Xbox (console)

This article is about the 2001 console. For the "Xbox" brand and series of consoles, see Xbox.

Xbox
Xbox console with the "Xbox Controller"
DeveloperMicrosoft
ManufacturerFlextronics,[1] Wistron[2]
Product familyXbox
TypeHome video game console
GenerationSixth
Release date
  • NA: November 15, 2001[3]
  • JP: February 22, 2002
  • PAL: March 14, 2002
Introductory priceUS$299 (equivalent to $506.5 in 2023)
£299 (equivalent to £614.37 in 2023)[4]
€479[5]
Discontinued
Units sold24 million+ (as of May 10, 2006)[8]
MediaDVD, CD, digital distribution
Operating systemWindows NT-based Xbox system software
CPUCustom 733 MHz Intel Pentium III "Coppermine-based" processor
Memory64 MB of DDR SDRAM @ 200 MHz
Storage8 or 10 GB internal hard drive (formatted to 8 GB with allotted system reserve and MS Dash), 8 MB memory card
GraphicsNvidia GeForce 3-based NV2A GPU @ 233 MHz[9]
Controller input4 × Xbox controller ports (proprietary USB interface; wireless controllers not supported directly—third-party wireless controllers require a wired base unit)
Connectivity100 Mbit Ethernet
Online servicesXbox Live
Best-selling gameHalo 2, 8.46 million (as of November 2008)[10][11]
SuccessorXbox 360

The Xbox is a home video game console manufactured by Microsoft that is the first installment in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was released as Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market on November 15, 2001, in North America, followed by Australia, Europe and Japan in 2002.[3] It is classified as a sixth-generation console, competing with Sony's PlayStation 2, Sega's Dreamcast and Nintendo's GameCube. It was also the first major console produced by an American company since the release of the Atari Jaguar in 1993.

The console was announced in March 2000.[12] With the release of the PlayStation 2, which featured the ability to playback CD-ROMs and DVDs in addition to playing games, Microsoft became concerned that game consoles would threaten the personal computer as an entertainment device for living rooms. Whereas most games consoles to that point were built from custom hardware components, the Xbox was built around standard personal computer components, using variations of Microsoft Windows and DirectX as its operating system to support games and media playback, and featuring a 733 MHz Intel Pentium III CPU and a 233 MHz Nvidia GeForce 3-based NV2A GPU, the latter two making the Xbox technically more powerful compared to its rivals.[9] The Xbox was the first console to feature a built-in hard disk.[13][14] The console also was built with direct support for broadband connectivity to the Internet via an integrated Ethernet port,[15] and with the release of Xbox Live, a fee-based online gaming service, a year after the console's launch, Microsoft gained an early foothold in online gaming and made the Xbox a strong competitor in the sixth generation of consoles. The popularity of killer app blockbuster titles such as Bungie's Halo 2 contributed to the popularity of online console gaming, and in particular first-person shooters.[16]

The Xbox had a record-breaking launch in North America, selling 1.5 million units before the end of 2001, aided by the popularity of one of the system's launch titles, Halo: Combat Evolved, which sold a million units by April 2002. The system went on to sell a worldwide total of 24 million units, including 16 million in North America; however, Microsoft was unable to make a steady profit off the console, which had a manufacturing price far more expensive than its retail price, despite its popularity, losing over $4 billion during its market life.[17][18][19][20][21] The system outsold the GameCube and the Sega Dreamcast, but was vastly outsold by the PlayStation 2, which had sold over 155 million units by the system's end of production.[22] It also underperformed outside of the Western market; particularly, it sold poorly in Japan due to its large console size and an overabundance of games marketed towards American audiences instead of Japanese-developed titles.[23] Production of the system was discontinued starting in 2005.[6][7] The Xbox was the first in an ongoing brand of video game consoles developed by Microsoft, with a successor, the Xbox 360, launching in November 2005, followed by the Xbox One in 2013 and the Xbox Series X and Series S consoles in 2020.

  1. ^ O'Brien, Jeffrey M. (November 2011). "The Making of the Xbox". Wired. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  2. ^ Becker, David (September 3, 2002). "Microsoft names Acer Xbox maker". ZDNET.
  3. ^ a b "Xbox Arrives in New York Tonight at Toys "R" Us Times Square". Microsoft. June 12, 2013. Archived from the original on June 12, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  4. ^ "Xbox goes on sale in the UK". The Guardian. March 14, 2002. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  5. ^ Morris, Chris (April 18, 2002). "Saving the (cheaper) Xbox". CNNMoney. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Garratt, Patrick (August 5, 2011). "The Xbox Story, Part 1: The Birth of a Console". vg247.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2013. Retrieved June 26, 2013.
  7. ^ a b "Nvidia ends shipments of chips for Xbox". Financial Times. Archived from the original on March 30, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  8. ^ "Gamers Catch Their Breath as Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Reinvent Next-Generation Gaming". Microsoft. May 10, 2006. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  9. ^ a b "Microsoft clarify NV2A". Eurogamer.net. March 28, 2001. Archived from the original on March 20, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  10. ^ Morris, Chris (May 9, 2006). "Grand Theft Auto, Halo 3 headed to Xbox 360". CNN. Archived from the original on January 19, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference halo2sales was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Microsoft announces X-BOX". April 7, 2000. Archived from the original on April 7, 2000. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  13. ^ Herold, Charles (November 8, 2001). "GAME THEORY; Console Shootout: The Sequel". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 5, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  14. ^ Dyer, Mitch (November 23, 2011). "The Life and Death of the Original Xbox". Archived from the original on May 15, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  15. ^ "Xbox Live's Major Nelson » Xbox LIVE being discontinued for Original Xbox consoles and games". Majornelson.com. April 15, 2010. Archived from the original on April 25, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  16. ^ "History Of First Person Shooters". Archived from the original on August 24, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  17. ^ "Forbes: Xbox lost Microsoft $4 billion (and counting)". Engadget. September 27, 2005. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  18. ^ Terdiman, Daniel. "Xbox division down $4 billion". CNET. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  19. ^ Takahashi, Dean (September 27, 2015). "A decade later, the former chief Xbox officer revisits his critical decisions". VentureBeat. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  20. ^ Gilbert, Ben. "Xbox consoles have never been profitable on their own, Microsoft admits in court". Business Insider. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  21. ^ "Microsoft Says Xbox Consoles Have Always Been Sold at a Loss". PCMAG. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  22. ^ Richtel, Matt (February 16, 2003). "Business; Who's Blocking the Xbox? Sony and Its Games". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  23. ^ "CNN.com - Xbox plugs into Japan". CNN. February 21, 2002. Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2019.