Ugh really?

This is HUGE news. In fact, it's setting an industry standard. Not only are Indies getting the self publishing they wanted, the fact that every Xbox One can be used as a dev kit is simply astonishing.

THIS is how you prove naysayers wrong and shoe your commitment to indies.

Hats off to Microsoft. They got off to an awful start but they sure are striving to take all the right steps.

This, ladies and gentleman, is the beauty of competition.

Don't see why your getting disagrees, it's the truth. It's MS, after everything they've done lets wait and see what the catch is or how good it is. People are just learning from their mistakes with trusting MS before.

I just don't get it, they treat us like crap after Kinect, became a greedy horrible anti consumer company, give the new Xbox horrible policies, revert them because of the negative reaction then all of a sudden after a few things here and there all is forgiven.

If Sony did that you wouldn't hear the end of it.

This is good news for them, and news they definitely need.

But that leaves a lot of questions.

What about coding overheads, and will they prevent us from accessing the full power of the Xbox1 (even after the 25% CPU, 3GB RAM, and 10% GPU deductions from OS, Kinect, and Multimedia)?
Dev Tools?
Publishing?
When will it be ready?
Will this cause a flood of shovel-ware?

Great news, but we need more answers at Gamescom. They still haven't sold me on anything Xbox 1 related, but now they're at least trying to win back my graces.

I have to admit...after hearing this...I am getting an Xbox One.

I am a software engineer and I think it is a cool especially for indie devs. I would say I am a little skeptic and worried it might be a press move or fallacy. Also the Sony no longer supporting OtherOS comes to mind...only difference people might actually use this for homebrew games.

@ABizzel1

Spot on. There is too much guessing on how this would work and we need more information on it because it could mean:

1. Every console is able to develop any games (which I do doubt as it would be a nightmare to control piracy and have a ton of crap on the store like the App store).

2. You need a developers account (that costs money) to limit everyone having it (this falls in line with the always on thing they used to have).

3. It could just be Project Spark (it does fit well with them saying that Project Spark is free and can be used to make games).

Too much unknown

Keep hating...

I just can't handle it when people can't trust Microsoft but then trust Sony. I mean their not a cooperation right? And Sony's sole purpose isn't just to profit, right? Just like Microsoft? Oh wait...

I believe it, it's a great replacement for the XNA program, which put hundreds of indie games the 360.

How will sony fans top this...or spin this?

Very brave, let the Kinect hacking commence

@iamnsuperman, I don't know details but just from reading it, this might help you:

1. YES Every console will be capable of developing games. Standard security features will be in place, then its something you have to sign up for but I'm not sure why this would create alot more piracy since its just a process only to create and submit indie games, not really alot of valuable stuff to steal because YES 99% of it will be a bunch of buggy, boring crap just as you said "like on the store App store"= but hey people were crying about freedom to self publish so here it is wide open. That said Whitten said there is of course going to be a certification process for obvious things like mature content and IP infringement, plus he mentioned "top listings" and "discoverability" so that tells me it will have its own area.

2. "Whitten only shared the basics with us today. He says that it will be a simple process of visiting a website to sign up as a developer to set up your console as a devkit."

-Of course there will be some associated fees indies don't get free dev kits and tools today, self publishing or not, why would they or us get them free now? They have Project Spark for free but this is separate game creation from the ground up, no training wheels. Also what does that have to do with the always on thing they used to have?

3. Whitten said "You'll be able to download the devkit and edit source code on your PC to transfer over to the Xbox One".

-Why announce this if its just Project Spark, they sound similar but I'm sure its a seperate platform because with Spark you are confined to making any game with spark assets, yeah with spark you can make any game but the charachters, the environments, the actions will all have a spark feel to them, that would hardly appease current indie devs who want to self publish and make totally unique looking games that are not based on sparks design.

Great news. Question though. Are there any additional fees?

