I have successfully installed Games on my Zune yesterday. I don't know anything about Visual C# or anything about software development but just followed instructions I found off the net.
For those who would want to do the same, You can follow the process below..
1. Download these two programs:
- Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP (41.7Mb)
- Got to Microsoft Express Download and download Visual C# 2008 Express edition (the green one) (2.55Mb executable, but the actual file is huge)
2. Read this link and to know what to uninstall before installing both programs.
3. Download Alien Game for XNA Game Studio
4. Add Your Zune to the XNA Game Studio Device Center
Start the device center by clicking Start | Programs | Microsoft XNA Game Studio | XNA Game Studio Device Center.
Click Add Device, and then click Zune.
- The device center will display a list of connected Zune devices.
- In the list of connected Zunes, click the one that you want to add.
- Click Next.
- Zune you selected will be added to the list of devices in the device center.
- You can now close the XNA Game Studio Device Center.
5. Create and Deploy a Zune Project
Extract your downloaded Alien Game. Double-click on the AlienGame.sln file and it will open inside Visual C#. With your new project open, press the F5 key to launch the program to your zune (wait as the file loads onto your zune device, see your zune display for file upload progress)
(read this for a more extensive guide)
When exiting, the zune really reboots to ensure that all used memory for running the game is really flushed out and optimal performance is not compromised. If you want to download more games, try the ZuneBoards forums. Enjoy!