Game development kit: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Kits that ease video game development}}

[[File:Xbox-Debug-Console-Set.jpg|thumb|An [[Xbox Development Kit|Xbox Debug Kit]], intended for game developers on porting PC games to the Xbox.]]

'''Game development kits''' ('''GDK''') are specialized [[computer hardware|hardware]] and software used to create commercial [[video game]]s for game consoles. They may be partnered with game development tools, special [[game engine]] licenses, and other [[middleware]] to aid [[video game development]]. GDKs are typically not available to the public, and require [[video game developers|game developers]] to enter an agreement, partnership, or program with the hardware manufacturer to gain access to the hardware. As [[console generations]] pass, development kits often get sold through websites like eBay without repercussions. This is often because the console manufacturers discontinue certain development programs as time passes.

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There are several variations of the [[PlayStation]] development kit used for game creation. One variation of the development kit had only three components,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Store {{!}} PSXDEV|url = http://www.psxdev.net/store.html|website = www.psxdev.net|accessdate = 2015-11-25}}</ref> while the PlayStation Ultimate Development Kit included up to 26 components, including the complete [[Net Yaroze]] development kit.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = Things you can't ever have|url = http://www.platypuscomix.net/interactive/thingsyoucanteverhave3.html|website = www.platypuscomix.net|accessdate = 2015-11-25}}</ref>

The Net Yaroze version of the development kit was unique in that it had some features removed and added compared to the official (complete) PlayStation development kit. The Net Yaroze hardware was designed for hobbyists, while official developers would have access to the official PlayStation development kits.<ref>{{Cite web|title = 15 Years Later: How Sony's Net Yaroze Kickstarted Indie Console Development|url = http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/169245/15_years_later_how_sonys_net_.php|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120427223156/http://gamasutra.com/view/feature/169245/15_years_later_how_sonys_net_.php|url-status = dead|archive-date = April 27, 2012|website = www.gamasutra.com|date = 26 April 2012|accessdate = 2015-11-25}}</ref> There was also a blue version of the PlayStation made for developers that would read burned discs to allow quick testing of imaged builds of their videogames. While there were official PlayStation-branded CD-Rs that could be used with the blue PlayStation, regular CD-Rs were also compatible with the system.<ref name=":0" />

=== Nintendo 64/64DD ===

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=== PlayStation 2 ===

The dev kit console for the PS2 looked like a retail PS2, but substantially thicker.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

The dev kit console for the PS2 looked like a retail PS2, but substantially thicker.

=== GameCube ===

The dev kit for the GameCube was called the NPDP-Gdev, which was an earlier version of the NPDP-Gbox, even though, the Gbox lacked the ability to load games from a personal computer, an ability which the Gdev had. The Gdev took the appearance of a blue box with a dolphin on it, likely because the code name for the GameCube was dolphin.

The dev kit console of the Nintendo [[GameCube]] was white and shaped like a tower desktop PC, with the controller ports being where the optical disk drive would normally go.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/8jn7of/development_kits_for_playstation_2_gamecube_xbox/ | title=R/Gaming - Development Kits for PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, and Dreamcast Side by Side | date=15 May 2018 }}</ref>

=== Xbox ===

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Nintendo's developer program allows developers to use Nintendo 3DS development kits, and allows developers to self-publish their games to the Nintendo eShop.<ref name=":3" /> As mentioned in the Nintendo Wii U section above, games and applications published through this program are considered "third-party" and do not belong to Nintendo, allowing independent developers to publish their games on multiple different platforms.

== Ninth generation ==

Strangely, some 3DS development kits cannot play [[ROM cartridge|retail games]].<ref name=":0" />

=== Xbox Series ===

Development kits for the [[Xbox Series X]] were released to developers in 2020. The device included support for loading software via [[USB-C]] and [[10 Gigabit Ethernet]] to reduce development bottlenecks, programmable exterior buttons for debugging options (''e.g.'', displaying a game's real-time frame rate on-screen), and a built-in LCD screen for displaying diagnostic information. Its hardware featured an 8-core AMD [[Zen 2]]-architecture CPU, an [[RDNA (microarchitecture)|RDNA]] GPU with 56 Compute Units, and 40 GB of onboard [[Random-access memory|RAM]] (compared to the consumer console's 16 GB). It had the physical appearance of an [[Xbox One X]] development kit.<ref name="gnvid">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wno4t7YqMM4 |title=Microsoft Banned Us: 40GB RAM Xbox Series X Developer Kit Tear-Down (XDK) |date=2022-04-22 |last=Gamers Nexus |access-date=2025-01-18 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

== References ==

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[[Category:Video game development]]

[[Category:Video game hardware]]

[[Category:Computer hardware]]

[[Category:Gaming]]