X-Box

[WILL]

I just recently ran across what I think is something of an oppertunity for Pascal developers to catch onto. A projects called OpenXDK (Open XBOX Development Kit) has just made their first release. http://www.openxdk.org/

In short it's an opensource(LEGAL) development kit for the X-Box(if the name of it wasn't too obvious ;)). It apparently compiles under gcc and Microsoft's VC. "So what?" you say, "What does this have to do with us?". Well, for one it's open source. And if you all recall there was not too long ago the completion of a very successful translation of the Quake 2 source AND there is not to mention a whole slew of C header translation projects(JEDI-SDL, DirectX Headers, OpenGL Headers, OpenAL Headers, and a ton of others). Why not a project to translate this? I'm sure that Free Pascal would be able to support the X-Box easily, considering that it's only a Pentium III processor with custom hardware. This idea is not so far-fetched...

The kit is designed to make use of SDL aswell, so a co-operation of both JEDI-SDL and Free Pascal could allow for a new generation of games development for Pascal game developers, making X-Box games.

[snorga]

That would be cool.
Hope someone will catch up on the idea :P

[WILL]

It would be extreamly cool. In fact this is the type of development that a lot of Pascal programmers should start getting interested in(, I think). Since the advent of open source this becomes more possible. Especially now when Indi-developers are being accepted more these days.

X-Box is so great because it's basically a PC your programming for. Whats so different? You have to code towards a set hardware config instead of many different peices. It only seem logical that it'll catch on with the right modivated people.

[noeska]

Things unfortunately are not that simple. I wrote a mail to Craig Edwards and it seems all library access need to be rewritten. Also no OpenAL, no OpenGL, there is DirectX available, but the xbox implementation is different from normal windows implementation. Also on doing a bit research myself it seems that even the EXE pe headers are different. Also file access seems to be different. I have a peak at this from time to time, but it seems to me like some of these things that look simple in the beginning, but turn nasty in the end.

[snorga]

Too bad.. maybe i should try and take up on my C++ learning...

[WILL]

Hmm... well I'm sure there are other options. With all that technical information floating around and the Free Pascal team(I'm sure something can be put together). Nothing worth doing is ever easy. :roll:

[noeska]

Getting opengl could be done via: http://www.altsoftware.com/products/opengl-directx.html

[WILL]

Well, what about XNA? I mean Microsoft created it so that you can have a cross-compatable software layer to design on. With Free Pascal adding some nessessary hardware compatability in it's compilers would this not be quite possible to implement and make use of?

[noeska]

But is xna available already? And will it be free?, i doubt that. Read the faq on xna.

[noeska]

Hmm, it seems that the opengl iplementation requirers the official sdk to become working. See why: http://www.xbox365.com/stories/xdkcomplete.shtml So it is not useable with the openxdk.

So no DirectX etc without the official sdk.

The easiest way now is to use: http://www.xbox-linux.org/ as it is able to use nvidia nforce linux drivers and thus providing hardware accel opengl. and even openal.

[WILL]

Hmm... some very interesting peices of the puzzle. Thanks for the feedback. :)

Anyone else have thoughts or progress in this reguard?

[savage]

The first step has to be to get FreePascal working on the XBox ( or PS2 or GameCube for that matter ). Once the FreePascal compiler is able to generate native <insert favourite console name here> executables ( even in the form of a console app ) then the next step should be to see if the likes of JEDI-SDL or similar can talk to the supported libraries.

It is all doable, but what is required is a team with the necessary hardware, but more importantly with the time and energy to dedicate to achieving the goal.

[noeska]

even with c compilers there i no way to make xbox executables directly (yet). There is an util available already called CXBE that converts your windows PE exe to an xbox PE executable already.

Also SDL is already supported on the xbox. So if you feel adventerous and have enough time you should already be able to make a 2D demo for the xbox already with object pascal. Have a good read at the openXDK site.

[WILL]

So the question of the year is; 'Does anyone have an XBox here that would like to try this?'

BTW, The OpenXDK is at http://www.openxdk.org/

I would also like to see either PS2 or Game Cube aswell, maybe someone with one of these might be able to drop a message?

noeska: What's the URL for this 'CXBE' tool?

[noeska]

it should be inside the sdk src download and was available on caustics homepage, but i cannot seem to find it there anymore.