Microsoft has announced some of its plans for Xbox and Windows 10, with those plans including the launch of the Windows 10 Xbox Live SDK on Wednesday.
The announcement was made by Xbox chief Phil Spencer at the Game Developers Conference (GDC). Game developers will ultimately be able to use it in the games that they create.
"This SDK will provide access to the vast majority of Xbox Live services currently available on Xbox One, under a shared set of APIs, integrated with the Windows Store," said Microsoft in a blog post. "We are also committed to making Xbox Live accessible to all game developers, regardless of size, which is why we're introducing a new tier of Xbox Live that is designed to allow any developer to engage with the Xbox Live community."
The Xbox Live Preview SDK will be available to developers over the next couple of months through the Windows 10 Technical Preview. As Microsoft continues to roll out the SDK, any developer will be able to create apps for Xbox One using the Windows 10 app platform. The SDK will also allow for access to Xbox Live services that are currently only available on the Xbox One under a new shared group of APIs that are found in the Windows Store.
The news comes after Microsoft announced in January that a new Xbox Live app for Windows would allow users to record content in-game, even on games that already exist. At the event, Spencer demoed the new features, including the ability to play Xbox-exclusive games on a Windows PC.
Essentially, the SDK will let developers have much more control over how much access the Xbox Live app can have on their games.
At the GDC, Spencer also talked about the company's plans to bring cross-purchasing support to the Windows 10 store: developers can make their games available to players whether they switch between Windows 10 devices or not.
"We are committed to making Windows 10 the best Windows we've ever had for gamers and game developers," said Spender during the event. "Our goal is to allow people to play games wherever they are."
Spencer also discussed the fact that Microsoft would be bringing Xbox gaming to the HoloLens, which is Microsoft's virtual and augmented reality platform. In fact, Microsoft's gaming studios are already producing games for the platform. More details about this should be available in April, which is when Microsoft will host the annual Build Developer Conference.
Photo: Marco Verch | Flickr
