There's been plenty of speculation about whether Microsoft will enable developers to create native games - using C/C++ - for Windows Phone 7.
Ron Pessner, general manager, Xbox Live mobile was firm however that the entire platform was build around XNA Game Studio which used the C# managed code system.
"We think there are a lot of benefits to managed code," he explained.
"I know some developers have been concerned about this, but working with studios to create our game demos, we've found they take an interesting journey where they find they can focus much more on game design, gameplay and productivity. They lose their skepticism about managed code."
Productivity not performance
Indeed, the entire Windows Phone 7 platform has been built from the ground up on the foundation of developers using XNA Game Studio, Silverlight and C#.
"We've designed the new Direct3D API [just introduced in XNA 4.0 Game Studio] in terms of managed code. Everything has been optimised for game development," said Michael Klucher, program manager for the XNA community game platform.
"To-date, the performance feedback we've received from developers has been excellent."
Partly this is because the Windows Phone 7 platform is a break from the previous Windows Mobile OS, and requires high-end specifications in terms of the hardware it will run on, making the performance bump you would get with native code less of an issue.
Also, Microsoft is keen to encourage developers already experienced using XNA for Xbox Live Arcade, Xbox 360 and PC to extend their games into the mobile world.
In this context, fast prototyping and fast development, and connected games across those platforms is considered more important that wringing every processor cycle out of the hardware.
News
Contributing Editor
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon is Contributing Editor at PG.biz which means he acts like a slightly confused uncle who's forgotten where he's left his glasses. As well as letters and cameras, he likes imaginary numbers and legumes.
Related Articles
Top Stories
News
4 hours, 12 minutes ago
PocketGamer.biz Podcast Week in Views E08 - The UK games industry's skills crisis, Fallout's TV success, and Epic's endless court battles
News
Apr 19th, 2024
Week in Views - The search for skills, billion dollar birthdays and terrific transmedia
News
Apr 19th, 2024
Week in Views - The search for skills, billion dollar birthdays and terrific transmedia
Feature
Apr 19th, 2024
New release roundup: Take That: This is Life, Neopets: Tales of Dacardia, Persona 5: The Phantom X and more
Feature
Apr 19th, 2024
Speaker Spotlight: Xsolla's Chris Meredith on making the most of D2C and today's revenue opportunities
Events
Arts DAO Fest 2.0 | Middle East | Apr 20th |
App Promotion Summit London | Europe | Apr 25th |
Esports Future Summit | Middle East | Apr 27th |
Dubai GameExpo Summit 2024 | Middle East | May 1st |
The MENA Games Industry Awards 2024 | Middle East | May 2nd |
GameDev Atlantic 2024 | May 4th | |
Mobidictum Meetup Berlin May 2024 | Europe | May 7th |
Mobidictum Meetup Tallinn May 2024 | Europe | May 21st |
Popular Stories
Feature
Apr 15th, 2024
46 top mobile games in soft launch: CSR 3, Plants vs. Zombies 3, LEGO Hill Climb Adventures, Candy Crush Blast, and more
News
Apr 17th, 2024