Microsoft has announced a few new development tools at Game Developers Conference 2009. On the hardware side is the new SDK. Armed with 1GB of memory, this baby should allow developers to run numerous background tools without sacrificing a game's RAM. Plus, it looks cool. I want one...you know, so I can have it.
On the software side is XNA Game Studio 3.1, due out this spring. In addition to allowing downloadable content for Xbox Live Arcade titles, 3.1 is adding further support for the dollies avatars that arrived with the New Xbox Experience. Community Games and Arcade developers will be able to implement avatars with full 3D movement and custom animations. I got to see an avatar being animated in Maya and exported into a level made with XNA Game Studio. Although the new SDK is slick and sexy, the avatar capabilities of 3.1 should lead to some interesting titles that really give players a feeling of being in the game.
Anyone out there playing around with XNA Game Studio? If so, do you have any ideas for the avatar functionality in 3.1? I'm sure the next Cliff Bleszinski (minus the lame car) reads TheFeed, so speak up!
And also, check out more pictures of the slick Xbox 360 hardware (that most of us will never have) after the jump.
