14 DAY TRIAL // The Redmond Company has upgraded the Microsoft XNA Game Studio Express to include content pipeline and complete Windows functionality and Xbox 360 project system preview. Beta 2 XNA Game Studio Express delivers support only for machines running Windows XP Service Pack 2. However, Windows Vista compatibility is in the works.
The Redmond Company will make available an update to the XNA Game Studio Express sometime in 2007, delivering support for Vista, after the operating system will be available for the general public. The presence of Microsoft Visual C# 2005 Express Edition is mandatory and XNA Game Studio Express will fail to install otherwise.
Microsoft additionally informed that XNA Game Studio Express is designed to deliver the full feature set for developing, debugging and playing games on Windows, and that the Xbox 360 console was overlooked. Full functionality for Xbox 360 will only be available with the final release of XNA Game Studio Express, when the feature set specific to the 360 will be accompanied by starter kits and tutorials.
XNA Game Studio Express (Beta 2) was tested by Softpedia as being 100% Clean and is available for download here.