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UWP games are getting access to more horsepower on Xbox One this fall

statham

Member
EDIT: This is for the Creator's program.

Currently, UWP games can tap into 4 shared CPU cores, 1GB of RAM, and access to only 50 percent of the GPU for Direct3D11-based games. With the next big update coming to Xbox One this fall, UWP games will now have access to 6 exclusive CPU cores, 5GB of RAM, and full access to the GPU for Direct3D12-based games. Put simply, UWP developers should be able to eek out vastly better performance for their games on Xbox One.
xbox-one-expanded-UWP-resources_0.png

https://www.windowscentral.com/uwp-...ox-one-fall?utm_source=wpc&utm_medium=twitter

much better.
 

Rizific

Member
im confused. UWP= games on windows and xbox? i dont understand how a game that is also available on windows get the advantage as opposed to any other game. can someone educate me?
 

LCGeek

formerly sane
Sadly the cpu uses windows and still will reserve 20-10% cause MS hasn't gutted such a useless setting in their kernel.

I love MS but they shot themselves in the foot so much with their own software. The benefits they could gain by removing useless settings or making them work better plus a new network stack or cpu scheduler would be amazing for xbox or pc gamers period.
 
The games released via the Xbox Creators program, which is basically the Xbox One version of the Xbox Live Indies from the 360 days.

In short: they are the games you can make at home using a retail Xbox and self publish to the store.

Fallout Shelter is another example as mentioned in the article.
 

Theswweet

Member
This is actually huge. Right now, anyone that has a Windows Developer account (free if you're a student) could develop UWP apps and get them out on both the W10 store and the Xbox One storefront. The catch was that for Xbox One support you were limited to 1GB of RAM and only a few CPU cores. Good enough for something like VLC, but not perfect for much else. After this update UWP developers get basically full access to the Xbox One's power, at least base system.

In other words indie devs will have a much easier time getting their games running on Xbox. As long as it's not a game that requires super crazy specs, as long as it's DX12 and has controller support it should work on Xbox more or less out of the box.
 

M3d10n

Member
This is actually huge. Right now, anyone that has a Windows Developer account (free if you're a student) could develop UWP apps and get them out on both the W10 store and the Xbox One storefront. The catch was that for Xbox One support you were limited to 1GB of RAM and only a few CPU cores. Good enough for something like VLC, but not perfect for much else. After this update UWP developers get basically full access to the Xbox One's power, at least base system.

In other words indie devs will have a much easier time getting their games running on Xbox. As long as it's not a game that requires super crazy specs, as long as it's DX12 and has controller support it should work on Xbox more or less out of the box.

Yeah, I'm tempted to getting a X1 now. It's a nice way to get a first version of a garage console-focused game and if things go well you can move it into the ID@Xbox and release it in the main store.

There's one large limitation with Creators games, however: no multiplayer.
 
This is fantastic news for me as a Creator's Collection developer! Not sure why I'm finding out about this on NeoGAF and not elsewhere sooner, but I'm glad this is coming soon. I have two Creators games right now that both need more CPU/RAM power, so this should eliminate the hitching and frame pacing issues present that's been bothering me since launch.
 
Why were there restraints in the first place?

Because anything UWP at the moment is actually an "app" / running in the app containers, so get's to live with the same restictions apps do.

This is just letting certain "apps" get access too the game reserverd resources - probably not for ALL UWP developers, but those that go through the creator's program specifically with fame.


For the record, Fallout Shelter isn't UWP. Even the version on the Windows Store is using the UWP bridge so it's a ported desktop app. It just has shared saves - but it's not the same binary.

Same is true for pretty much all current Play Anywhere games at moment.
 

8bitghost

Member
After this update UWP developers get basically full access to the Xbox One's power, at least base system.

Not entirely. UWP games still cannot access Xbox One's ESRAM. Games that push the system most all make use of that relatively small but lightening fast RAM.
 
The games released via the Xbox Creators program, which is basically the Xbox One version of the Xbox Live Indies from the 360 days.

In short: they are the games you can make at home using a retail Xbox and self publish to the store.

For now maybe, though Ms is toying with uwp themselves (Phanton Dust is a uwp for instance), and the goal is the main development platform to move to uwp. Getting the platform with the same resources as the regular sdk games is an important first step.
 

Flagship

Member
Will be interesting to see the two UWP games I know that use this (Phantom Dust HD and Thimbleweed Park) especially the former as it has it's fair share of performance problems.

