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In the first release of Windows Phone 7 Series, applications cannot mix the use of Silverlight UIElements with XNA Framework GraphicsDevice so developers will have to make a choice between the two frameworks before starting their project. To help them out in their choice, Microsoft’s Michael Klucher’s compiled the comparison table below:
| Platform Features | Windows Phone Application (Silverlight-based application model) |
Windows Phone Game (XNA Framework Application model) |
| Application programming model | Event-driven application model. Great for heavily UI based games. | Traditional frame loop for more simulation based content. |
| Control-based, data-bound UI development | UIElement and related types | None, the developer must write their own. |
| Video playback | Rich video integration via MediaElement | Fullscreen playback via the system media player |
| 2D graphics | Rich paths, shapes, and brushes, etc… | High performance 2D rendering for large amounts of sprites. |
| 3D graphics | Perspective effects using PlaneProjection transform. | Provides Hardware Accelerated 3D API’s. |
| Primary data serialization model | XAML | Content Manager |
| Designer tooling | Expression Blend, VS XAML designer. | XNA Content Pipeline integrates 3rd party tools for creating 3D model & texture assets for your application. |
| Device sensors | Same API in either programming model | |
| Access to user’s songs and pictures | Same API in either programming model |
Check the whole post here
Final verdict
In the first release of Windows Phone 7 Series, applications cannot mix the use of Silverlight UIElements with XNA Framework GraphicsDevice so developers will…
How we compare
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