J Allard Confirms No Zune Games. (Yet)

 

Hey Folks! I have some news but first I would like to introduce myself. My name is Landon and I've been a Zune owner since launch. I'm currently applying to be a guest poster from time to time. I hope you folks dig me and my news!

J Allard has confirmed to GamaSutra that Microsoft has no plans to integrate games into the Zune. He notes that with the number of new MP3 players coming out that it would be hard to make everything compatible and that with new players coming out so often that it would be physically impossible for new players to play older games or vice versa.

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Comments

[Steven Smith]

Welcome to the blogging family. I know a lot of Apple iFans will gloat that their MP3 player can play games but have you honestly tried to play Tetris on an iPod? Its impossible, so I say as long as we have wifi sync and a video marketplace we are still playing with a hand full of aces.

Great future feature I hope,
Linking with 360 video downloads

[Nelson]

I agree, Games on MP3 Players *as we know it* have no place on the Zune.

What the Zune needs to do is pioneer a COMPLETELY new approach to gaming on the Zune.

I'd suggest a stripped down version of the XNA Framework allowing for only 2D operations and maybe some pixel shader effects on those textures.

They have the platforms, they have the tools, they're just not unified.

I've been working with XNA since it's launch and it's a phenomenal product to work with. It allows you to make homebrew games on the PC and XBox 360 at the same time.

Imagine bringing the games from XBox Live Arcade to the Zune. Albiet in a perhaps lighter form, but I'd buy them from the marketplace.

The prerequisites are the .NET Framework, but this is not too much of a big deal because Zune is built on Windows Mobile technologies which supports the .NET Compact Framework.

Just some food for thought.