14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s plan to allow the Xbox One computer entertainment system to also function as a development kit – a device that can be used to create games – is still in the cards, but also still some ways off, according to Xbox head Phil Spencer.
The head of Microsoft’s Xbox division and Microsoft Studios, Phil Spencer, has told Engadget that he is personally disappointed by the fact that the feature has not yet materialized, and that Microsoft has not yet given up on the idea, and it’s still on the development team’s to-do list.
“I don't love that it was a year ago that we talked about it here and it's still not available,” Spencer says, assuring people that the feature is still on the Xbox One roadmap, and mentioning that the main reason the development team has not rushed it out is that the demand is not as great as for other features that get priority.
“There's been such a great response to [the Xbox indies program] that the request from the community so far hasn't been the retail-to-dev kits,” Spencer explains.
The ID@Xbox, Microsoft’s program meant to facilitate independent game developer’s access to the Xbox One console, grants developers who sign up access to two free Xbox One development kits, as well as access to support staff.
While the retail-to-dev kit transformation would open up the Xbox One ecosystem to a huge potential market of content creators, Spencer says that for the time being, the company is satisfied with the way ID@Xbox works and its results, and thus the feature is not at the top of the dev team’s to-do list.
“I just want to listen and take the feedback and not just do something because I wanna go do it,” he says. “I wanna do something because the consumer--developers in this case--get what they're asking for.”
There were some rumors last month, claiming that Microsoft axed the entire plan to allow all Xbox One consoles to natively function as development kits, but the company was quick to deny the allegations, re-stating its commitment to provide the best possible solutions for developers to create content for the platform.
The ambitious plan to allow each and every Xbox One machine to function as a development kit was announced in July 2013, and it has failed to materialize so far, with all the signs pointing to the fact that it will still be a while until the functionality rolls out, in spite of it still being on the Xbox One roadmap.