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Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of a series of video game consoles, applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the name of Xbox Game Studios. The brand was first introduced in the United States in November 2001, with the launch of the original Xbox console.

The original device was the first video game console offered by an American company after the Atari Jaguar stopped sales in 1996. It reached over 24 million units sold as of May 2006. Microsoft's second console, the Xbox 360, was released in 2005 and has sold 84 million units as of June 2014. The third console in the series, the Xbox One, was released in 21 markets in total, with a Chinese release in September 2014. The fourth line of consoles, the Xbox Series X and Series S, were released in November 2020.

The head of Xbox is Phil Spencer, who succeeded former head Marc Whitten in late March 2014.[1]

History[]

Xbox[]

Xbox

The original Xbox with the "Controller S".

The original Xbox was released on November 15, 2001, in North America, February 22, 2002, in Japan, and March 14, 2002, in Australia and Europe. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market. As part of the sixth-generation of gaming, the Xbox competed with Sony's PlayStation 2, Sega's Dreamcast (which stopped American sales before the Xbox went on sale), and Nintendo's GameCube. The Xbox was the first console offered by an American company after the Atari Jaguar stopped sales in 1996. The name Xbox was derived from a contraction of DirectX Box, a reference to Microsoft's graphics API, DirectX.[2]

The integrated Xbox Live service launched in November 2002 allowed players to play games online with a broadband connection.[3] It first competed with Dreamcast's online service but later primarily competed with PlayStation 2's online service. Although these two are free while Xbox Live required a subscription, as well as broadband-only connection which was not completely adopted yet, Xbox Live was a success due to better servers, features such as a buddy list, and milestone titles like Halo 2 (released in November 2004), which is the best-selling Xbox video game and was by far the most popular online game for years.

Xbox 360[]

The Xbox 360 was released as the successor of the original Xbox in November 2005, competing with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles. As of June 30, 2013, 78.2 million Xbox 360 consoles have been sold worldwide. The Xbox 360 was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information divulged later that month at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). The console sold out completely upon release in all regions except in Japan.

XBOX360s

Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 showed an expanded Xbox Live service (which now included a limited "Free" tier called Silver), the ability to stream multimedia content from PCs, while later updates added the ability to purchase and stream music, television programs, and films through the Xbox Music and Xbox Video services, along with access to third-party content services through third-party media streaming applications. Microsoft also released Kinect, a motion control system for the Xbox 360 which uses an advanced sensor system.

At their E3 presentation on June 14, 2010, Microsoft announced a redesigned Xbox 360 that would ship on the same day. The redesigned console is slimmer than the previous Xbox 360 model and features integrated 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, TOSLINK S/PDIF optical audio output, five USB 2.0 ports (compared to the three from older versions) and special port designed for the Kinect peripheral. Older models of the Xbox 360 have since been discontinued. The first new console to be released features a 250 GB hard drive, while a later less expensive SKU features 4 GB internal storage.

Xbox One[]

The Xbox One was released on November 22, 2013, in North America, as the successor of the Xbox 360. The Xbox One competes with Sony's PlayStation 4 and Nintendo's Wii U and Switch as part of the eighth generation of video game consoles.

Announced on May 21, 2013, the Xbox One has an emphasis on internet-based features, including the ability to record and stream gameplay, and the ability to integrate with a set-top box to watch cable or satellite TV through the console with an enhanced guide interface and Kinect-based voice control.

Following its unveiling, the Xbox One proved controversial for its original digital rights management and privacy practices; while Microsoft touted the ability for users to access their library of games (regardless of whether they were purchased physically or digitally) on any Xbox One console without needing their discs, and the ability to share their entire library with 10 designated "family" members, all games would have to be tied to the user's Xbox Live account and their Xbox One console, and the console would be required to connect to the Internet on a periodic basis (at least once every 24 hours) to synchronize the library, or else the console would be unable to play any games at all. After an overwhelmingly negative response from critics and consumers (who also showed concerns that the system could prevent or hinder the resale of used games), Microsoft announced that these restrictions would be dropped. Microsoft was also criticized for requiring the Xbox One to have its updated Kinect peripheral plugged in to function, which critics and privacy advocates believed could be used as a surveillance device. As a gesture toward showing a commitment to user privacy, Microsoft decided to allow the console to function without Kinect.