But at the same time I'll miss being able minimise/multitask and switch these two games while playing non-UWP games (aka everything else) and not have it close, but I think what we gain will be more than worth it.

Good news!

P.S. If the next gen Xbox (two?) run everything via UWP that sounds great for a forward compatibility perspective!
 

Flagship

Member
You are very wrong

Haha, could you imagine if all Xbox One games up until this fall only used half the cores+1gig of RAM? xD

@Blam The Xbox One architecture/hardware was designed before UWP was announced/an initiative for MS's future as a company.
 

Dehnus

Member
Yeah, I'm tempted to getting a X1 now. It's a nice way to get a first version of a garage console-focused game and if things go well you can move it into the ID@Xbox and release it in the main store.

There's one large limitation with Creators games, however: no multiplayer.
Not even local? Like they limit it to ne controller?
 
UWP was always the plan.

Xbox One originally ran a modified Windows 8 OS which ran Window Store apps but before Windows 10 was ready. Once the OS was ready it was upgraded to Windows 10.

The majority of Xbox One's original games were still these style apps. Now that UWP is ready, they can be used.

Fallout Shelter is a UWP as it is on the Windows Store on PC. It is not a desktop app just in the Store.
 

statham

Member
This is fantastic news for me as a Creator's Collection developer! Not sure why I'm finding out about this on NeoGAF and not elsewhere sooner, but I'm glad this is coming soon. I have two Creators games right now that both need more CPU/RAM power, so this should eliminate the hitching and frame pacing issues present that's been bothering me since launch.
Which two are yours?
 
Which two are yours?

GalactiMAX and Arcade Hysteria. Both were game jam games I converted to UWP to test the feasibility of Construct 2 on Xbox. Xbox reached out to me about porting accessible games to the platform (even small games) to allow me to play around with accessibility on the platform. That's why both games are completely free, as they're tiny games meant to test various aspects of Creator's Collection. The limited CPU power allocated to UWP games hurt my games (Construct 2 relies on the CPU for everything) so I'm glad that's changed. Can't wait to update both to take advantage of the additional power!
 
GalactiMAX and Arcade Hysteria. Both were game jam games I converted to UWP to test the feasibility of Construct 2 on Xbox. Xbox reached out to me about porting accessible games to the platform (even small games) to allow me to play around with accessibility on the platform. That's why both games are completely free, as they're tiny games meant to test various aspects of Creator's Collection. The limited CPU power allocated to UWP games hurt my games (Construct 2 relies on the CPU for everything) so I'm glad that's changed. Can't wait to update both to take advantage of the additional power!

Well then. This sounds promising for you!
 

JeffG

Member
This is fantastic news for me as a Creator's Collection developer! Not sure why I'm finding out about this on NeoGAF and not elsewhere sooner, but I'm glad this is coming soon. I have two Creators games right now that both need more CPU/RAM power, so this should eliminate the hitching and frame pacing issues present that's been bothering me since launch.

I just join a couple of months ago when they first talked about it. In some of the small print it read like the full power was allowed, but when I went to actually do it I saw the cut down resources.

I am glad they are doing it, otherwise I would have to go through ID@Xbox (which isn't a bad thing...but I might not ever finish)

My Unity game requires the full power and would never run in the smaller footprint.
 
Well then. This sounds promising for you!

I'm excited to continue working on games and communicating with Xbox about how games can be more accessible all around. I've also become an advocate of sorts for Construct 2, since most CC games (and official Xbox support) are Unity. Considering publishing a guide about porting Construct 2 games to Xbox through Creator's Collection.

I just join a couple of months ago when they first talked about it. In some of the small print it read like the full power was allowed, but when I went to actually do it I saw the cut down resources.

I am glad they are doing it, otherwise I would have to go through ID@Xbox (which isn't a bad thing...but I might not ever finish)

My Unity game requires the full power and would never run in the smaller footprint.

I'm amazed any Unity games can run with the current constraints on Creator's Collection. I've admittedly not tried any on Xbox myself, but gameplay footage seems to have framerate issues all around. Which makes sense given my small games couldn't even maintain a solid 60FPS. The extra power is so necessary and I hope every game gets updated once the update drops. Construct 2 doesn't have any way of adding achievements along with other deficiencies for ID@Xbox cert, so I knew it wasn't a future for my games unless the engine gets a big update. Which it won't, as Construct 3 has most of the focus for new features.
 
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