Microsoft XNA Developer Presentations

Direct3D 10 has arrived in Windows Vista! Get up-to-speed on the latest graphics hardware and software infrastructure in Windows. Learn about the breadth of new Direct3D 10 features - everything from geometry shaders to resource views - and how to leverage those features for cutting-edge visual effects in your next Windows title. Attending this introductory talk is a great way to prepare yourself for the more advanced Direct3D 10 content presented later in the conference.

Character skinning is a technique that is commonly used in games, and is commonly expensive as well. Modern GPUs have new features and different performance characteristics than GPUs of a few years ago, and old assumptions are wearing thin. With the advent of shader model 3.0, Xbox 360, and Direct3D 10, it's time to revisit character skinning and rebuild this technique for better performance on the hardware of today and tomorrow. Many skinning methods and optimizations will be presented, including details on the memory export features of Xbox 360.

So you've got a fast GPU, but your shaders are still lagging in the quarter-mile? Running inefficient shaders with lots of stalls can be like running the hardware at half speed. Between ALU count, GPR usage, control flow, fetch latency, and other speed bumps, tracking down performance-limiting bottlenecks can be more elusive than ever. This talk shows how to run diagnostics on your shaders and use HLSL annotations and platform-specific tricks to get your engine running on all cylinders.

Direct3D 10 is designed from the ground up to empower you to blast way more unique objects, materials, and realistic clutter into your scene. Discover opportunities to get the best small batch performance and exploit the leap forward in shader programmability in shader model 4.0 to achieve a new level of visual diversity. Learn how to design massively-scalable Direct3D 10 material systems on the new platform. This talk will also examine how to leverage major advancements of the new Direct3D 10 Effects system to efficiently manage the building blocks of a material: shader code, device state, and material data. Grab the reins of DirectX 10 hardware and software to cram as much variety as possible into every frame!

Enabling high-performance games requires an arsenal of tools and techniques. This presentation will demonstrate the practical use of CPU and GPU performance analysis tools on both Xbox 360 and Windows. You'll come away armed with the knowledge needed to make your titles truly blow everyone away. Particular attention will be paid to the most recent additions to PIX on both platforms, such as the new sampling profiler and trace analysis. We'll also cover general techniques gleaned from practical experience in the field.

Adopting a linear high dynamic range (HDR) lighting model introduces a number of challenges to your rendering pipeline that must be overcome if you want to integrate high-performing HDR into your title. It pays to understand which challenges are important and why. Learn the "Bungie way" to balance range, precision, and performance in your render targets, calibrate color-spaces for consistent colors, and make effective use of auto-exposure, post-process effects, and tone-curves. Full analysis and pretty pictures included!

As game programmers, we aspire to create C++ code that is straightforward yet efficient, simple yet complete. Meeting the lofty goal of sublime C++ is a difficult but worthy effort. This wide-ranging presentation covers techniques that will put you on the path to C++ nirvana. Topics include efficient STL, fast cross-platform vector math, 64-bit programming, pointer aliasing, and other common performance issues. Expect illumination, inspiration, and maybe some controversy, too!

With the launch of Windows Vista, millions of your customers are already playing games on this innovative new operating system. There are many things you should be aware of to ensure they have a satisfying experience. This talk covers important Windows Vista concepts and features as they relate to games, and then discusses the top issues affecting titles on Vista. Topics include dealing with User Account Control and other security features, Game Explorer integration, common re-distribution and installation mistakes, changes to the DirectX runtime, 64-bit desktop computing, the new display driver model and many other features that can make your game stand out on Vista.

Over the past year, many exciting enhancements and features have been integrated into the Xbox 360 Development Kit (XDK). New features range from file event monitoring, host migration support and reliable UDP to game disc caching, compression APIs and video capture. This presentation will highlight a number of these features, provide demos and share thoughts on how to effectively integrate them into your next Xbox 360 title or development process.

Improving game performance on a fixed platform requires both great tools and techniques. The Xbox 360 CPU performance tools are continuing to improve, but you have to know how to use them and what to do with the results. This talk covers the latest CPU performance tools, gives recommendations for how to apply the results of those tools, showcases new information on making the compiler generate efficient code, and provides assembly language optimization advice for those times when every clock cycle is critical.

Games for Windows LIVE brings a new generation of online gaming to Windows. Join us to hear about how LIVE can provide you with the technology to fully enable your games for multiplayer gaming and extensive community. The LIVE platform provides you with identity, achievements, automatic patching, extensive matchmaking, cross-platform connectivity, voice communications, anti-cheat technology, NAT traversal and more. This talk, intended for developers, will cover the features, requirements, best practices and differences from the Xbox version. Also included will be a sneak peak of new and upcoming LIVE features and some cool demos!

