Microsoft have just release their Windows Phone 8 SDK, you can read the announcement right here. They have also launched a new Windows Phone 8 Dev Center, that you can access here.
And apparently, Microsoft don’t want anyone to use it…
System requirements
Supported operating systems: Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro
- Windows 8 64-bit (x64) client versions
- Hardware:
- 4 GB of free hard disk space
- 4 GB RAM
- 64-bit (x64) CPU
- Windows Phone 8 Emulator:
- Windows 8 Pro edition or greater
- Requires a processor that supports Second Level Address Translation (SLAT)
Windows 8 only? Really Microsoft, really? Your platform isn’t exactly the most popular these days, you can’t seriously be trying to push Windows 8 adoption with your developer tools? This hopefully is just a mistake, I’d like to think Microsoft isn’t really run by idiots.
Anyways… assuming you are one of the 12 people running Windows 8, you can download the SDK right here. You can still download and install it on non-Windows 8 versions, but apparently the emulator is disabled, pretty much leaving you dead in the water.
As for new technical features, those are highlighted here. A quick summary of some of the most relevant options are:
- Direct3D XAML interop, allowing you to build D3D apps that work with XAML.
- Multitargeting, allowing you to target Win Phone 7 and 8 with one project
- XAML and native code profilers
Microsoft also released this video on Native C++ game development with Windows Phone 8
Native C++ game development with Windows Phone 8
If you are interested in developing for Windows Phone 8, you may want to sign up now, as:
Windows Phone 8 is out, the tools are available, and devices are about to be released—it’s time to get coding. As an added incentive, for the next 8 days individual developers can register for a Dev Center account for just $8 (a 92 percent savings). Please note because this is a very limited time offer. You’ll be charged $99 USD or equivalent in your local currency, and we’ll refund the difference in the next 30 to 45 days. Watch for more details on Dev Center soon.
Why 8$? Anyways, any interest in developing for Windows 8 Phone? I personally love Microsoft’s platforms and development tools, by far the best in the industry. That said, I just dont believe in … well, anything they are doing lately. I expect Windows 8 to be a gigantic flop and a senior executive house cleaning to occur. For the record, I owned Microsoft stock up until about 2 months ago. Shows what faith I have in their current strategy.
News