Every Xbox One can now make games

In its 2016 Build Keynote address on 30 March, Microsoft announced that every Xbox One now has game development capabilities.

Interested developers will have to register for a Microsoft Developer account and will then be able to download the Xbox Dev Mode app from the console’s store.

The platform will allow for direct integration with Visual Studio and will support both controller and mouse and keyboard use.

Microsoft also plans to release a Xbox Dev Home app that will include account management and developer settings and will allow the console to restart in a normal user mode.

Microsoft had originally promised Xbox One Dev Mode capability in August 2013. Speaking to media about the delay, Xbox Head Phil Spencer said:

“The reason we waited so long was because I wanted to get [Universal Windows Platform] to a point where I could just say ‘Hey, Windows developers, the millions of you that are already out there, instead of you having to learn something else to go put your app on Xbox, let’s just move Xbox over so it supports apps that you’re already building,”

A preview of the new Xbox Dev Mode is scheduled to roll out to select users in the coming week.