Last year, Microsoft said that they would let any console be turned into a developer machine with its ID@Xbox program. For those of you who are still holding out hope that you will be able to use your console into a development kit, there is bad news for you.
In an Interview with Digital Spy, Chris Charla said that as far as he is aware, there are no plans to offer this feature and more candidly, he didn't have an explanation as to why the feature had been cut. Further, Xbox Advanced Technology Group's Martin Fuller stated that there are "no plans" for the feature, to let users turn their machines into a develop kit and let these users create games without additional Microsoft hardware.
While this is certainly bad news, Microsoft is still supporting independent development shops with its ID@Xbox program that helps these groups create indie games for the platform. If you qualify, you can get two free dev kits from Microsoft with this program.
But, even with two executives saying that the program is not currently planned, Microsoft's PR arm has released a statement saying that the program is not dead, at least, not yet. The following information is attributed to a Microsoft spokesperson:
The comments today were inaccurate. We remain committed to ensuring the best possible solutions for developers and hobbyists to create games for Xbox One. We will share more details at a later date
So there you go, the guys in charge of the program say it's not coming anytime soon and the corporate arm says that it is not dead, but their wording makes us believe that the plans have changed to some degree. Their statement simply says that they are committed to a solution for hobbyists but it sounds like this could come via other channels besides turning your console into a dev kit.
Source: Digital Spy
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