What´s behind the mysterious shroud?

[Isildur´s Heir]

An enigma awaits GDC attendees who waltz into the Moscone Center's North Hall, the current home of Microsoft's XNA display. Placed amongst the various screens and demo stations running independent, XNA-powered Xbox 360 games is a sheet bathed in purple lights and mystery. "Coming Soon! Wednesday February 20 11:30AM" declares a nearby sign.
If the sign is to be believed (it seemed friendly enough), something is set to be unveiled at the conclusion of John Schappert's keynote, "A Future Wide Open: Unleashing the Creative Community." If that's what lies beneath the sheet, it's fair to say that a future wide open is a lot smaller than we imagined it to be.

The rumor going around (and it makes sense by the title of the speech: A Future Wide Open: Unleashing the Creative Community.) is "The YouTube of games!".
OH man, how i would love if to be true......
Imagine a more simplified XNA, where anyone could make their own games, of any genre, and upload them on the 360 for anyone to play.
How cool would that be?

I´m expecting one thing like that for ages now!

On the other hand, What lies beneath the mysterious XNA shroud?
Maybe a huge disappointment

 

[Joker]

It's Master Chief. MS has developed a technology to literally rip characters from fiction, and they have started with the Chief. Soon he, Marcus Fenix, and Commander Shepard will ride upon there Viva Pinata Horstachio's to Nintendo and Sony headquarters, where they will quite literally destroy the competition. First the video game inudstry, next the world.

 

[Jerry!]

Sooo.. does anyone know what this was?

 

[Mentok]

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/20/gdc08-microsoft-announces-community-arcade/

It was XNA COMMUNITY ARCADE running on a bunch of 360's.

 

[hippie_hunter]

It's Master Chief. MS has developed a technology to literally rip characters from fiction, and they have started with the Chief. Soon he, Marcus Fenix, and Commander Shepard will ride upon there Viva Pinata Horstachio's to Nintendo and Sony headquarters, where they will quite literally destroy the competition. First the video game inudstry, next the world.

Now that would be an awesome sight to see.

However, EA owns Commander Shepard now so how about a ferocious and rabid Banjo-Kazooie instead?

 

[Joker]

Now that would be an awesome sight to see.

However, EA owns Commander Shepard now so how about a ferocious and rabid Banjo-Kazooie instead?

Shepard is still xbox exclusive though, for now anyway. Banjo & Kazooie would be used as covert agents, infiltrating Nintendo from the inside, obviously.

 

[Joker]

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/20/gdc08-microsoft-announces-community-arcade/

It was XNA COMMUNITY ARCADE running on a bunch of 360's.

The real question is...do you still have to pay for an additional XNA membership to play the games though? I know you can get trials right now, for a limited time, without one. But once that time period is up, are you going to have to get a $99 yearly membership on top of your $50 a year XBL membership to play them? Cause, really...if they want this to be the YouTube of games, they need to realize the reason YouTube is popular is because you don't have to pay $100 a f**king year to use it.

 

[Jerry!]

I was wondering that as well. If we do have to pay I would hope it wouldn't be up to $100. That's nuts. All they said was "distribute", so who knows.

 

[Joker]

I was wondering that as well. If we do have to pay I would hope it wouldn't be up to $100. That's nuts. All they said was "distribute", so who knows.

Right now, to have an XNA membership, it's $100 a year. Or $50 for 4 months.

 

[Jerry!]

Tried a few of the games, The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai is actually kinda fun.

 

[Mentok]

The real question is...do you still have to pay for an additional XNA membership to play the games though? I know you can get trials right now, for a limited time, without one. But once that time period is up, are you going to have to get a $99 yearly membership on top of your $50 a year XBL membership to play them? Cause, really...if they want this to be the YouTube of games, they need to realize the reason YouTube is popular is because you don't have to pay $100 a f**king year to use it.

They are still working out a pricing plan for the games.

 

[Joker]

having the individual games cost money would be fine...but I dont want to have to subscribe to XNA to be able to d/l them, as it was before this trial period.