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Device family strategies
The decision about which device family (or families)
your app will target is yours to make. This decision
determines:
• The set of APIs that your app can assume to be
present when it runs (and can therefore call freely).
• The set of API calls that are safe only inside
conditional statements.
The set of devices on which your app can be installed
from the Store (and consequently the form factors that
you need to consider).
Options for targeting device families
• To reach the most devices, target the Universal
device family.
• Specialized apps can be limited to one device family.
For example, if you target the desktop device family,
the APIs guaranteed to be available to your app
include the APIs inherited from the universal device
family plus the APIs that are specic to the desktop
device family.
• Instead of targeting the universal device family, or
targeting one of the child device families, you can
instead target two (or more) child device families.
• Your app can be targeted to run everywhere except
on devices with a specic version of a specic
device family.
Desktop device family
Windows PCs and laptops include a wide array of
devices and screen sizes. With screens typically 13” or
larger, PCs and laptops can display more information
than phones or tablets.
• Apps can have a windowed view, the size of which
is determined by the user. Depending on window
size, there can be between one and three frames.
On larger monitors, the app can have more than
three frames.
• When using an app on a desktop or laptop, the user
has control over app les. As an app designer, be sure
to provide the mechanisms to manage your app’s
content. Consider including commands and features
such as “Save As”, “Recent les”, and so on.
• The system back button is optional. When if you
choose to show it, it appears in the app title bar.
Xbox device family
Tailoring and optimizing your app to work great
on Xbox One and TV screens requires special
considerations. The experience of sitting on your couch
across the room, using a gamepad or remote to interact
with your TV, is called the 10-foot experience. As
you bring your app to life in the 10-foot environment,
consider the following design principles.
• Simple: The amount of information displayed on a TV
should be comparable to what you’d see on a mobile
phone, rather than on a desktop.
• Coherent: Make the focus clear and unmistakable.
Arrange content so that movement across space is
consistent and predictable. Give people the shortest
path to what they want to do.
• Captivating: The most immersive, cinematic
experiences take place on the big screen. Edge-to-
edge scenery, elegant motion, and vibrant use of color
and typography take your apps to the next level.
• Understand gamepad and remote control input: The
quality of gamepad and remote behavior that you
get out-of-the-box depends on keyboard support in
your app. A good way to ensure that your app works
well with gamepad/remote is to make sure that it
works well with the keyboard on PC, and then test
with gamepad/remote to nd weak spots in your UI.
Resources
• UWP on Xbox One: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/windows/uwp/xbox-apps/index
• Xbox best practices: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/windows/uwp/xbox-apps/tailoring-for-xbox
• Gamepad and remote control interactions: https://
msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/input-
and-devices/gamepad-and-remote-interactions
• Interoperability with third-party game
engines: https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/
somasegar/2015/04/17/visual-studio-for-game-
development-new-partnerships-with-unity-unreal-
engine-and-cocos2d/