NDA topics index for XBOX GDK console development - XBOX Game Development Documentation

Every page on this index requires an active XBOX GDK for Console Development NDA. All pages are hidden from the primary sidebar navigation. Entries below are listed by title only and are not linked; NDA-cleared readers can reach them via the GDKX.

About this section

The NDA Topics tab collects every confidential XBOX GDK console development page in a single tab so authors and readers with NDA access can see the full surface at a glance. Pages are grouped into sections that mirror the tabs where the topics live in the rest of the documentation:

Home — dev kit setup, dev kit settings, and studio-wide configuration.
Build — console features (audio, memory, storage), core graphics features, game principles, and ATG engagement.
Tools — PIX, shader compiler, command-line, DevHome, hix, and other console tool pages.
API References — GDK graphics API reference headers and hidden system/tools API groups.

Home

Confidential pages from the Home tab of the documentation — everything needed to set up, activate, and configure XBOX dev kits.

Setup and install

Concepts

Page	Description
Product permissions	Grant users, groups, and dev kits access to a product via Partner Center sandboxes.
Deployment	Deployment types (Push, Run from PC, Streaming Install) and tools (XBOX Manager, xbapp, Visual Studio).
Emergency Offline Updates	Perform an EOU factory reset from USB when a dev kit won’t boot.
Unexpected reboots	Diagnose why an XBOX dev kit rebooted or shut down unexpectedly.
Universal Error Messages	Common Universal Error Messages (UEMs) on XBOX dev kits and how to resolve each one.
Remove Gold Sharing	Reset console privileges to clear Gold Sharing from a dev kit.
XBOX One X Dev Kit tips	Tools, updates, scripting, and front-panel tips for XBOX One X Dev Kits.
Console modes	Approximate other XBOX platforms via console mode switching.

Dev kit settings

Page	Description
Retail ↔ Developer Mode	Switch an XBOX dev kit between Retail Mode and Developer Mode.
Configure settings	Profiling Mode, Sandbox ID, and idle timeouts via DevHome, xbconfig, or XBOX Manager.
Flash OS recovery	Enroll for automatic OS recovery updates or manually apply a recovery image.
Set a host name	Give a dev kit a friendly host name so tools survive IP changes.

Studio-wide configuration

Page	Description
Recover multiple consoles	Run parallel OS recoveries against many dev kits from one PC.
Automatic recovery updates	How automatic OS recovery updates work, and how to change the update policy.
Unattended setup script	Author unattended-setup scripts for OOBE, per-boot configuration, or ad-hoc runs.

Build

Confidential pages from the Build tab of the documentation — console features, core graphics features, game principles, and Microsoft engagement checklists.

Console features

Hidden NDA pages that live inside otherwise-public Build groups. Each row names the group’s entry point; individual NDA pages within are reachable from that landing page or via direct link.

Group	Description	Entry page
Audio	XAudio2 overview and related audio guidance for XBOX GDK.	XAudio2 overview
Memory	Kernel and system memory usage, virtual memory allocator, writable file mappings, and porting/diagnostics for XBOX consoles.	System memory overview
Storage — DirectStorage	Confidential DirectStorage guidance: compression, shuffles, and the white paper.	DirectStorage overview

Core features

Graphics

The bulk of the Core Features → Graphics tree is NDA-protected. Each row is a hidden subgroup or a set of hidden top-level pages under build/core-features/graphics/.

Group	Description	Entry page
D3D12X	XBOX Direct3D 12 (D3D12X) overview, differences from PC, ATOC, and XMemAlloc object types.	D3D12X overview
DirectX (console specifics)	Console-only DirectX topics: color and depth compression, creation flags, frame scheduling, hardware overlays, native resource management, off-chip tessellation, suspend and resume.	Color and depth compression
Graphics overviews	Confidential graphics overview pages (GPU overview, enhanced barriers, GPU synchronization on Scarlett, HDR support, 120 Hz, CMask decoding, screen areas).	GPU overview
Graphics presentations — XDD 2024	XDD 2024 graphics deep dives.	Presentations
Graphics presentations — XFEST 2019	XFEST 2019 graphics presentations.	Presentations
Graphics presentations — XFEST 2022	XFEST 2022 graphics presentations.	Presentations
New features — Mesh shaders	Mesh shader API design, meshlet culling and rendering, Scarlett support, usage, and rationale.	Mesh shaders overview
New features — Raytracing	XDXR overview, BVH builders, compression, hardware design, KDOP, offline RT PSO, standalone, best practices.	Raytracing overview
New features — Sampler Feedback / SFS	Sampler Feedback Streaming API and GPU design, overview, usage, and rationale.	SFS overview
New features — VRS	Variable Rate Shading API, feature, overview, and rationale.	VRS overview
New features — XBTC	XBOX Texture Compressor, archive format, JSON batch configuration, and usage.	XBOX Texture Compressor
Whitepapers	Confidential graphics whitepapers (checkerboard rendering, caches and coherency, VMEM instructions, Series S optimizations, dynamic resolution, ESRAM manager, GPU compute units, GPU memory access, occupancy quick reference, GPU overview).	XBOX One GPU overview
Graphics — top-level	Miscellaneous hidden top-level graphics pages: Dolby Vision, image processing, Scarlett tex layouts, graphics memory overview, graphics PSO overview, and the graphics-newfeatures TOC.	Graphics memory overview

Game Principles

Sustainability

Page	Description
Sustainability overview	Confidential overview of XBOX sustainability guidance for GDK titles.