Creating threads is straightforward, but communicating between threads in an efficient and reliable manner can be very tricky. This talk covers synchronization techniques such as critical sections, spin-loops, and lockless programming, as well as pitfalls such as false sharing. The talk introduces high-level techniques and explains their low-level consequences -- including the complexities of out-of-order reads and writes.

With the launch of Windows Vista, millions of your customers are already playing games on this innovative new operating system. There are many things you should be aware of to ensure they have a satisfying experience. This talk covers important Windows Vista concepts and features as they relate to games, and then discusses the top issues affecting titles on Vista. Topics include dealing with User Account Control, installation and Game Explorer integration, graphics issues, and many other features that can make your game stand out on Vista.

LIVE on Windows and Xbox presents unmatched online opportunities for game developers. Session invitations, ubiquitous voice, and achievements are just a few of the features that continue to revolutionize the industry. But what else lies within the LIVE toolbox? What opportunities for gaming innovation await your creativity and passion? How can LIVE features help drive sales of your game and increase player retention? How can you integrate the most robust online feature set onto multiple platforms with minimal code? Whether you're creating single-player or multi-player titles for Xbox 360 or Windows, and whether you are new to LIVE or in the know, this talk will help you get the most out of LIVE.

The consistency of fully programmable software-based audio is here today on Windows and Xbox 360. This presentation will cover the XAudio programming interfaces for Xbox 360, as well as how DirectSound on Windows Vista and XP can be harnessed to provide consistent high fidelity audio experiences. The Microsoft Cross-Platform Authoring Tool (XACT) also now exposes more power and visibility to the game programmer, which will be discussed here, along with future plans to leverage XAudio on Windows platforms as an optimized, cross-platform low-level audio engine.

From creating non-repetitive sound effects and interactive scores to XMA compression and media center music playback, audio offerings in the XDK and GDK provide functionality to help make getting audio up and running easier and more streamlined than ever. Here we cover the ins and outs of the Xbox 360, XNA Game Studio Express, and Windows audio offerings, including the Xbox Music Player service, the X3DAudio positioning library, XMA and other compression technologies, an introduction to the Microsoft Cross-Platform Authoring Tool (XACT), and real-time DSP effects.

Among many others services, the Microsoft Game Technology Group offers audio content reviews to interested titles in development. In this lecture, we will discuss the techniques and measurements utilized to help provide technical and creative advice, as well as the general review methodology utilized to isolate the most commonly seen challenges and successes. Examples will be offered to discuss and illustrate how titles are succeeding in raising their audio quality to the next level.

A newly redesigned and optimized property-editing window is just one of many innovations coming soon to the Microsoft Cross-Platform Audio Creation Tool (XACT), the high-level audio authoring tool and engine for Windows, Xbox 360, and XNA Game Studio Express. This presentation covers extensions made to XACT's programmability in response to developer requests, as well as other upcoming feature work focused on continuing to refine the programming-content creation pipeline.

Even though the DirectX 10 API and hardware have just shipped, graphics technology continues to advance. This talk outlines the next steps, beginning with the improvements in DirectX 10.1 targeting increased flexibility and image quality. We'll cover technologies currently under investigation for future releases including tessellating subdivision surfaces, generating compressed textures, and continuing improvements in CPU/GPU interoperation. This is a great opportunity to see where your most needed new features are on the list!

Enabling high-performance games requires an arsenal of tools and techniques. This presentation will demonstrate the practical use of CPU and GPU performance analysis tools on both Xbox 360 and Windows. You'll come away armed with the knowledge needed to make your titles truly blow everyone away. Particular attention will be paid to the most recent additions to PIX on both platforms, such as the new sampling profiler and trace analysis. We'll also cover general techniques gleaned from practical experience in the field.

With the launch of Windows Vista, millions of your customers are already playing games on this innovative new operating system. There are many things you should be aware of to ensure they have a satisfying experience. This talk covers important Windows Vista concepts and features as they relate to games, and then discusses the top issues affecting titles on Vista. Topics include dealing with User Account Control and other security features, Game Explorer integration, common re-distribution and installation mistakes, changes to the DirectX runtime, 64-bit desktop computing, the new display driver model and many other features that can make your game stand out on Vista.

