Zune games

Zune games are video games playable on the Microsoft Zune (portable media player). All Zune models (4, 8, 16, 30, 80, and 120) will support games as they all have very similar hardware and firmware. Zune games are supported by Microsoft XNA 3.0 software and written in Microsoft Visual C#. The XNA Game Studio preview was released May 7, 2008. Zune games, unlike iPod or many other music player games, are free of charge. What makes these games free is that they are user-created and are not supplied or regulated by Microsoft Corporations. Some of these games are multiplayer and can be played with other Zunes in wireless reach. Games written for Zune will soon be compatible with both the PC and Xbox 360. Multiplayer Zune games playable on the Xbox 360 will be supported by the Xbox Live Community.

Current games

There are currently many games available for Zune and many more will be created as the Zune game community grows. Here is a list of the most well known games in alphabetical order:

[http://www.zuneboards.com/forums/download-completed-games-174/ ZuneBoard - Games]

Zune applications

Zune Games in the form of applications are becoming more popular. Here is a list of the current applications available:

[http://www.zuneboards.com/forums/applications-180/ ZuneBoard - Applications]

Potential of Zune games

Zune's ARM Core Freescale i.MX31L processor with 64mb of RAM shows some potential for future Zune games. Although this processor cannot provide support for high-end 3D games such as those for Xbox 360, 3D is still an option. Raycaster (pseudo 3D engine) based games are making progress and should be improved in the future. Also, Zune emulators are said to work and can enable Zune to play many Game Boy or other classic games.

Pros and Cons of Zune games

There are many pros and cons of having freedom to create games for the Zune with hardly any limitations. Zune games can be made and released for no cost, with a diverse amount of fully compatible games available. However, since all Zune games are currently user-generated (with the exceptions of Hexic and Texas Hold 'Em), some of the games can be buggy, incomplete, informal, unprofessional or poorly made.

References

* [http://creators.xna.com/en-us/zune_development XNA Game Studio 3.0 Community Technology Preview]
* [http://www.zune.net/ Zune.net]
* [http://www.zuneboards.com/forums/download-completed-games-174/ ZuneBoard Games]
* [http://www.zuneboards.com/forums/applications-180/ ZuneBoard Applications]