Unity support for Xbox One will arrive later this year through a collaboration with Microsoft, Unity Technologies CEO David Helgason has said.
Speaking with OXM, Helgason said the company also worked with Microsoft to make the Windows store export free.
Support for Unity will allow developers to easily port their existing Unity games for Xbox 360 and other platforms to the new console.
“Xbox 360 support was something we did on our own to support some of our customers, we came in really late in the cycle, so we kind of knew it wasn’t going to be a huge business for us,” Helgason said. “Because you know late in a cycle, people will have picked their technologies, built their own, there weren’t really a lot of needs.
“So we did because we had customers who wanted to export games and they did that. Here we’re coming in really early in the cycle with a lot of support from Microsoft, also the difference is a few years ago we were a small company with a new toolset and now it’s a massive community with almost two million people.
“Tens of thousands of games, is our last estimate – on mobile especially, but also elsewhere. And of course you know Microsoft is excited to work with us to bring the best of that community to their ecosystem.”
Microsoft will also distribute free Unity tools to all Xbox One developers who complete the free application process via its new ID@Xbox program. As previously announced, Xbox One can also function as a development kit prior approval sometime after launch.
While we knew SmartGlass could be used to handle matchmaking on Xbox One, Microsoft hasn't said much else about the next iteration of the second-screen experience. In an interview on Xbox Wire, Microsoft general manager Ron Pessner promises a more responsive app that connects to Xbox One within four seconds – over three times faster than the Xbox 360 app.
Up to 16 SmartGlass devices can connect to a single Xbox One console, though it's unknown how that functionality will serve anyone or what it will be explicitly used for. The improved app also presents the opportunity for smart devices to be used as game controllers, though again there's currently no direct example of that being employed right now. And SmartGlass will naturally act as an extension of Xbox Live when away from the console, allowing users to communicate with friends, check Achievements, watch Game DVR videos and access the Xbox Games Store.
Putting a bow on the SmartGlass package is Game Help, a new feature for developers who publish on Xbox One. When publishing a game, developers must submit a help manual that will aid players contextually either directly in-game or through SmartGlass. "In front of your console, you can say, 'Xbox: Help!' and then it will appear on the console," Pessner told Engadget in a separate interview. "Or in SmartGlass, you can click on the Help icon and then it will just tune into exactly what you're doing and present the right help content for you." This aid also applies to apps outside of games, in case you're having trouble navigating the tricky waters of Internet Explorer.
Microsoft Entertainment Boss Nancy Tellem: Xbox Augments TV Experience, Nears More Content Deals
She tells a U.K. TV-industry gathering that original content on the Xbox video game console isn't killing off traditional TV, but offers "a much more robust and interactive experience."
Microsoft has responded to the report that the PS4 is 50% faster than the Xbox One
A Microsoft spokesperson has responded to Kotaku's request for comment with the following statement:
“Ten years ago, you could argue that a console’s power was summed up in terms of a few of its specs, but Xbox One is designed as a powerful machine to deliver the best blockbuster games today and for the next decade.
Xbox One architecture is much more complex than what any single figure can convey. It was designed with balanced performance in mind, and we think the games we continue to show running on near-final hardware demonstrate that performance. In the end, we’ll let the consoles and their games speak for themselves.”
作者: Alpha: Microsoft has responded to the report that the PS4 is 50% faster than the Xbox One
A Microsoft spokesperson has responded to Kotaku's request for comment with the following statement:
“Ten years ago, you could argue that a console’s power was summed up in terms of a few of its specs, but Xbox One is designed as a powerful machine to deliver the best blockbuster games today and for the next decade.
Xbox One architecture is much more complex than what any single figure can convey. It was designed with balanced performance in mind, and we think the games we continue to show running on near-final hardware demonstrate that performance. In the end, we’ll let the consoles and their games speak for themselves.”
Performance: I’m not dismissing raw performance. I’m stating – as I have stated from the beginning – that the performance delta between the two platforms is not as great as the raw numbers lead the average consumer to believe. There are things about our system architecture not fully understood, and there are things about theirs as well, that bring the two systems into balance.
People DO understand that Microsoft has some of the smartest graphics programmers IN THE WORLD. We CREATED DirectX, the standard API’s that everyone programs against. So while people laude Sony for their HW skills, do you really think we don’t know how to build a system optimized for maximizing graphics for programmers? Seriously? There is no way we’re giving up a 30%+ advantage to Sony. And ANYONE who has seen both systems running could say there are great looking games on both systems. If there was really huge performance difference – it would be obvious.
I get a ton of hate for saying this – but it’s been the same EVERY generation. Sony claims more power, they did it with Cell, they did it with Emotion Engine, and they are doing it again. And, in the end, games on our system looked the same or better.
I’m not saying they haven’t built a good system – I’m merely saying that anyone who wants to die on their sword over this 30%+ power advantage are going to be fighting an uphill battle over the next 10 years…
作者: Alpha: Microsoft has responded to the report that the PS4 is 50% faster than the Xbox One
A Microsoft spokesperson has responded to Kotaku's request for comment with the following statement:
“Ten years ago, you could argue that a console’s power was summed up in terms of a few of its specs, but Xbox One is designed as a powerful machine to deliver the best blockbuster games today and for the next decade.
Xbox One architecture is much more complex than what any single figure can convey. It was designed with balanced performance in mind, and we think the games we continue to show running on near-final hardware demonstrate that performance. In the end, we’ll let the consoles and their games speak for themselves.”