XNA Game Studio Express public beta launches

Microsoft's launched the public beta version of XNA Game Studio Express, technology that allows every man - and woman - and his dog have a stab at game development. It's kind of like the return of the bedroom videogame development scene.

Anyway, interested parties/wannabe game creators can download the XNA Game Studio Express pubic beta from msdn.microsoft.com/xna and get cracking developing games for Windows XP and Windows Vista (for free).

Eventually, users will be able to migrate games created for Windows using XNA Game Studio Express to Xbox 360. This migration action will actually kick off at the end of the year and is "part of the XNA Creators Club subscription for $99/€99 a year, or a four-month trial cost of $49, opening up retail console game development to anyone for the first time", explains Microsoft.

The final version of XNA Game Studio Express and the XNA Creators Club for building and distributing games on the Xbox 360 will launch simultaneously around Christmas time. XNA Game Studio Professional will be available in spring 2007.