Congratulations to Xbox! It has been 20 years since the brand’s first console was launched on the market.
The first Xbox console grew out of Microsoft’s desire to compete with Sony’s PlayStation 2 console. Having already collaborated with Sega in porting Windows CE to Sega’s Dreamcast, Microsoft has set four of its engineers to create a console-style box with DirectX support.
It was from there, from the name DirectX Box, that the name of the Xbox console came about. Initially, the marketing team didn’t like the name, but a consumer survey revealed that Xbox was a much more popular name than the alternatives. Thus was born Xbox.
Xbox first arrived in North America on November 15, 2001, having been launched in February 2002 in Japan and then in March in Europe and Australia. In the same year, Microsoft launched Xbox Live, a service to play online and download content.
The first Halo (and later the sequel) along with Xbox Live became the two main strengths of the console, which ended up selling 24 million units. Microsoft’s next console, the Xbox 360, was a much bigger success, with more than 85 million units sold.
The brand’s latest consoles are the Xbox Series X and Series S. Both became available on November 10, 2020. In addition to these consoles, the brand is now mostly known for its Xbox Game Pass, a subscription service that gives you access to hundreds of games for an attractive price.
What are your memories of the first Xbox? Share the comments with us.
Xbox console history
- Xbox – November 15, 2001 (North America)
- Xbox 360 – November 22, 2005 (North America)
- Xbox One – November 22, 2013 (North America)
- Xbox Series X | S – November 10, 2020 (World Cup)
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