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Special Note: If you are looking to build games for the Xbox 360 console and submit them to community games on Xbox LIVE, please continue to use XNA Game Studio 2.0. The XNA Game Studio 3.0 Community Technical Preview (CTP) cannot be used to create Xbox 360 games or games that can be submitted to community games on Xbox LIVE.
 This release represents the CTP of Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.0, which enables hobbyists, academics, and independent game developers to easily create video games for Windows and the Microsoft Zune digital media player using optimized cross-platform gaming libraries based on the .NET Framework.
The XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP is a chance to get an early look at XNA Game Studio 3.0, and provide feedback on the product that is currently in development.
Ready to get started? Great! Follow these easy instructions to get going with the XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP.
1. Uninstall Previous Version of Microsoft Games for Windows – LIVE Redistributable.
If you have a previous version of Microsoft Games for Windows – LIVE Redistributable, usually from a previous release of XNA Game Studio, please uninstall it using the Add/Remove program menu in your operating system. Once you install the XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP, you'll have a new version of Microsoft Games for Windows – LIVE that also works with XNA Game Studio 2.0.
2. Install Visual Studio 2008
Unlike previous versions of XNA Game Studio, the XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP integrates into the Visual Studio 2008 Development environment. We support the following versions of Visual Studio 2008:
- Visual C# 2008 Express Edition
- Visual Studio 2008 Standard Edition
- Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition
- Visual Studio 2008 Team Edition for Software Architects
- Visual Studio 2008 Team Edition for Software Developers
- Visual Studio 2008 Team Edition for Software Testers
- Visual Studio 2008 Team Edition for Database Professionals
- Visual Studio 2008 Team Suite!
If you are new to game development, and currently do not own a version of Visual Studio 2008, start with Visual C# 2008 Express Edition. It’s free and simple to install. For professional development tasks, consider Visual Studio 2008 Standard Edition or higher. If you have Visual Studio 2005, don’t worry. Visual Studio 2008 and Visual Studio 2005 will both run on the same computer.
3. Install XNA Game Studio 3.0 Community Technology Preview
With your development environment ready, install the XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP. XNA Game Studio will install and extend your Visual C# 2008 Express Edition or Visual Studio 2008 environment.
Because this release is still in development, you should be aware of the known issues and last minute updates. Please refer to the XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP Readme for more information.
4. Have Fun, Learn More!
Start the XNA Game Studio 3.0 by clicking on your Start Menu, then on Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.0 (CTP), and then either Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Express Edition or Microsoft Visual Studio 2008. You’re ready to start making games for Windows or the Zune media player!
Want to get a jump start on creating games for the Zune? We've created a site to help you get started quickly and easily. You'll even find a bonus sample game for download.
5. We're Here to Help!
Having trouble using the XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP? We have a forum where you can post your questions and get answers from the XNA Game Studio team and other users. The forums at our site are good places to get answers. Give them a try!
If you’re running into issues that are not covered in the XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP Readme, we encourage you to send this feedback and your feature suggestions through Microsoft Connect. To send feedback to Microsoft about the XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP, sign up for Microsoft Connect at http://connect.microsoft.com/, and click the XNA Game Studio connection under available connections. Once connected, you can start sending feedback to Microsoft.
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