C++ and DirectX are being promoted by Microsoft as the primary way to build high-performance games in Windows 8.x with XNA left out in the cold. XNA developers can still use XNA in Windows 8.x but only for desktop applications, and not for creating Windows Store apps.
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Developers looking for the spiritual (if not outright) successor to XNA are encouraged to check out MonoGame, an open source implementation of the XNA Framework at http://www.monogame.net/.
As a DirectX developer, you will be pleased to know that there is no longer a separate DirectX download required for Windows 8.1. The DirectX SDK is now incorporated into the Windows SDK, and the DirectX 11.2 runtime is built into the Windows 8.1 operating system. For older versions of Windows, the current requirement to download a separate SDK and runtime remains in place.
If you have used previous versions of DirectX and C++, then you will find Visual Studio 2013 somewhat different as you will...