Xbox
- Manufacturer
- Microsoft
- Production
- 2001–2008
- Generation
- Gen 6
- Type
- Home
- Launch price
- $299
- Units sold
- 24.0M
About Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as the streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox network and Xbox Game Pass. The brand is owned by the namesake division of Microsoft.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Library & collector facts
1,014licensed games
- North America: 989
- Japan: 99
- PAL: 711
Release timeline
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- February 22, 2002
- 🇺🇸 North America
- November 15, 2001
- 🇪🇺 Europe / PAL
- March 14, 2002
- Lifespan
- 7 years on market
Pricing
Launch price (2001)
- 🇺🇸 USD
- $299
- 🇬🇧 GBP
- £299
Controller
4 × Xbox controller ports (proprietary USB interface)
Launch titles & exclusives
Halo: Combat Evolved · Project Gotham Racing · Dead or Alive 3 · Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding · Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee · Fuzion Frenzy · Madden NFL 2002 · NFL Fever 2002 · Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X · Cel Damage
None standard; many launch bundles included Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo: Combat Evolved · Halo 2 · Fable / Fable: The Lost Chapters · Jade Empire · Ninja Gaiden / Ninja Gaiden Black · Forza Motorsport (original) · Project Gotham Racing 1 & 2 · Conker: Live & Reloaded · Mech Assault · Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge · Otogi 1 & 2 · Phantom Dust · Panzer Dragoon Orta (Sega's swan-song shooter)
Madden NFL 09 (2008) was the final licensed release
Steel Battalion with 40-button controller (~$300+ CIB, full kit ~$500+); Stake-tier rarities; Xbox Live launch bundles sealed; Halo 2 Limited Edition tin sealed
Hardware specs
- Os
- Windows NT-based Xbox system software
- Cpu
- Intel Pentium III @ 733 MHz
- Gpu
- Nvidia NV2A @ 233 MHz
- Ram
- 64 MB DDR SDRAM
- Display Output
- 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i
- Storage Internal
- 8 GB internal hard drive
Hardware revisions
- Original Xbox(2001)
only base hardware revision, but motherboard versions 1.0–1.6 vary internally — clock capacitor leakage on v1.0–1.4 is the platform's defining failure (corrodes the motherboard) — capacitor replacement is essential preservation maintenance
- v1.6 board(2003)
final cost-reduced board, different clock capacitor design (no leak) but Xecuter modchips have more constraints
Launch colorways & special editions
- Crystal (transparent green, 2003)
- Halo Edition Green (limited)
- JP-only green/white variants
- Various retailer promo colors
Modding scene
- Difficulty
- soft-mod
- Custom firmware
- XBMC (Xbox Media Center, the origin of Kodi); UnleashX; Evox; Softmod via savefile exploits (007 Agent Under Fire, Mechassault, Splinter Cell)
Reception & legacy
Strong launch — Halo: Combat Evolved was the killer app and immediately repositioned the Xbox brand against PS2; criticized for the massive 'Duke' controller (replaced quickly with the smaller Controller S)
Microsoft sold the Xbox at a substantial loss for the entire generation (~$4B in losses); the 'Duke' controller was so large it became a meme; lawsuits over Xbox Live age verification and the disc-scratching issue (some early units scratched discs in normal operation)
Established Microsoft's gaming credentials and Halo as an industry-defining franchise; XBMC scene transformed it into the first mass-market media-center PC; the foundation that built the entire Xbox business through Xbox 360 and beyond
References
More from Microsoft
No Xbox listings yet. List yours or browse similar items.
Xbox in the news
Recent coverage mentioning the Xbox, gathered from 80+ gaming-news sources.
Xbox's Sea of Thieves is getting its very own movie adaptation from Spider-Man director
Xbox's Sea of Thieves game is being adapted into a live-action movie, with Marvel's Destin Daniel Cretton producing the film.
"It's something that no one has ever seen before — a new game system": Hideo Kojima teases more of his mysterious horror
Hideo Kojima has shared new details on OD, describing the project as something "no one has ever seen before." The Xbox-backed title will feature a new game system, an ambitious horror concept, and a cast that includes Sophia Lillis, Hunter Schafer, and Udo Kier.
"They Said That I'm Crazy" - Hideo Kojima Says Many "Big Companies" Rejected His New Horror Game Before Xbox Snapped It Up
"All of them said the same thing". Hideo Kojima probably doesn't need an introduction at this point, but the Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding creator recently appeared on Entertainment Weekly to share a new look and details about his upcoming horror game, currently in development for Xbox. OD...
"Folks at Arkane are doing a really, really great job": Todd Howard offers a promising update on Marvel's Blade
Todd Howard has offered an encouraging update on Marvel's Blade, praising Arkane Lyon's work on the project and adding to recent signs that development is progressing well despite wider uncertainty surrounding Xbox.
"Halo, first and foremost, is one of our biggest franchises": Halo's TV and movie future may not be over after all
Matt Booty says Halo remains one of Xbox's biggest franchises, offering fans a small reason to believe the series could eventually return to television or film despite the cancellation of the Paramount+ show.
Prepare for some swashbuckling adventures, Sea of Thieves is weirdly getting a movie
Sea of Thieves is officially getting a live-action movie, with Marvel filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton attached as a producer. The adaptation is part of Microsoft's growing push into film and television, with Xbox teasing multiple entertainment projects currently in development.