Setting Up Sandboxes for Xbox Live Development

Overview

This topic outlines how to get the IDs required to set up sandboxes and configure your application for use of Xbox Live services.

A sandbox provides content isolation for an individual development kit, providing a clean environment for development and testing.

Xbox Live services provide online features such as events, achievements, multiplayer functionality, and so forth.

To enable sandboxes and Xbox Live services, you will need to obtain several IDs to configure your development kit and your title. These can be done with the same process.

The process is:

  1. Get your IDs
  2. Set your sandboxes on your development kits
  3. Bind the TitleID and Service Configuration ID (SCID) to your title

Critical IDs

There are three IDs which are critical for development of titles and applications for Xbox One: the sandbox ID, the TitleID, and the SCID.

While it is necessary to have a sandbox ID to use a development kit, the TitleID and SCID are not required for initial development but are required for any use of Xbox Live services. We therefore recommend that you obtain all three at once.

Sandbox IDs

The sandbox provides content isolation for your development kit during development, ensuring that you have a clean environment for developing and testing your title. The Sandbox ID identifies your sandbox. A console may only access one sandbox at any one time, though one sandbox may be accessed by multiple consoles.

Sandbox IDs are case sensitive.

TitleID

The TitleID uniquely identifies your title to Xbox Live services. It is used throughout the services to enable your users to access your title’s Live content, their user statistics, achievements, and so forth, and to enable Live multiplayer functionality.

Title IDs can be case sensitive, depending on how and where they are used.

Service Configuration ID (SCID)

As a part of development, you will create events, achievements, and a host of other online features. These are all part of your Service Configuration, and require the SCID for access. A given title may have multiple Service Configurations; each will have its own SCID.

SCIDs are case sensitive.

Obtaining Your IDs

For the moment, you will obtain your IDs by working with your Developer Account Manager.

Setting Up Your Sandbox

You will not be able to boot your development kit without setting your Sandbox ID. To do this, open an XDK command window and use the Configuration (xbconfig.exe) command as follows:

  1. Check your current sandbox. Type xbconfig sandboxid at the command prompt.
  2. If it’s not what you expect, change your sandbox id. Type xbconfig sandboxid=<your sandbox id> at the command prompt.
  3. Reboot your console using Reboot (xbreboot.exe) at the command prompt.
  4. Verify your sandbox has been correctly reset. Type xbconfig sandboxid at the command prompt.

Adding the TitleID and SCID to Your Binary

While the Sandbox is configured on a platform level for each Development Kit, the TitleID and SCID are bound to a specific binary. To add a TitleID and SCID to your binary, modify the Package.appxmanifest for that binary by adding a new node in the <Extensions> node as follows:

<Applications>
    ...
    <Application ...>
      ...
      <Extensions>
        <mx:Extension Category="xbox.live">
           <mx:XboxLive TitleId="<your titleID>" PrimaryServiceConfigId="<your SCID>" RequireXboxLive="<boolean indicating Live requirement>" />
        </mx:Extension>
      </Extensions>
   </Application>
</Applications>  

For more information on the AppxManifest.xml file, refer to Project Templates in Visual Studio for Xbox One Development.

See Application Manifest Schema for a description of the application manifest schema.

The RequireXboxLive Flag

If the RequireXboxLive flag is set to true the title will not launch unless the Windows.Networking.Connectivity Connection Level returns as XboxLiveAccess and the title clears authentication with Xbox Live. This insures the title has taken the latest content updates. If connectivity is lost while the title is running, the title is suspended.

Only “Internet Required” titles should mark RequireXboxLive as true, and note that marking your title in this way does not guarantee the required services for the title are up and running.

See also

Xbox Live Services