Xbox one

Xbox One

On June 13, 2016, Microsoft announced the Xbox One S, a slimmer version of the Xbox One, at E3 2016. Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, announced Project Scorpio at E3 2016 on June 13, 2016, an addition to the Xbox One family, saying it would release in Holiday 2017. At E3 2017, Microsoft revealed the final name of the console to be Xbox One X, and that it would start shipping worldwide on November 7, 2017, for a final retail price of $499.

Xbox Series X and Series S[]

Xbox Series X S color

The Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S (simply named Xbox[4]) were both released on November 10, 2020 as part of the fourth generation of Xbox models. The Xbox Series X and Series S are high- and low-end consoles, respectively, with all games designed for this model family playable on both systems. Both are considered members of the ninth generation of video game consoles alongside the PlayStation 5, also released that month.

The Series X is estimated to be four times as powerful as the Xbox One X, with support for 8K resolution and up to 120 frames-per-second rendering. The Series S is a digital-only unit with less graphic processing power, but can still render at a nominal 1440p resolution at 60 frames per second with support for 4K upscaling.

Comparison[]

Xbox Xbox 360 Xbox One Xbox One X
Console
Console Launch price
  • US$299.99
  • GB£299.99
  • €479,99
  • US$299.99 (Core) (discontinued)
  • US$399.99 (Premium – 20 GB) (discontinued)
  • US$249.99 (Premium – 60 GB) (discontinued)
  • US$479.99 (Elite) (120 GB) (discontinued)
  • US$299.99 (Arcade – 256 MB internal memory) (discontinued)
  • US$199.99 (Arcade – 512 MB internal memory) (discontinued)
  • US$299.99 ("Super Elite") (250 GB) (discontinued)
  • US$399.99 (Xbox 360 S – 250 GB + Kinect) (discontinued)
  • US$299.99 (Xbox 360 S – 250 GB) (discontinued)
  • US$299.99 (Xbox 360 S – 4 GB internal memory + Kinect) (discontinued)
  • US$199.99 (Xbox 360 S – 4 GB internal memory) (discontinued)
  • US$199.99 (Xbox 360 E – 4 GB internal memory)
  • US$299.99 (Xbox 360 E – 250 GB)
  • US$299.99 (Xbox 360 E – 4 GB internal memory + Kinect)
  • US$499.99 (Kinect Bundle) (Discontinued)
  • US$399.99 (Standalone) (Discontinued)
  • US$499.99 (Xbox One Elite - 1 TB + Elite controller) (Discontinued)
  • US$299.99 (Xbox One S)
  • US$249.99 (Xbox One S All-Digital Edition)
US$499.99 (Black 1 TB version)
Release date
  • NA: November 15, 2001
  • JP: February 22, 2002
  • EU: March 14, 2002
  • NA: November 22, 2005
  • EU: December 2, 2005
  • JP: December 10, 2005
  • AU: March 23, 2006



Further information: Xbox 360 launch#Release dates and pricing

Xbox One: November 22, 2013, Xbox One S: August 2, 2016

Xbox One S All-Digital Edition: May 7, 2019

  • WW: November 7, 2017
Discontinued
  • JP: June 4, 2006
  • NA: March 2, 2009
  • EU: March 11, 2007
  • WW: April 20, 2016
N/A N/A
Units sold 24+ million (as of May 10, 2006) 77.2 million (as of April 18, 2013)>(details) 26+ million (estimate, as of January 18, 2017) N/A
Best-selling game Halo 2, 8 million (as of May 9, 2006) Kinect Adventures!

