The September 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 on Durango Downloads on the Xbox Game Developer site. For access, log in with your ID and password on https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/games/xbox/partner/index; at the top of the page, point to Development and click Downloads.
The Durango developer support group sends e-mail to Durango developers whenever a new Durango XDK is released. Also, you can check with your account manager for the latest information about upcoming Durango XDK releases.
With the release of this XDK, versions of the Durango XDK before June 2012 are retired. We maintain download support for the three most recent releases of the XDK. You are encouraged, though, to update to each new release in order to get the most recent bug fixes and new features.
Visual Studio 2012 RTM version is required
In this release, you are required to update to the RTM version of Visual Studio 2012. You can use either the Pro or the Ultimate editions.
For complete instructions on how to download and install an appropriate version of Visual Studio 2012, see the Durango Downloads page on the Xbox Game Developer (XGD) site.
Windows 8 RTM (64-bit) is supported
In this release, you can install and use the Durango XDK on a computer running the Windows 8 RTM version. All 64-bit editions of Windows 8 RTM are supported. 32-bit versions are not supported.
Smartglass adds device-side HTML5 and JavaScript
In this release we introduce the ability to extend the game experience using Html5 and JavaScript on SmartGlass devices. The HTML and JavaScript are served up from a publisher’s server to the SmartGlass device. A title can use the SmartGlassDevice::HtmlSurface property to send and receive messages with the HTML/JS running on the SmartGlass device. Device side JavaScript libraries expose APIs for title messaging in this month’s XDK. They are a subset of the APIs shipping on SmartGlass for Xbox 360. This API will grow to parity with the SmartGlass JavaScript API on Xbox 360 in a future XDK. SmartGlass Studio has been updated to host HTML/JS that interacts with title code.
Apps Can Now Invoke Basic Xbox Secure Sockets API
This release includes a limited implementation of the Xbox Secure Sockets API whose documentation we released as a preview in the August XDK. This implementation enables you to experiment with configuring Secure Device Association Templates, and instantiating Secure Device Associations, but does not establish a secured communication channel between nodes. Traffic sent on sockets configured using the Secure Sockets API will be sent in the clear for this release.
Note that apps that use Xbox Secure Sockets must create a network manifest file that describes the Secure Device Association Template and other information about how the app will use secure Sockets. The manifest file must be named “networkmanifest.xml”, and must be deployed to the same directory on the Alpha kit as the app’s .exe file.
All Shader Types Are Precompiled
A previous release introduced precompilation for certain kinds of shaders. In this release, all six shader types (vertex, pixel, compute, geometry, hull, and domain shaders) are precompiled. Also, a bug which caused precompiled shaders to be unnecessarily large has been fixed.
Skeletal tracking: Player mask and static lock-on improvements
Skeletal tracking is now faster and more reliable at locking on to players who are standing and not moving. Additionally, the player mask is less likely to add portions of the background when players are standing directly in front of walls.