Michael Klucher's Blog

While we haven’t done too much to the functionality of XNA Game Studio Connect this release, we’ve given it a bit of a facelift to match up with the new Xbox 360 experience. Take a look at the neat-o screenshot below!

The new version of XNA Game Studio Connect can run both XNA Framework 2.0 games and XNA Framework 3.0 games. This means you don’t have to switch between launchers according to which product you’re using–as you did with v1.1 and 2.0. If you’re still using XNA Game Studio 1.0 Refresh (XNA Game Launcher on the Xbox 360) you may continue to do so as you do today.  However, the release of XNA Game Studio 3.0 provides a perfect time to upgrade your projects to take advantage of all the features we’ve since introduced!

Now that I have you mesmerized with the new look of XNA Game Studio Connect, let’s talk about upgrading when we release later this year. The caveat is that, on the day of release, you’ll need to manually upgrade—that is, you’ll need to re-download XNA Game Studio Connect. We’ll be issuing a Title Update to the old version of XNA Game Studio Connect, which will disable it and tell you that you need to upgrade, with some information on what to do. We’ll also provide a URL that takes you to instructions on how to download the new version so you can walk through it on your computer.

Upgrading isn’t difficult, just a manual process. Here are some instructions that walk you through it; you won’t need these until we release. Keep in mind that these instructions are for the existing Xbox Dashboard and not the New Xbox Experience, so the instructions will change slightly after its release.

Delete the Old XNA Game Studio Connect

First, you’ll want to remove the old XNA Game Studio Connect from your Xbox 360 console. If you don’t, it may try to start when running a game, which would then tell you that you need to upgrade—even if you already have the new version on your console.

1. On your Xbox 360 console, navigate to the Games blade, select Games Library, and then select My Games.
2. Select XNA Game Studio Connect from the list of games. From there, select Delete. You do not need to delete any of your games.

Important: Please make sure that you have deleted the previous version of XNA Game Studio Connect before downloading the new version. Trying to delete the old version  with the new version already downloaded can cause your console to lock up and require you to power off and then power on your console.

Re-download the New XNA Game Studio Connect

Now it’s time to get the new XNA Game Studio Connect. To do this, follow the process you used to download it the first time, described below.

1. On your Xbox 360 console, navigate to Xbox LIVE Marketplace, select Game Store, and then select All Games.
2. Select XNA Creators Club, and then select XNA Game Studio Connect. You should see the option to Download Again. Select it, and wait for the download to complete.

That’s it. You’ll know that you have the new XNA Game Studio Connect if it has the new icon in the Games Library (pictured below)

Old Icon                     New Icon      

Help spread the word, so that when we release XNA Game Studio 3.0, everyone is aware of the upgrade experience and what needs to be done.