(pack-in with Kinectperipheral), 24 million Best selling non-bundled game: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, 14.23 million

Call of Duty: Black Ops III, 7.24 million (As of October 16, 2016)
Media CD, DVD CD, DVD, HD DVD (movies only) with add-on drive, USB Drive with supported media, DLNA Servers CD, DVD, Blu-ray Disc (Xbox One S supports UHD Blu-ray Disc), USB Drive with supported media, DLNA Servers CD, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UHD Blu-ray Disc, USB Drive with supported media, DLNA Servers
Accessories (retail)
  • Xbox Live Starter Kit
  • Xbox Media Center Extender
  • DVD Playback Kit
  • Xbox Music Mixer
  • Memory Unit (8 MB)
  • Logitech Wireless Controller (2.4 GHz)
see Xbox 360 accessories
  • Media Remote
  • Stereo Headset Adapter
  • Official Stereo Headset
  • Digital TV Tuner (EU Only)
  • Play and Charge Kit

see Xbox One accessories

CPU 733 MHz x86 Intel Celeron/Pentium III Custom Hybrid CPU 3.2 GHz IBM PowerPC tri-core CPUcodenamed "Xenon" 1.75 GHz AMD x86-64 eight-core CPUcodenamed "Jaguar" 2.3 GHz semi-custom AMD x86-64eight-core CPU code-named "Jaguar Enhanced"
GPU 233 MHz nVidia custom GeForce 3NV2A DirectX 8.0 based GPU 500 MHz ATi custom Radeon X1800DirectX 9.0c based GPU codenamed "Xenos" 853 MHz AMD Radeon HD 7000 series DirectX 11.1, DirectX 12 based GPU codenamed "Durango" 1172 MHz customized AMD GCNbased GPU with 40 compute units
Memory 64 MB DDR SDRAM @ 200 MHz 6.4 GB/s 512 MB of GDDR3 RAM @ 700 MHz 22.4 GB/s, 10 MB EDRAM GPU frame buffer memory 8 GB of DDR3 RAM @ 2133 MHz 68.3 GB/s, 32 MB ESRAM GPU frame buffer memory 12 GB of GDDR5 RAM @ 6.8 GHz 326 GB/s
Video I/O
  • VGA, Component (YPbPr), SCART, S-Video, Composite
  • 1080i, 720p, 576p, 576i, 480p, 480i
  • HDMI (on models manufactured after August 2007), VGA, Component/D-Terminal (YPbPr), SCART, S-Video, Composite
  • 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 576p, 576i, 480p, 480i

Various monitor resolutions available via VGA and HDMI/DVI (640×480, 848×480, 1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×768, 1280×1024, 1360×768, 1440×900, 1680×1050 & 1920×1080)

  • HDMI (one in, one out)
  • 4K 2160p (Xbox One S), 1080p, 720p, Xbox One does not support any interlaced resolutions.
  • HDR10, Dolby Vision (Xbox One S)
  • HDMI 2.1 Output
  • HDMI 1.4b Input
  • 4K 2160p @ 60fps, 1080p, 720p
  • HDR10, Dolby Vision
  • AMD FreeSync
Audio I/O
  • Optical Toslink, Stereo RCA
  • dts, Dolby Digital Live, Dolby Digital, Dolby Surround, Stereo
  • HDMI, Optical Toslink, Stereo RCA
  • dts, WMA Pro, Dolby Digital, Dolby Surround, Stereo
  • HDMI (one in, one out), Optical Toslink
  • dts-HD Master Audio, Dolby TrueHD, dts-HD High-Resolution Audio, Dolby Digital Plus, dts, Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos, dts:X, Auro-3D
  • HDMI 2.1 Output
  • HDMI 1.4b Input
  • Optical Toslink
  • dts-HD Master Audio, Dolby TrueHD, dts-HD High Resolution Audio, Dolby Digital Plus, dts, Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos, dts:X, Auro-3D
Online service Xbox Live (2002–10) XLink Kai(2003-present) Xbox Live

Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Marketplace
Xbox Live Vision (webcam), headset
Xbox Live Video Marketplace
Windows Live Messenger
Internet Explorer
VideoKinect (Kinect sensor is no longer needed)

Xbox Live

Xbox Store
Internet Explorer
Microsoft Edge
Skype

Backward compatibility N/A 50% of Xbox Library Select Xbox 360 and Xbox titles
System software Xbox Music Mixer

DVD Playback Kit, Xbox Linux

see Xbox 360 system software see Xbox One system software
System software

features

Audio CD playback
  • 3D Blu-ray Support
  • DLNA Server Support
  • External Hard Drive Support
Consumer programmability Via Softmods and/or modchips; Modified Windows CE 2.x, Linux. Development on PC with XNA Game Studio ($99/year subscription, binary distribution with XNA 1.0 Refresh).[42] ID@Xbox and approved Microsoft Store; UWP apps.

Future[]

Microsoft has been recently working to leverage the branding of "Xbox" beyond the console hardware to a general video game brand, reflected in the renaming of Microsoft Studios to Xbox Game Studios in 2019. Phil Spencer stated in June 2019 that for Microsoft, "The business isn’t how many consoles you sell. The business is how many players are playing the games that they buy, how they play." which journalists have taken as a route to de-emphasize console hardware and prioritize games, subscriptions, and services for players. Later in February 2020, Spencer said that moving forward, the company does not see "traditional gaming companies" like Nintendo and Sony as their competitors, but rather those that offer cloud computing services such as Amazon and Google. Spencer identified that Microsoft Azure is a major component of their plans going forward, which powers its xCloud game streaming service. Spencer also cited mobile gaming as a potential area, and where Microsoft was trying to position itself with its services should this become the more preferred form for gaming. Spencer said "I don't think it's 'hardware agnostic' as much as it's 'where you want to play'", in describing how Microsoft was strategizing the Xbox branding for the future.

Games[]

Each console has a variety of games. Most games released on the original Xbox are backward compatible and can be played directly on its successor, Xbox 360. Backward compatibility with Xbox 360 titles was added to Xbox One in June 2015, although titles requiring Kinect or USB peripherals will not be supported.

Games using the Xbox and Xbox Live brands have also been released for Microsoft Windows, Windows Phone, Android, and iOS. Xbox games can also be played using the Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming service.

Online services[]

Xbox Live[]

Xbox network (formerly known as Xbox Live) is an online service with over 65 million users worldwide (as of July 2019). It comprises an online virtual market, the Xbox Games Store, which allows the purchase and download of games and various forms of multimedia. Online gaming on the Xbox first started on November 15, 2002 worldwide. The service is still active and continues to be played by gamers.

Xbox Games Store[]

Xbox Games Store is an online marketplace made for the Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles, where players can buy games and movies through digital download.

Xbox Live Marketplace[]

The Xbox Live Marketplace (XBLM) is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content. The service offers movie and game trailers, Video Store, game demos, Xbox Live Arcade games, Xbox Live Indie Games (Previously Community Games), Games on Demand (Xbox 360 and Xbox Originals), downloadable content such as map packs, gamer pictures, and Xbox 360 Dashboard themes.

The August 11, 2009 update added Xbox 360 games for download, the Avatar Marketplace, and renamed Community Games to Indie Games.

The Spring 2007 update to the Xbox 360 Dashboard relocated the Marketplace to its own "blade" in order to bring more attention to the service and make it more accessible to users. Although this has been obsoleted by the NXE update, the section has been implemented into three separate sections in the Dashboard: the Game Marketplace, Video & Music Marketplace, and Avatar Marketplace.

Downloaded content requires enough space on either the Xbox 360's hard drive or an Xbox 360 Memory Unit. Selected downloads are placed in a queue and are downloaded whilst the console is powered on and is connected to Xbox Live. Users can choose to send certain downloads to the front of the queue to be downloaded first. Downloads are temporarily halted during certain times where games make use of Xbox Live's features (e.g. online multiplayer).

