer Tools : Windows, Xbox 360, Windows Phone
This is a development environment for developing games with XNA. "C#" will be used as the programming language. If you install "Windows Phone Developer Tools", "Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone" and "XNA Game Studio 4.0" will be installed at the same time. XNA Game Studio 4.0 also supports other higher versions of Visual Studio 2010 for C#.
If you want to install it manually, please download it from the link below.
- Windows Phone Developer Tools RTW (Web Installer) (If you want it as a disk image file, you can download it from the ".iso" link at the bottom of the link page)
Detailed instructions on installing the Windows Phone Developer Tools can be found on the following page.
* In the tips here, both "Visual C# 2010 Express Edition" and "Visual Studio 2010" may be mixed, but there is almost no difference in content.
Visual Studio 2010 : Windows, Xbox 360, Windows Phone
A development environment for programming in XNA. "C#" will be used as the programming language. If you install "Windows Phone Developer Tools", "Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone" and "XNA Game Studio 4.0" will be installed at the same time, so if you install this tool, Visual Studio 2010 Express You don't need to install it separately.
"Visual C# 2010 Express Edition" can be downloaded from the Microsoft site and can be used free of charge as long as you register. XNA Game Studio 4.0 C# is also compatible with other higher-level versions of Visual Studio 2010.
You must install Visual Studio 2010 before you install XNA Game Studio 4.0.
If you want to install it manually, please download it from the link below.
- Visual C# 2010 Express Edition (Web Installer) (Click here if you want to install the CD image version)
Detailed instructions on installing Visual Studio 2010 can be found on the following page.
* In the tips here, both "Visual C# 2010 Express Edition" and "Visual Studio 2010" may be mixed, but there is almost no difference in content.
XNA Game Studio 4.0 : Windows, Xbox 360, Windows Phone
If you are developing with XNA, you must install XNA Game Studio 4.0 in addition to Visual Studio 2010. If you install the Windows Phone Developer Tools, Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone and XNA Game Studio 4.0 will be installed at the same time. You don't need to install it separately.
You must install XNA Game Studio 4.0 after installing or updating to Visual Studio 2010.
If you try to install XNA Game Studio 4.0 before you install Visual Studio 2010, you will receive a message that Visual Studio 2010 is not installed and you will not be able to install it.
You can download XNA Game Studio 4.0 from the link below.
You can also find detailed instructions on installing XNA Game Studio 4.0 on the following pages:
Xbox Live Membership: Xbox 360
To make games for Xbox 360, you'll need an Xbox Live membership. For more information on signing up for an Xbox Live membership, please refer to the link below.
Note that Xbox Live memberships can be free Silver memberships. If you don't have a Gold membership, you'll automatically be converted to a Silver membership, so you don't have to worry about it. (I'm using it with a Silver membership.) )
However, you must have a "Gold Membership" to play games on Xbox 360 using the network.
Credit card : Xbox 360, (Windows Phone)
Required to purchase an XNA Creators Club membership. If you are a student or a minor, you will need the consent of your guardian or use it in your or her name. Please consult with your guardian before use.
Also, if you've created a game for Windows Phone, you'll need it to register your game.
XNA Creators Club Membership: Xbox 360
To make games for Xbox 360, you must purchase an XNA Creators Club membership. If you don't need to use an Xbox 360, you don't need to buy an XNA Creators Club membership. You will need to enter your personal information when you make a purchase, but please note that you will not be able to register if you are under 12 years old.
You can purchase an XNA Creators Club membership on your Xbox 360. Memberships are available for 12 months (9,800 yen) and 4 months (4,800 yen) (as of 2010/10/01).
You can find instructions on how to purchase on this page.
XNA Game Studio Connect : Xbox 360
XNA Game Studio Connect is used to run games created with XNA and to connect to a computer. Again, you'll only need it if you're developing for Xbox 360.
You can download XNA Game Studio Connect in the same location where you purchase your XNA Creators Club membership. XNA Game Studio Connect itself is free.
To connect Windows to Xbox 360 using XNA Game Studio Connect, see the link below.
DirectX SDK
You don't need it for XNA development, but it comes with tools that are useful for development, so I think it's worth installing.
You can download the DirectX SDK from the link below.
other
I put on things that are nice to have if necessary.
| Xbox 360 Memory Unit (512MB) Xbox 360 Memory Unit (64MB) |
It can be used to test when there are multiple data destination devices. |