Direct3D 10 is designed from the ground up to empower you to blast way more unique objects, materials, and realistic clutter into your scene. Discover opportunities to get the best small batch performance and exploit the leap forward in shader programmability in shader model 4.0 to achieve a new level of visual diversity. Learn how to design massively-scalable Direct3D 10 material systems on the new platform. This talk will also examine how to leverage major advancements of the new Direct3D 10 Effects system to efficiently manage the building blocks of a material: shader code, device state, and material data. Grab the reins of DirectX 10 hardware and software to cram as much variety as possible into every frame!

Direct3D 10 has arrived in Windows Vista! Get up-to-speed on the latest graphics hardware and software infrastructure in Windows. Learn about the breadth of new Direct3D 10 features - everything from geometry shaders to resource views - and how to leverage those features for cutting-edge visual effects in your next Windows title. Attending this introductory talk is a great way to prepare yourself for the more advanced Direct3D 10 content presented later in the conference.

Building games for Windows and Xbox 360 has never been easier. With XNA Game Studio Express, hobbyist and casual game developers can see their visions come to light in a matter of minutes instead of months. Come see XNA Game Studio Express in action and learn how to take full advantage of this powerful framework and its associated development tools. This session will also provide a first look at some of the new features the XNA Game Studio team is working on.

This presentation offers an in-depth look into the recently released XNA Game Studio Express with emphasis on the XNA Framework and its technical capabilities. We will explore the potential for prototyping and creating Xbox LIVE Arcade titles in the professional game development arena. This talk will feature demonstrations of the capabilities of Game Studio Express and the XNA Framework on both Windows and Xbox 360.

Over the past year, many exciting enhancements and features have been integrated into the Xbox 360 Development Kit (XDK). New features range from file event monitoring, host migration support and reliable UDP to game disc caching, compression APIs and video capture. This presentation will highlight a number of these features, provide demos and share thoughts on how to effectively integrate them into your next Xbox 360 title or development process.

Although real-time graphics techniques are quickly advancing towards realism, the main issues many developers face is still performance. PIX for Windows is a powerful tool you can use to squeeze the most performance out of your game. Learn about the new and powerful additions to PIX for Windows including GPU timing information, shader debugging, and Direct3D 10 support. See the system as a whole and learn how to pinpoint bottlenecks in game engine performance.

As the audio landscape evolves, Microsoft remains committed to a range of audio solutions for programmers and composers that effectively target platforms such as Windows and Xbox 360. Come hear what the future holds for audio APIs and tools from Microsoft. We'll discuss audio on Vista, future APIs, and how audio developers and content creators should be thinking about audio engine design and content authoring in the years ahead.

The Microsoft Cross-Platform Audio Creation Tool (XACT) is an audio implementation platform that is available for use on Xbox 360, Windows, and XNA Game Studio Express titles. The XACT authoring tool enables composers and sound designers to create dynamic, non-repetitive sound effects and more easily take advantage of sophisticated, real-time effects processing. The XACT engine provides optimized bundling and multi-streaming interfaces for programmers, as well as the ability to interactively perform and monitor audio playback programmatically. XACT supports real-time in-game auditioning, editing, mixing, and monitoring of audio content, allowing for rapid content prototyping with minimal programming resources. In this hands-on session we'll go over the basics and some more advanced techniques using XACT to create, edit, and play back content. There will be tasks for both programmers and content creators to explore while familiarizing themselves with this audio engine and creation tool.

LIVE on Windows brings a new generation of online gaming to Windows. Join us to hear about how LIVE can provide you with the technology to fully enable your games for multiplayer gaming and extensive community. The LIVE platform provides you with identity, achievements, automatic patching, extensive matchmaking, cross-platform connectivity, voice communications, anti-cheat technology, NAT traversal and more. This talk, intended for developers, will cover the features, requirements, best practices and differences from the Xbox version. Also included will be a sneak peak of new and upcoming LIVE features and some cool demos!

LIVE on Windows and Xbox presents unmatched online opportunities for game developers. Session invitations, ubiquitous voice, and achievements are just a few of the features that continue to revolutionize the industry. But what else lies within the LIVE toolbox? What opportunities for gaming innovation await your creativity and passion? How can LIVE features help drive sales of your game and increase player retention? How can you integrate the most robust online feature set onto multiple platforms with minimal code? Whether you're creating single-player or multi-player titles for Xbox 360 or Windows, and whether you are new to LIVE or in the know, this talk will help you get the most out of LIVE.

Visual C++ 2005 introduces a powerful new set of optimization techniques and code generation models. This presentation will discuss the many options available in Visual C++ for streamlining your game code, including link-time code generation, profile guided optimization (PGO), floating-point optimization, and other compiler and linker flags that will help you squeeze the most out of your target hardware. In addition, we'll discuss the Visual Studio profiler and other tools available to help pinpoint game bottlenecks and get you on track to performance nirvana.