Xbox SmartGlass[]

Xbox SmartGlass is a companion application for Xbox 360 available for Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows Phone, iOS, Android (version 4.0 and above), and Windows Server 2012. It was announced by Microsoft during E3 2012 and released on October 26, 2012, coinciding with the release of Windows 8. It connects with the Xbox 360 and allows more interactive entertainment, allowing mobile devices to potentially serve as second screens and remote controller. Currently Windows 8 and Windows RT Tablets and PCs, Windows Phone (7.5 and 8) iOS devices, and Android smartphones (4.x) are compatible with SmartGlass, providing information such as Halo 4 stats and Forza Horizon GPS. Users of Windows Server 2012 can currently download the application from the Windows Store after installing the Windows Desktop Experience feature in the Server Manager.

Gaming Cloud[]

Gaming Cloud is a division within Microsoft's Xbox team to help game developers incorporate their cloud computing elements, such as Microsoft Azure within their games. While focused on Xbox and Windows games, the division will support developers regardless of the target platform or distribution channel. The division was formed in March 2018, and led by Kareem Choudhry.

Xbox Game Pass[]

Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service from Microsoft for use with its Xbox One and Windows 10. Described as "Netflix for video games", the Xbox Game Pass grants users access to a catalog of games from a range of publishers for a single monthly subscription price. The service was launched on June 1, 2017.

Xbox Wire[]

Xbox Wire is the official news blog of Xbox, launched by Microsoft in May 2013 in preparation for the announcement of the Xbox One. It was Microsoft's first Xbox-focused blog since it shut down Gamerscore in early 2009.[5] In March 2022, a Japanese-language version of the site was published as part of Microsoft's focus on the Japanese gaming market.

Software[]

Xbox 360 Dashboard[]

The Xbox 360's original graphical user interface was the Xbox 360 Dashboard; a tabbed interface that featured five "Blades" (formerly four blades), and was designed by AKQA and Audiobrain. It could be launched automatically when the console booted without a disc in it, or when the disc tray was ejected, but the user had the option to select what the console does if a game is in the tray on startup, or if inserted when already on. A simplified version of it was also accessible at any time via the Xbox Guide button on the gamepad. This simplified version showed the user's gamercard, Xbox Live messages, and friends list. It also allowed for personal and music settings, in addition to voice or video chats, or returning to the Xbox Dashboard from the game.

Xbox One Dashboard[]

Controllers[]

Xbox Controller[]

Released in 2001, the Xbox control pad was the first controller made for the original Xbox. The Xbox controller features two analog sticks, a pressure-sensitive directional pad, two analog triggers, a Back button, a Start button, two accessory slots and six 8-bit analog action buttons (A/Green, B/Red, X/Blue, Y/Yellow, and Black and White buttons). The standard Xbox controller (originally nicknamed the "Fatty" and later the "Duke") was originally the controller bundled with Xbox systems for all territories except Japan.

Xbox 360 Controller[]

Released in 2005, the Xbox 360 controller for the Xbox 360 succeeded its predecessor. A standard Xbox 360 controller features eleven digital buttons, two analog triggers, two analog sticks, and a digital D-pad. The right face of the controller features four digital action buttons; a green "A" button, red "B" button, blue "X" button, and yellow "Y" button. The lower right houses the right analog stick, in the lower left is a digital D-pad and on the left face is the left analog stick. Both analog sticks can also be "clicked in" to activate a digital button beneath. In the center of the controller face are digital "Start", "Back" and "Guide" buttons. The "Guide" button is labeled with the Xbox logo and is used to turn on the console/controller and to access the guide menu. It is also surrounded by the "ring of light", which indicates the controller number, as well as flashing when connecting and to provide notifications. The left and right "shoulders" each feature a digital shoulder button, or "bumper", and an analog trigger.

