Microsoft to Allow Self-Publishing, Xbox One Retail Consoles Double as Dev Kits

Not only will Microsoft be allowing indie developers to self-publish their titles on the Xbox One, but any retail console will double as a developer – or debug – machine. This is big news as development kits have, in the past, cost substantially more than retail consoles.

It’s perhaps the first sign that Microsoft realise the worth of independent developers going in to the next generation and while developing on your console may cost a fee a la Apple’s system, it’s very much a win for Microsoft.

This should mean, however, that every Xbox One console can run in-progress (debug) game code, which should make it easier for us to preview upcoming titles on Xbox One without having a separate system. So, good news all round.

Previously, Sony have said that they would distribute debug PS4 systems to Universities, confirming that not all PS4s will act as development kits.

There will be more information on this at Gamescom, which should be massive this year. Xbox Corporate VP, Marc Whitten, issued a full statement to Engadget, saying:

“Our vision is that every person can be a creator. That every Xbox One can be used for development. That every game and experience can take advantage of all of the features of Xbox One and Xbox LIVE. This means self-publishing. This means Kinect, the cloud, achievements. This means great discoverability on Xbox LIVE. We’ll have more details on the program and the timeline at gamescom in August.”

68 Comments

  1. I wonder if this will turn out to be Microsoft’s OtherOs..

  2. Wonder how long before someone codes the first Xbox virus.

    • I’m betting that it’ll be sandboxed with the Apps OS section, and thus subject to Windows Store certification, 3GB ram and reduced ‘to the metal’ access

      I think they’ve had this under wraps for a while – Windows 8 comes with xbox games, but with this there’s real ties across all it’s platforms.

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