XNA Team yesterday announced in their blog, the release of XNA Game Studio 3.0 Community Technical Preview (CTP). CPT gives you the ability to build games for the entire family of Zune media devices.  This feature gives you access to the majority of the XNA framework APIs while retaining a seamless sense of integration with the Zune media experience.  In addition, this release now requires either Visual Studio 2008 Standard Edition and higher (C# language support must be installed), or Visual C# 2008 Express Edition.

Keeping with Zune media experience, the XNA Game Studio 3.0 integration includes discoverability/access to user’s non-DRM music – allowing you to customize background soundtracks or create real-time visualizations.  In addition, they’ve announced the ability to have multiple nearby Zunes wirelessly engage in an ad-hoc social gaming experience.

A preview release of XNA Game Studio 3.0 is now available through the XNA Creators Club Online site (http://creators.xna.com/), with a final release scheduled for the holiday 2008 season.  For those of you that prefer the shortest path to happiness, the direct link to the XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP is here.

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Microsoft Corp.'s Zune media player, the company's answer to Apple Inc.'s ubiquitous iPod, will be available in Canadian stores on June 13, the company said Tuesday.

Like the iPod and other media players, the Zune supports video, audio, photos and other images. The Zune also has an FM radio tuner and a built-in wireless connection that allows users to share music.

"Zune is more than just a music player for Canadians, it's a shared, social experience," said Craig Tullett, group manager for Zune Canada. "We're excited to offer people an innovative way to discover, share and enjoy their music wherever they go."

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Zune launched a new TV Spot from their new ad campaign for spring 2008. Click on picture below to open video in new window. Enjoy! ;-)

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Microsoft announced that Zune, the company’s all-in-one digital entertainment brand, is adding new software features and content to the Zune online store, music community and Zune Pass monthly subscription service. Zune is expanding its video store to include downloads of popular television shows from COMEDY CENTRAL, FUNimation Entertainment, MTV, NBC Universal, Nickelodeon, Starz Media (including Manga Entertainment), Turner Broadcasting, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and VH1 that consumers can sync to their device and enjoy on the go.

In addition, by further integrating the Zune music community into the core experience, the new software makes it easier for people to find and listen to the music they want, share it with friends, and take it with them wherever they go — whether they choose a Zune Pass or a la carte MP3 downloads. Zune Pass subscribers can now set up automatic, real-time feeds of the music their friends are listening to and add those songs to their collection or Zune device.

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