Pisque

see how you got 55 disagrees for stating a fact, MS can not be trusted till they deliver

go ahead disagree

it was that long ago they had all sort of DRM policies and were targeting casuals now a lot of sudden they care about the core gamers again? They want us the core gamers to buy their system at highest price point but not many casuals will buy a gaming box to connect their cable box into

right now they need us but 3-4 years from now they will forget about us just like they did for xbox360

@WrAiTh Sp3cTr3

"How will sony fans top this...or spin this?"

simple, "MS sucks this wont be available at launch".

wait for it.

This is great news for all indie devs and wannabe devs. 150$ a year is not that bad to access developer tools on the console. My only question is how will they limit the junk that is created?

Also though this is good news i notice a lot of individuals talking about how either MS or Sony does something good or bad certain individuals respond with their odd remarks. i look at it like this, from a gamer perspective I feel that Nintendo is always judged as childish, when they do something wrong its like its Nintendo; when they do something right its like its Nintendo. If they do something right or wrong its always the same remark. However with Sony and MS its completely different. when MS does something wrong, I see comments like greedy tards, that's what they get, oh M$, don't worry they will fix it, oh its not that bad, you need to look at the bright side of this decision, etc. When MS does something right its all praise regardless the implication. With Sony man when they do something wrong, its like the end of the world along with massive hate from every which end; grant it they do get some spin but not as much as MS. When Sony does something right, to some it looked at as positive to gaming to others, oh...its not that big of a deal. Some say its always mediocre and then massive hate for the positive news.

No Fanboy bs but this is something I see across the internet. From my perspective MS has done nothing but copy, steal, pay, and act like they came up with the idea. They do this all the time and gamers overlook this fact. the biggest example is the Kinect and the PSeye. Sony has had the tech for years and no one cared to even notice it, but as soon as MS applies the same tech its the best thing ever. this is starting to happen with the cloud service they announced. MS has all these claims of what it can do, but yet there are no proofs it can occur and some gamers have already started defending this claim, heavily. The sad part is that most devs for one stopped talking about the addition of the cloud functions and MS also posted something yesterday that did not state anything on the capabilities. But all I saw was MS getting a pass. No one said anything about the cloud service that was suppose to be on N4G to challenge the speculations. Sony doesn't get a pass either but i see most of the hate, flip-flopping, and defense force from the MS camp. Why can't we just get along as gamers and praise the success for each console.

I just hope at GamesCom all companies come prepared and the hate for each system get diminished, which I know will never happen.

@saigon

Are we on the same site? MS get hate for everything on N4G, even the good things they do.....i agree that MS should've got some stick for some of their initial messaging and policies with XB1....

But on the other hand should MS get some credit for trying to push forward more than Sony? IMO yes...

And as for MS copying sony? Sony have mirrored MS launch philosophy from this gen with the PS4..... developer friendly console, better controller design, headset with every PS4, x game and party chat, paid online service and look at the next OS sony is using.....if you put Xbox content in there i would think it was the XB1 OS.....etc......

Sony i feel have borrowed more from MS than the other way around in the leadup to next gen....is that a problem.....no not at all....

If MS implement something similar to what MS have is that a problem....no IMO

I'm getting both next gen systems so no FB here. Both companies have and will continue to implement similar features.....this only leads to better features on both consoles....

Man all i gotta say is that its gonna be a cool feature for those who like making games. I cant wait ! Not to make games but to see what other gamers (non professional developer)can come up with. Def. a cool promising feature. I wish MS had come out with all this from the get.

Also waiting on them to tell us that the family share is back.

Saigon I see what you're saying I really do but I feel more like its the other way around with sony getting more of a free pass than micro and its unquestionable that micro gets hated on more than sony and Nintendo combined x 4. I won't bother to go into long winded examples to keep this short but how do two rational people end up with two different point of views I think because there's two sides to every coin and we(humans) conveniently only see what we want to see with our bias, for example just reading your comment this stood out to me:

"From my perspective MS has done nothing but copy, steal, pay, and act like they came up with the idea. They do this all the time and gamers overlook this fact. the biggest example is the Kinect and the PSeye. Sony has had the tech for years and no one cared to even notice it, but as soon as MS applies the same tech its the best thing ever."

