The May 2012 release of the Durango XDK from Microsoft contains the following new features, tools, and documentation.
For features that shipped in a previous Durango XDK release, see the What’s New document for that release.
The most recent release notes and Durango XDK updates can always be found under Durango Downloads on the Xbox Game Developer. For access, log in with your ID and password on https://developer.xboxlive.com/. At the top of the page, point to Development, click Downloads, and then click Durango in the drop-down list.
The Durango developer support group sends email to Durango developers when a new Durango XDK is released. You also can check with your account manager for the latest information about upcoming Durango XDK releases.
Microsoft graphics driver updated
New features were added to the Durango-specific graphics driver under development by Microsoft.
Two key Direct3D 11 features are not yet implemented in the Microsoft driver:tessellation (and all related pipeline stages: Hull shader, Domain shader) and Deferred Contexts. Those features will be added in a future release.
Also, a number of bugs in the driver have been fixed. See the release notes for details.
Feedback about the Durango driver is requested through the Durango forum.
Welcome back, PIX!
This release includes PIX for Durango, the third incarnation of the popular performance tool used on Xbox and Xbox 360. This first release is focused on GPU profiling through basic GPU capture and playback. Initial features include:
PIX requires linking against an instrumented version of D3D11 and use of the new Durango graphics driver. See PIX for detailed steps about preparing your app for use with PIX. This is the first release of many. Expect to see more GPU profiling features available in upcoming releases as PIX for Durango evolves toward—and eventually beyond—the feature set of PIX for Xbox 360.
Improved help with some API references
This release adds improvements to the Durango XDK documentation.
Offline documentation is now provided as a downloadable installer that integrates Durango XDK help with the Visual Studio help system. This installer replaces the compressed CHM files available for previous releases. By upgrading to the latest Visual Studio help files, we’ve enabled better support for F1 help and Intellisense for Durango APIs that have reference topics in the Durango help file. Download the help installer from the Durango XDK Software Downloads page.
The following APIs have reference topics in the Durango help file.
More Durango API references will be added in stages in upcoming releases.
New app model tools and documentation
The Windows.ApplicationModel, Windows.ApplicationModel.Activation, and Windows.ApplicationModel.Core namespaces are available for application management, including activation, termination, and referencing application properties. Use the xbapp.exe remote tool to test Process Lifetime Management (PLM) event handling in your application.
New Companion API features and breaking changes
The Companion API has been changed based on feedback from our developers. A number of events, functions, and properties have been renamed, which will require you to update your code to work with the new API. See the Release Notes for a full list of the changes and a suggested strategy for updating your code.
New audio functionality
In this release, WASAPI, the low-level audio endpoint system and API, has been enabled. Also, XAudio has been upgraded to version 2.9, with support for the xWMA codec.
This release also adds new encoding tools for xWMA and ADPCM audio.
JSON parser added
In this release, the Windows Runtime JSON parser (Windows.Data.Json) has been added to Durango. You can use the parser to make interacting with Xbox LIVE RESTful web services easier.
Media playback support added
In this release, a subset of Microsoft Media Foundation is available for game developers to use for playback of cut-scenes and other video content. For details refer to the Media Playback Overview topic.
Note that basic video playback uses software video encoding. Hardware video decoding must be turned off to use basic video playback. See the release notes for instructions.
Preview: Kinect and pre-Alpha Durango sensor comparison
This release includes a new tool, Xbox Studio 2.0, that you can use to view clips containing depth and IR streams recorded with a prototype of the new Durango sensor. We’re also making available a collection of pre-recorded clips that give you an idea about the data and level of detail the Durango sensor may present so that you can begin to consider the possibilities for your app. These recordings were made with a prototype sensor. NUI technologies continue to evolve so the exact nature and specifications of this data are subject to change.