Microsoft Build 2016: Yes, your Xbox One is a dev kit

Microsoft is delivering on the promise it made so many years ago, developers will soon be able to use their retail Xbox One consoles as development kits.

"We've said from the start we want Xbox One to be a great place for games and also a great place for developers of all sizes so you can create new games and application experiences. Today I'm pleased to announce Xbox Dev Mode, giving developers the ability to convert their retail Xbox One into a development kit," Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, told the attendees of Microsoft Build conference in San Francisco.

A demonstration by Ashley Speicher, the software engineering manager for Xbox showed the conversion was as simple as accessing a Dev Mode Activation app that had been downloaded from the store, then restarting the Xbox One. A preview of Dev Mode will be made available today.

"Our commitment to turn every Xbox One into a dev kit isn't a hobby, it's a commitment to empower every developer on the planet to reach the largest addressable TV audience on one open app platform."

Speaking later to a small group of press attendees, Spencer explained that he expected to see more apps than games come to Xbox One through this method. he pointed out that indie developers are already using the ID@Xbox initiative so aren't the main target for this move.

"ID@Xbox gives you access to building native Xbox games. And if you are an indie developer today, you want to use ID@Xbox. If you want to build a game like The Flame in the Flood, like Molasses Flood, go ID@Xbox. Apply to our ID@Xbox program, we'll let you in," he said.

"The app category will really grow. Just like in an app store you'll probably have some vertical things, somebody built a specific widget for a scenario in their home, then I think you'll have other things like good stock tickers and The Division news feeds that feed through an app on your screen. That's what I am hoping for."

Spencer also joked about wearing an Unreal tshirt to the conference today, following Tim Sweeney's comments earlier this month.

"I thought about wearing an Unreal shirt. Tim [Sweeney] would've been fine with it. He would've laughed!"

Also coming in the Windows 10 anniversary update will be changes to Cortana, Microsoft's personal assistant software, allowing gamers to give commands and ask her questions - "how do I get to the end of this level?" - via their Xbox.

HoloLens also made an appearance as it was announced the development kits would start shipping today.