-To be blunt what I see right there is tunnel vision, "copy, steal, pay" come on seriously again I'm not going to bother with the tit for tat for each of those suffice it to say that strikes on the side of fanboyish talk but lets examine your emphasis on Kinect because there's a BIG difference between having (similar) tech and what you actually do with it. Even sony admits they haven't done enough with ps eye/move, and with them publicly saying its suited for the casual market obviously they are not putting much support behind it. Its sort of like the Wright Brothers being well known for the pioneers of flight, NO they are not the first to fly, but they hold this reputation because they are ONE of the early ones who committed to MAKING IT WORK, making it practical, which lead to what the industry is today, don't get crazy on me, I'm not saying Kinect is in anyway close to what they did, my analogy just suggests that, some guy in his garage that drew a picture, made prototypes, tinkered with projects in his backyard, and made headlines but never followed through by making it accessible, commercial, worthwhile for the public, doesn't get to stand on the stage just because he was one of the early ones with an "idea". Sure there were cameras before, and actually Nintendo with the wii was more inspiration/responsible for micro/Kinect because it was only their COMMITTMENT TO MOTION CONTROL AND EARLY SUCCESS that pushed Microsoft and sony to come up with something better. Again, micro committed to Kinect from the start, sony just wanted a comparable product, further micro has made it a part of their entire brand/functionality of the system, and at least trying to establish it as a viable gaming device for ALL gamers, sony now with the ps4 just gives you an optional add on experience(there is nothing wrong with that). I'm not declaring which is better as that is based on preference but even you should be able to understand why they are looking at both devices differently.

@ Abizzle and iamsuperman

Are you guys MS supporters or trolling? I mean you guys act like MS cant pull it off. I remember them having the XNA program for indie devs. So im pretty sure they can get this going.

This announcement reminds me of the following line in Enemy of the State:

"You're either incredibly smart or incredibly stupid."

It should mean more games, and technically everyone could be a developer. However, this IS going to be hacked, and potentially could be hacked without the need for any third party hardware. A custom firmware flash could unlock an Xbone into a console that allows you to play debug code, which essentially would mean you can play copied games.

Hackers are going to be really happy with this feature, it will make their lives sooo much easier.

With that said, who says competition isn't a good thing? Microsoft is feeling pressured and it's working out better and better for the gamers.

LOL!
Whoa! Look at em go!
They actually believe this flip flopping and copying?

Another reversal from Xposed 180

When will M$ ever make its OWN mind?

Makes me wonder who are they ripping off Sony PS4's right off the bat Independent developer self publishing initiative or Nintendo Wii U SDK given away for free?

LOL!
What a joke this is turning out to be.
No amount of damage control can undo your dick move.

Catch up if you can M$.

PS:
Oh well let them just get as many Xposed 180 cable box they rightfully deserve. I am stopping no one.

Let them have fun developing AAAA games for their Skynect box.
They deserve it.

miyamoto, Ms has been saying for months that they'll release their plans for indie games later on, do you think the idea to making every console a dev unit just appeared in the last month?

This is obviously something that's been in the works long before they announced XNA wouldn't be coming back next gen.

@tuglu

it's true that this feature will not be available at launch!

This really shows how mis-informed the journalists are and how far back the industry really is.

MS has been doing this since XNA- For $100 anyone and their mother could developer a game on Xbox 360 and self-publish it.

This is just an extension of that. Journalists now write a blog telling the world that so the industry can be updated.

@Jokes
"indies don't get free dev kits and tools today, self publishing or not, why would they or us get them free now?"

False. Sony actually lends out dev kits to indie developers at no cost for a year.. So most indies can take their time developing on the pc, borrow a dev kit from Sony, and publish said game right on PSN.. Sony even offers free help, they run promotions and advertising for indie games as well..
http://www.polygon.com/2013...

@Septic

No its not atari and Ouya consoles did it first you can use the consoles to develop your own games.

This is a great feature, and might just entice me to pick up a One after all. The only fear I have is that opening up the console as a dev kit to everyone might just enable piracy since always on is no longer an issue.

