Using XNA Game Studio Device Center

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 Xbox 360 consoles. XNA Game Studio Device Center also lets you set the default 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 XNA Game Studio Device Management toolbar from within Visual Studio.

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

• From the Start menu, choose Programs, choose XNA Game Studio 4.0 Refresh , 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 Devices Available for Deployment

You can use the XNA Game Studio Device Center to add a game device (an Xbox 360 console).

To add a game device

• Perform one of the following steps:

  • On the left-hand side of the screen, click Add Device.
  • From the Visual Studio XNA Game Studio Device Management toolbar, click Add a New Device.

Either action brings up the XNA Game Studio Devices dialog box. This 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 devices in topic Connecting to Your Xbox 360 with XNA Game Studio 4.0 Refresh.

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 device, and then click Set as Default Xbox 360.

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

Taking a Screen Capture from an Xbox 360 Console

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

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

To take a screen capture through the Device Center

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

1. Right-click the icon for the device.
2. 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 Devices

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

Using the List of 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:

• Troubleshooting Xbox 360 Game Deployment

See Also

General Development Topics

Advanced Topics

Xbox 360 Development

Connecting to Your Xbox 360 with XNA Game Studio 4.0 Refresh
Troubleshooting Xbox 360 Game Deployment
Developing Xbox 360 Games