Microsoft unveiled XNA Game Studio 2.0 Beta for Windows Vista and Windows XP, offering the resource as a free download. The Studio is positioned as both a toolset and a technology designed to enable developers to build games for the Windows platforms as well as for the Xbox 360 console. According to the release notes accompanying XNA Game Studio 2.0 Beta, all the editions of Vista and XP SP2 are supported.

"The XNA team is pleased to announce the Beta release of XNA Game Studio 2.0! This Beta release is your chance to try out the new features available in XNA Game Studio 2.0, including support for Visual Studio 2005, multiplayer support over System Link and LIVE, and many more features and enhancements, many suggested by you, the community members", revealed Michael Klucher, Program Manager - XNA Community Game Platform Team.

With this release, Microsoft's XNA Game Studio family becomes a more mature offering, even though it is still focused on game developers that belong to hobbyist, academic, and independent groups. The Beta will offer users a chance to take advantage of the boosted performance, along with a set of new features and enhanced integration with Visual Studio 2005.

"If you're an existing XNA Game Studio Express user, you won't have to worry about uninstalling anything - XNA Game Studio 2.0 (Beta) lives comfortably side-by-side with XNA Game Studio Express. Just follow the link below to find out what's new in XNA Game Studio 2.0 and download the Beta, as well as updated sample content you can use with the Beta right away. There's even a multiplayer-enabled starter kit you can use to familiarize yourself with multiplayer programming in the XNA Framework", Klucher added.

XNA Game Studio 2.0 Beta is available for download via this link.