If I hear again about the 2005-2009 era I'm going to explode.This site has been the epitome of pro-Sony from the moderators to the masses who comment on here and cry to their lives.Name one source that says that every ps4 can be used as devkit or shut your freaking mouth delusional ps fanboys.

See! The masses DO forget in 6 months. Remember the PS2? Yeah it announced the same thing. Remember the xbox(original), yep. Remember the xbox360 development kits for starters? The devil is in the detail. How much will it cost? No really, it may be free to make the game(as if that is special). How much to get it to market place, and tested by Microsoft, or a approved testing company? What you going to do when they ask you how many people tested your game. Have you tested it on a server. And a million quality questions that require multiple independent individuals? What security measures you have in place? Do you have a Kinect version of the game. Who reviewed your game for sexual content, sensitive issues. Do you think all those Indie devs that complained about hoops, and red-tape where just kidding? You think they are going to treat you better than several Indie developers making a game? If so why would you do business with a company like that?

This is just a PR stunk because they know the masses forget, which is why they brought up the CLOUD as if it was a new gen concept.

@Septic

Hats off to Microsoft for doing something they should have done in the beginning?

Let's praise a company that tries to take away our ownership rights, which forces indie devs to have a publisher, etc. But hey. After all the backlash, let's praise them and say they're better than the competitors because they've changed all this stuff.

They shouldn't have taken as long as they did to announce all these changes. There was constant backlash towards the company and the first 180 took over a month.

Xbox 180 is right though. With all the reversing of their policies they've been doing, the name fits perfect with the console.

It's funny seeing how many people are being blinded by Microsoft's PR machine, and now think that they'll be able to download a free update for their Xbox One to turn it into a dev kit and start making games.

Here's a hint: that's not going to happen. For a start, you'll need your own tools to develop games on a PC (that's running Windows 8). All Microsoft are doing is releasing a small update enabling developers to test their software on a retail Xbox One console (once you sign up and pay a yearly fee for the privilege).

Anybody who seriously buys an Xbox One at launch thinking they can use it to make games is a fool, and you're buying into Microsoft's PR machine which is never a wise thing to do.

This is a new development, not something M$ had intended from the start. The software to enable development will not be free, but it will still encourage more people to just download the software rather than having to go through the process of trying to acquire a full kit.
If you stand to make money, this along with self publishing is very, very attractive to upstarts.

Edit: I am sure M$ will have an anti-piracy plan in place. The fact that they even confirmed this means that has already been considered.

This is all good and dandy. But making every Xbox One a devkit...hmm, I don't know. Feel like it opens a big door for piracy. Lets hope they'll have ways to stop this from happening.

It's a cool initiative, and I give them props, and will give them more if it's a robust package. However don't expect full dev-kit compliance. Dev kits have extra hardware to allow for things that the regular system can't do, mostly debugging, which will likely still have to be done through a PC interface of some sort. It is extremely unlikely that you will be getting the full dev-kit tools and full developer access to the hardware and tools used for making games on the system. However, for an individual, or even a small group of individuals, the need to get that close to hardware isn't as important, since very few individuals could utilize it to good effect.

I'm imagining something like PSMobile, or XNA, but hopefully more than just a runtime environment. I'm certainly ready to hear more though, and may mean I get an X1 a lot sooner than I had planned.

I am guessing that MS want to trickle info going up to release which is much better than spilling your load to early. With positive talk going to release, it will make people think about getting the X1 at the time you want them to which is when the console release.

Its all well and good they are doing this but it costs more then just paying for the system.. There is publishing fees associated with it and they wont advertise on your behalf..
Sony has allowed self publishing on the PS3 for 5 years now and according to this article...
http://www.polygon.com/2013...
They even lend out dev kits at no cost for a year. Whats more they offer support, advertising, and even run promotions just for indie games.. Sony is killing it on the indie front and Microsoft is kind of playing catch up.. But at least they are making an effort..

bicfitness is correct, it's just debug functionality. Tragic to see so many people in this comment section thinking Xbox One's will turn into development kits that they can make games with. Still, kudos to Microsoft PR, they know how to spin things and con people like the best of 'em. Bravo.