OK, more a thought on the subject rather than a comment on the results being discussed. Take a step back form any Apple loving/loathing and ponder this for a moment. This is a bit Apple biased, as I’m writing about what I know. I hope Microsoft is on the same song sheet as far as my thoughts on this go.

How much does it cost to buy software/hardware to develop for:
Windows?
Macs?
PS3?
Wii?
XBox?
iOS?
Android?

I would expect that the cost for the computers - Macs, PCs (of various OS flavours) is either the oct of hardware+potential cost of dev kits. To develop on a Mac, you need Xcode, which you can download for a few pounds. This gives you not only a Mac development environment, but also the iOS environment too. I can’t comment on Windows or Android, as I am not as deeply ingrained in such things, but I’m going out on a limb and will guess that the arrangements are pretty much the same. The cost is negligible post hardware purchase.

Now, how much does it cost to develop games for a console? IIRC, the initial outlay for the PS3 is huge, and I believe that you need to be a bonafide company to be eligible. Would the same be true of the Wii and the XBox? I don’t know, but as I don’t hear of some kid in his bedroom making a mint from a Wii game he put together after doing his homework, I’m guessing that, again, the costs are prohibitive.

Sony are playing a constant cat and mouse game with various homebrew types to stop unofficial developers writing their own software for the PS3 and PSP, using piracy as justification. I’d say that Apple have got it right - make writing software for the iPad and iPhone as close to writing for the Mac as possible, and people will have a go. Big companies, individuals, and the next generation of coders - kids in bedrooms.

I mentioned David Braben earlier on. He of Elite fame. He of Raspberry-Pi fame. He who thinks that children should be able to learn to code on affordable hardware. This is the right way to go. If the console makers shut out emerging talent, then they lose something. They lose a potentially innovative game (a “killer” app, maybe), and that game will appear elsewhere.

The decision to allow anyone to code for a platform this is a hugely influential one to make - and a bold one too. I don’t care if Jobs, Gates, Balmer or anyone else made that decision - it was the right one to make.

Well there are plenty of low-rate games being made by small/indie writers & teams for the xbox.

http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-GB/Games/XboxIndieGames

The Android SDK is free of charge and Android apps. can be installed from a variety of sources, not just the marketplace (unlike iOS).

I believe XCode is free again?


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.369398,-2.134534

The version for Lion is free. The version for Snow Leopard still costs a couple of quid IIRC.

the list is back to front whoever that jobs guy is should be at the very bottom

Looks a bit off-centre.

Nintendo’s Miyamoto Stepping Down, Working on Smaller Games

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/12/m ... interview/

Donkey Kong, Zelda, Mario - all in all a bit of a legend.

http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/121/1214255p1.html

Or maybe not, lol...

XCode is free of charge (for Lion users) and iOS apps can be installed adhoc also (i.e. without using the AppStore).

There's a bit of an inside joke within CS involving the confusion between Ada and Linda, hence the "Lovelace Lab" on campus is referred to as the "Deepthroat Lab" by most staff.