NEWS: Starting today, anyone can turn their Xbox One into a dev kit for free

Microsoft today made good on a nearly three-year-old promise, unlocking the ability for all retail Xbox One consoles to become development kits.

Xbox Dev Mode is available starting today as a preview and will be finalized as a full release this summer. The mode will allow anyone to build, test and experiment with Universal Windows Program (UWP) development. Converting a console to Dev Mode requires no special equipment or fees, though to fully access the abilities, a user will need to create a Dev Center account for $19.

"Now the Xbox isn't just for playing, but also for creating awesome content," said Chris Charla, director of ID@Xbox. "We're excited to open the Xbox One to everyone so anyone can get started developing."
While the preview of Dev Mode is available to anyone now, Charla stressed that most people should wait until its full release later this summer.
"You might run into issues now," he said.

The preview only offers access to 448 MB of the Xbox One's 8 GB of RAM. When Dev Mode comes out of preview, Charla said, developers will have access to the full 1 GB of RAM supported for UWP Xbox games.

"It's also a preview," he added. "And we want to be able to test things still in the preview."
Dev Mode Demo

In a short demonstration over Skype earlier this week, Charla showed how easy it is to switch a retail Xbox One into one that can be used for testing UWP apps and games.

First, a user has to download the Dev Mode activation app from the Xbox Games Store. Launching the app kicks off a welcome screen and a link to documentation that details what to expect when you switch over from retail to a dev kit, as well as the requirements.

The requirements include that you:

• Join the Windows Insider Program
• Are running Windows 10 on your PC
• Have a wired connection to your PC from your Xbox One
• Install the latest Visual Studio 2015 and Windows builds
• Have at least 30 GB of storage free on your console

The introduction also warns that once you've converted your console over, you may occasionally run into issues running retail games. In addition, the introduction says, leaving Dev Mode will require resetting your console to its factory settings and uninstalling all of your games, apps and content.

Upon agreeing, you're given a code that can be entered on your computer once you sign into your Dev Center account. The activation can take awhile and usually requires updating your console. Once it's complete, the console restarts and returns you to your standard startup screen.

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