Using XNA Game Studio Device Center

Article
12/14/2010

Describes how to use the XNA Game Studio Device Center. The XNA Game Studio Device Center enables you make one or more game devices available for deployment of your games. These can be either Xbox 360 consoles or Zune devices. XNA Game Studio Device Center also lets you set the default console device for deployment.

Accessing the XNA Game Studio Device Center

To access the XNA Game Studio Device Center, you can click the Launch XNA Game Studio Device Center on the the XNA Game Studio 3.0 Device Management toolbar from within Visual Studio.

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Another way to access the XNA Game Studio Device Center is to use the Start menu.

From the Start menu, choose Programs, choose Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.0, and then click XNA Game Studio Device Center.

When XNA Game Studio Device Center appears, it shows a list of game devices available for deploying and debugging XNA Game Studio games.

Adding a Game Device to the List of Console Devices Available for Deployment

You can use the XNA Game Studio Device Center to add a game device (either an Xbox 360 console or a Zune). On the left-hand side of the screen, click Add Device.

Another way to add a game device is to use the XNA Game Studio 3.0 Device Management toolbar from within Visual Studio. From the XNA Game Studio 3.0 Device Management toolbar, click Add a New Device.

Either action brings up the XNA Game Studio Devices dialog box, which enables you to create a connection between your Windows-based computer and your game device.

You can find detailed step-by-step instructions on how to create a connection and add a game device to the list of console devices in the following documents:

Setting the Default Xbox 360 Console for Deployment

The default Xbox 360 is the console automatically selected for deployment and debugging when developing Xbox 360 console games with XNA Game Studio. The current default device is shared by all instances of XNA Game Studio that are running.

To set an Xbox 360 console as the default Xbox 360 device, right-click the icon for the console device, and then click Set as Default Xbox 360.

If you have only one Xbox 360 console, that console will automatically be selected as the default device.

Setting the Default Zune for Deployment

The default Zune is the Zune device automatically selected for deployment and debugging when developing Zune games with XNA Game Studio. The current default device is shared by all instances of XNA Game Studio that are running.

To set a Zune device as the default, right-click the icon for the console device, and then click Set as Default Zune.

If you have only one Zune, that device will be selected as the default device automatically.

Taking a Screen Capture from an Xbox 360 Console or Zune

The XNA Game Studio device center provides the ability to take a screen capture of an executing XNA game on an Xbox 360 console or Zune. To take a screen capture, the following conditions must be met:

The Xbox 360 console or Zune must be properly connected to the PC.
The Xbox 360 console or Zune must be executing an XNA game that was launched from Visual Studio.
The XNA game executing must have been built using the Debug configuration.

To take a screen capture through the Device Center

Once your XNA game is deployed and executing on the game device according to the above conditions:

Right-click the icon for the device.
From the context menu, select Take a Screen Capture.

The captured screen will be displayed and you can save it as a graphics file.

Removing a Game Device from the List of Console Devices

To remove a game device from the list of devices, right-click the icon for the device, and click Remove, or press the Delete key.

Using the List of Console Devices

The list of devices in XNA Game Studio Device Center is unique to each user. Each user can have a different list of game devices, and a different default device.

Troubleshooting Your Connection

If you are unable to establish a successful connection between your computer and your game, see the troubleshooting guide: