September 16th, 2009 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Platforms: XNA | No Comments »
Microsoft's Zune HD went retail and is supporting apps from the start. Several developers had been given a head start by the developer, but now the XNA extensions for the Zune are available for all developers.
The XNA 3.1 upgrade lets developers code their games for the Zune in the same way they do for the regular XBLA environment, but aimed at the Zune HD. This means you have access to the touch screen as well as the accelerometer. Once ready, the games can be sold through an XBLA like environment called the Zune Marketplace.
But before you get totally happy, there are a few things to consider. First, Microsoft does not let small developers upload their Zune games yet. When they will open up is unknown at the moment, but MS says it will be pushing the platform later this year. Second, the Zune has about 1.1% marketshare amongst mediaplayers. That is really small. Third, it's not as easy as porting a Windows Mobile game to the platform. It will be a lot of additional work.
