When comparing Microsoft XNA Game Studio vs BYOND, the Slant community recommends BYOND for most people. In the question“What are the best 2D game engines?” BYOND is ranked 45th while Microsoft XNA Game Studio is ranked 70th. The most important reason people chose BYOND is:
The software itself is very easy to learn and use for beginners.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Easy assets
it is very easy to import your own 2 dimensional assets
Pro Very easy to use
relies largely on drag and drop elements and has been used to create notable high quality 2d games such as DLC Quest
Pro Easy to use
The software itself is very easy to learn and use for beginners.
Pro In active development
BYOND is in active development and updates are released constantly.
Pro Helpful community
BYOND's community is relatively large and extremely helpful. Any question a beginner or an experienced user may have is quickly answered.
Cons
Con It's dead
It is not getting updated and Microsoft does not recommend using it anymore.
Con Limited platform support
Only supports Xbox 360, Windows and Windows Phone
Con Only meant for multiplayer
Con Exclusive programming language
The language is known as DM, and is modified using Dream Maker. It is an object oriented, interpreted language, which closely resembles C++, Java and PHP. More information available in the DM Guide.