Image courtesy of Engadget

As everyone should know by now, the Zune HD is out and it’s a thing of beauty but a lot of reviewers aren’t quite sold on it.  Why you ask?  Lack of apps.  For me, it’s a PMP and a damned good one so I’m not really bothered by the limited amount of apps available on the Zune marketplace, however, inevitable lines are drawn to the iPod Touch with any new PMP and since the Zune HD actually has app capability, the lack thereof is going to be noted.

Fear not though, fans of the Zune, for while all apps for the Zune HD in the near future will be created by MS only (and free I might add) XNA has received an upgrade to version 3.1 and included libraries for things like the HD’s multi-touch screen and accelerometer.

So what the hell does that mean?  Well from the site XNA is “composed of industry-leading software, services, resources, and communities focused on enabling game developers to be successful on Microsoft gaming platforms.”

Broken down XNA is the platform used to develop Xbox Live Arcade games and with access to Zune HD tech in version 3.1, any developer who belongs to the XNA club can develop games and apps for said device.  Good eh?

So when will they be available?  No word on that yet but you can bet MS is working hard on figuring out all of the logistics.  For now we can just enjoy the “etch-a-sketch” work in the photo above.  Multi-touch draw, erase with a shake?  I’ll take it.  It’s simple but hey, not bad for a day’s work.