Security

Page	Description
Communication security overview	Confidentiality, integrity, and authentication requirements for network communication.
Game security concepts	Overview of security concepts and common attack categories.
Dev tool security	Security guidance for custom game development tools.
General game security	Design-level security — PII protection and security testing.
Secure game communication	Recommended secure approach per traffic type in GDK titles.
Secure game mesh	Peer-to-peer and client/server secure communication guidance.
Secure communication samples	GDK and XBOX services samples for secure communication.
Secure web requests	Recommended APIs, auth, and TLS for HTTPS and WebSockets.

ATG engagement

Page	Description
ATG engagement	Engage Microsoft’s Advanced Technology Group for platform support.
Graphics engagement	Checklist for engaging ATG on GPU performance issues.
Systems engagement	Checklist for engaging ATG on CPU, systems, memory, and loading.

Optimize

Confidential pages from the Optimize tab of the documentation — hidden console tooling pages that live inside the otherwise-public Tools group. Each row names the group’s entry point; individual hidden pages within are reachable from the entry page or by direct link.

Tools (console)

Group	Description	Entry page
PIX	The PIX for XBOX toolchain: top-level UI and workflows plus the GPU, GPU Trace, extensibility, and shader explorer subgroups.	PIX
Command-line tools	Confidential command-line tools: `xbconfig`, `xbperf`, `xbttd`, and related utilities.	xbconfig
DevHome	Confidential DevHome pages (Performance view).	DevHome performance
hix	The `hix` shader inspection tool and its live-debugging workflows.	hix
Shader compiler (DXC)	XBOX DXC usage, extensions, intrinsics, defines, porting from FXC, and the shader compiler overview.	Shader compiler
titleperfoverlay	The `titleperfoverlay` on-screen performance overlay.	titleperfoverlay
xhit	The `xhit` hardware instruction tool.	xhit tool

API References

Confidential pages from the API References tab of the documentation — hidden GDK graphics API reference headers plus hidden system and tools API groups. Every group and page under this section is hidden from the sidebar. Each header’s members page is the entry point for its interfaces, structs, enums, and functions.

Graphics

Group	Description	Entry page
Graphics reference TOC	Table of contents for the confidential GDK graphics API reference.	Graphics reference TOC

Graphics APIs

Header	Description	Members page
d3d12_x	Direct3D 12 for XBOX One family — interfaces, structs, enums, and functions.	d3d12_x members
d3d12shader_x	Shader reflection interfaces for XBOX D3D12.	d3d12shader_x members
d3d12video_x	Hardware video decode, encode, and processing.	d3d12video_x members
d3dx12_x	Header-only D3D12 helper library for XBOX One family.	d3dx12_x members
d3dx12_xs	Header-only D3D12 helper library for XBOX Series family.	d3dx12_xs members
XG reference	Auxiliary graphics library — resource layouts, tiles, and mip metadata.	XG members
XGMemory reference	Dynamic ESRAM / system-memory mapping on XBOX One family.	XGMemory members
XBTC	Offline BC1–BC7 block compression for the GDK pipeline.	XBTC members
xg_xs	XBOX Series variant of the XG auxiliary graphics library.	xg_xs members
DXCApi	DirectX Shader Compiler API — compile HLSL to DXIL.	DXCApi members

System APIs

Group	Description	Entry page
XMem	Confidential XMem reference: members page plus enums, functions, macros, and structs.	XMem members

Tools APIs

Group	Description	Entry page
PIX3	Confidential PIX3 pages (GPU captures, power metrics function and struct).	PIX3 GPU captures

​About this section

​Home

​Setup and install

​Concepts

​Dev kit settings

​Studio-wide configuration

​Build

​Console features

​Core features

​Graphics

​Game Principles

​Sustainability

​Security

​ATG engagement

​Optimize

​Tools (console)

​API References

​Graphics

​Graphics APIs

​System APIs

​Tools APIs

About this section

Home

Setup and install

Concepts

Dev kit settings

Studio-wide configuration

Build

Console features

Core features

Graphics

Game Principles

Sustainability

Security

ATG engagement

Optimize

Tools (console)

API References

Graphics

Graphics APIs

System APIs

Tools APIs