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Will Every Xbox Be a Dev Kit?
jfruh writes There were a lot of rumored features of the Xbox One that vanished after public outcry — that it would need an always-on Internet connection, for instance. But another rumor from that era was that every Xbox One sold would include a dev kit that would allow anyone to create games — and it looks like this is one dream that might be coming true soon.
Many computers back in the 80s contained a dev kit. Typically some version of Microsoft BASIC. :)
Of course, we didn't call them game consoles. They were "microcomputers", but by and large they were widely used as games machines.
Commodore 64, I am looking at you.
Maybe we're coming full circle? If Microsoft provides an easy to use dev kit for casual users to create games, then we'll all be awash in thousands of games on that platform before we know it.
How many of those will be pong clones, snake clones, tron clones, reversi clones, boulderdash clones, and versions of mastermind ? :)
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Are you seriously telling me that if you slightly de-cripple a general-purpose computer that it can be used as a general purpose computer?
Truly, I am living in the goddamn future now...
We both know what all you typed means.... but to the layperson who has no previous experience in computer programming, that explanation is way too much too soon.
it's great that there is choice, but a lot of newbies need handholding, focus, and detailed explanations.
Throw newbies in the deep end too soon and all you'll get is a situation analogous to a crying 4 year old who can't figure out why a university professor is angry at him for not understanding calculus.
I remember the Commodore "Introduction to BASIC" series. Sometimes a more focused and hand-holding approach is all that's needed to spark the person's interest and build their confidence so that they seek out more detailed information and harder challenges. ;)
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