• Introduction to Direct3D 10: Coming to a PC Near You
• Using Direct3D 10: Getting the Most from Your Direct3D 10 Engine
• Effects 10: Driving the New Effects System
• Exploiting Direct3D 10: Advanced Techniques Using Direct3D 10
• Advanced Lighting and More from Microsoft Research
• Xbox 360 Direct3D and GPU Performance Update
• HLSL Shader Compiler Update for Xbox 360 and Windows
• Under the Hood: Revving Up Shader Performance
• Seven Ways to Skin a Mesh: Character Skinning Revisited for Modern GPUs
• HDR the Bungie Way
• Cross-Platform Graphics Engine Development

• Designing Multi-Core Games: How to Walk and Chew Bubblegum at the Same Time
• Multi-Core Memory Coherence: The Hidden Perils of Sharing Data
• Sublime C++ for Games
• Games as Malware: Why Security is Your Problem Too
• Hardening the Box: The Xbox 360 and Windows Vista Security Models
• Supercharging I/O: Hard Disk, DVD, and Memory Unit
• Memory Management Internals: Allocation Strategies for High Performance
• Power Debugging: Nasty Bugs and How to Find Them
• Taming the CLR: How To Write Really Fast Managed Code
• Windows Performance Topics for Games
• Xbox 360 CPU Performance Update
• Developing Games for Windows and Xbox 360: Stories from the Trenches

• Working Smarter and Building Faster with Visual C++ 2005
• Managing Content Builds with XNA Build
• An Introduction to Agile Development
• Creating Games with the XNA Framework
• A Closer Look at the XNA Framework Content Pipeline
• Managing Content Builds with XNA Build

• Dynamic Animation in Next-Generation Games
• Exporting SOFTIMAGE|FACE ROBOT into a Real-Time Engine
• Procedural Texturing Using ProFX: 2K Textures in 2KB
• How'd They Do That? Graphics Samples Explained
• Creating Captivating Visual Content for DirectX 10
• Shaders and Shader Tools for Artists
• Pushing the Pipeline: Creating a Next-Generation Art Pipeline in Less Than Six Months
• Photorealistic Lighting Solutions for Next- Generation Games using Turtle 3
• Strategies for Coping with the Demand of High Def Art

• Live Anywhere: Bringing the Live Experience to Windows
• Session Enhancements: Host Migration, Improved TrueSkill™ and More
• The New Xbox Live Server Platform: Opening up the Network
• Community Extensions: Further Options to Customize Your Game's User Experience
• Achievements and Stats: Adding to the “Just Five More Minutes” Factor

• Developing Games for Xbox Live Arcade
• Developing Web-Based Games for MSN Games
• Preparing Casual Games for Windows Vista
• Developing Casual Games for MSN Messenger
• Future Platforms and Opportunities for Casual Games

• Full Service Audio: A Comprehensive Guide to Tools, Libraries, and Services for Audio on Xbox 360 and Windows Vista
• The Fundamentals of Audio Rendering on Xbox 360 and Windows Vista
• XMA Implementation and Aesthetics (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Compression)
• Using the Top Rear Left-of-Center Low Frequency Speaker: How Multi-channel Audio Works on Xbox 360 and Windows Vista
• Distributed Composing: Managing Audio Collaboration and Cross-Platform Deployment for XACT Projects
• An Analytical Study of Audio Implementations for Existing Windows and Xbox 360 Titles

• Adding Camera-Based Gesture and Face Tracking to Games
• Making Your Game Sound More Cinematic
• Extensible .NET Tools for Game Development - Guidelines and Lessons Learned
• An Overview of Voice Recognition Implementation
• Meshing AGEIA and Granny
• Combining Different Middleware Solutions to Create a Customized Platform
• The Convergence of AI, Physics and Animation
• The Dos and Absolutely-Do-Nots of XLSP: A Middleware Perspective
• Advanced Tools and Techniques for Shipping Your Game On-Time
• Creating a DirectX 10 Shader Authoring Sandbox Using SOFTIMAGE|XSI
• The State of the (Audio) Nation: A Conversation with Leading Audio Content Middleware Solutions

• Games for Windows Vista: Nail the Essentials, Showcase the Innovations
• Marketplace: Future of Digital Distribution
• Making your Windows Titles Come ALIVE Anywhere!
• Expanding Your Audience Through Accessibility
• Rise Above: Improving Your Game's Chances for Success by Focusing on What Players Want

• Introduction to Windows Error Reporting as a Service
• Games for Windows Vista Compatibility: The Essentials
• Microsoft Games Testing Organization: Testing Evolved