I have previously published a template on the VS Gallery that allows you to build console apps by writing C++ /CX code and not starting with XAML and code generation project default templates that VS ships. The previous blog entry is here and the link to the gallery item is here.
The good news is I have published a new template that allows you to use the Windows 8.1 SDK and winmd files to build command line apps while learning C++ /CX. You can get the template here.
Enjoy coding in C++ /CX!
-Sridhar
