The Xbox 360 is a video game console made by Microsoft and is the successor to the original Xbox. Development languages include C#, C and C++.
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console released by Microsoft, after 2001's xbox. The Xbox 360 competes against the Nintendo wii and Sony ps3. All three are called "next-generation" or "seventh generation" consoles. The Xbox 360 was officially revealed on MTV on May 12, 2005.
Development
Xbox 360 development is largely split into two distinct sections:
XNA Development
This involves using the XNA Framework to develop games/applications, and is done through AppHub. You can find the tools for development (XNA Game Studio) here. Anything developed using these tools must be written in C#.NET and can only be released onto the Xbox LIVE Marketplace as an 'Indie Game' (after passing the review process, of course). To debug your XNA app on the console itself, you need a membership. Another thing to note is that Xbox 360 apps can't access the Internet at all - all communication goes through Xbox LIVE or System Link.Professional Development
This covers the development of complete Xbox 360 titles, and requires that you be part of the Xbox 360 Registered Developer Program. Once a development license is obtained (and the NDA is signed), Microsoft provides developers with access to the official Xbox 360 SDK and development hardware, which includes full Visual Studio integration and documentation for developing native Xbox 360 applications and libraries using C/C++. The development kit hardware comes in a few flavours and supports debugging from Visual Studio via ethernet, DVD emulation via USB, etc. For more information on the professional development program, see this information.
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