Xbox One Controller[]

The Xbox One console has a revised controller with forty improvements over the 360's controller. This new controller is built to work with Kinect. The Start and Back buttons are replaced with Menu and View buttons. It has impulse triggers that replace regular triggers. The button with the Xbox logo will no longer bring up the Xbox Guide as the Xbox Guide Button on the Xbox 360 controller did. The button will now open up the dashboard without interrupting the game currently being played by the user. Once pressed again, the Xbox will resume the game.

Xbox Series X and Series S Controller[]

The fourth generation Xbox Controller has not changed much from the Xbox One controller, but it does add a capture and share button, as well as a hybrid D-pad, and better gripping on the bumpers and triggers. The controller is also cross-compatible with certain PCs and mobile devices.

Xbox Adaptive Controller[]

Xbox Adaptive Controller V&A

The Xbox Adaptive Controller

The Xbox Adaptive Controller is a special controller designed for accessibility features for players. Besides being physically larger than typical controllers, it includes additional ports to allow other devices to be connected and mapped to other controller functions. The controller is not limited to just Xbox and Windows platforms but also is compatible with the PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.

Other accessories[]

Kinect[]

Kinect (stylized as KINECT) is a motion-sensing input device by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 video game console and Windows PCs. Based around a webcam-style add-on peripheral for the Xbox 360 console, it enables users to control and interact with the Xbox 360 without the need to touch a game controller, through a natural user interface using gestures and spoken commands. The project is aimed at broadening the Xbox 360's audience beyond its typical gamer base. Kinect competes with the Wii Remote Plus and PlayStation Move with PlayStation Eye motion controllers for the Wii and PlayStation 3 home consoles, respectively. A version for Windows was released on February 1, 2012.

Kinect was launched in North America on November 4, 2010, in Europe on November 10, 2010, in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore on November 18, 2010, and in Japan on November 20, 2010. Purchase options for the sensor peripheral include a bundle with the game Kinect Adventures and console bundles with either a 4 GB or 250 G Xbox 360 console and Kinect Adventures.

The Kinect claimed the Guinness World Record of being the "fastest-selling consumer electronics device" after selling a total of 8 million units in its first 60 days. 24 million units of the Kinect sensor had been shipped as of January 2012.

Microsoft released the Kinect software development kit for Windows 7 on June 16, 2011. This SDK was meant to allow developers to write Kinecting apps in C++/CLI, C#, or Visual Basic .NET.

Additional information on the Xbox One Kinect was released on June 6, 2013, including information on how to turn off the "always-on" feature.

Although featuring improved performance over the original Xbox 360 Kinect, its successor the Xbox One Kinect was subject to mixed responses. It was praised for its wide-angle, its fast response time and high-quality camera. However, the Kinect's inability to understand some accents in English was criticized. Furthermore, controversies surround Microsoft's intentional tying of the sensor with the Xbox One console despite the initial requirements for the sensor being plugged in at all times having been revised since its initial announcement. There have also been a number of concerns regarding privacy.

Marketing[]

In 2016, Microsoft announced that it would hold its own Xbox FanFest instead of a press conference at the Gamescom annual European video game convention. Microsoft held an Xbox FanFest in Sydney in September 2016.

References[]

  1. Gilbert, Ben (April 10, 2014). "Getting to know Microsoft's new Xbox lead, Phil Spencer". Engadget. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. 
  2. Karmali, Luke (July 6, 2013). "Rejected Names for the Original Xbox Revealed". IGN. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. 
  3. "Xbox LIVE being discontinued for Original Xbox consoles and games". MajorNelson.com. April 15, 2010. Archived from the original on April 22, 2013. 
  4. Gilliam, Ryan (December 16, 2019). "The next generation of Xbox is just called ... Xbox". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. 
  5. Callaham, John (May 17, 2013). "Microsoft launches Xbox Wire as official Xbox news blog". Neowin. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. 

External links[]

Xbox family
Consoles
XboxXbox 360Xbox OneXbox Series X/Xbox Series S
Services
Xbox Game PassXbox networkXbox Live MarketplaceXbox Live Arcade
Companies
Xbox Game StudiosMojang Studios
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