Xbox

This article is about the "Xbox" brand. For the 2001 console, see Xbox (console). For other uses, see Xbox (disambiguation).

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

Xbox

Product type	Video gaming
Owner	Microsoft
Country	United States
Introduced	November 15, 2001; 21 years ago (2001-11-15)
Markets	Worldwide
Registered as a trademark in	Worldwide
Website	www.xbox.com

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 by May 2006.^[1] Microsoft's second console, the Xbox 360, was released in 2005 and has sold 86 million units as of October 2021. The third console, the Xbox One, was released in November 2013 and has sold 58 million units.^[2] The fourth line of Xbox 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.^[3][4]

History

 

The original Xbox logo used by the brand until 2005

When Sony Computer Entertainment first announced the PlayStation 2 in 1999, the company had positioned the console as a centerpiece for home entertainment, as it not only would play video games, but also could play audio CDs and video DVDs. Microsoft, whose business had been primarily in supporting the personal computer (PC) business with its Windows operating system, software, and games, saw the PlayStation 2 as a threat to the personal computer.^[5]

Four engineers from Microsoft's DirectX team—Kevin Bachus, Seamus Blackley, Ted Hase and DirectX team leader Otto Berkes, began to envision what a Microsoft console to compete against the PlayStation 2 would be like. They designed a system that would use many hardware components in common with PCs, effectively running a version of Windows and DirectX to power the games on the console.^[6][5] This approach would make it easy for developers on Windows to build games for their new system, differentiating itself from the custom hardware solutions of most consoles.^[7][8] Numerous names were suggested for this console, including "Direct X Box",^[9] and the "Windows Entertainment Project".^[10] Microsoft's marketing team conducted consumer surveys of the name, using the name "Xbox" as a control believing this would be least desirable, but found that this had the highest preference from their tests, and was selected as the name of the console.^[11]

While the original Xbox had modest sales, Microsoft took a large financial loss to support it. However, its performance was sufficient to convince the company to continue to produce the line. Since its release, there have been four generations of Xbox, with the most recent being the Xbox Series X and Series S units. The Xbox has become a direct competitor to Sony's PlayStation brand, both offering high performance gaming systems at roughly similar specifications.

Future

Microsoft has been recently working to leverage the branding of "Xbox" beyond the console hardware but as a general video game brand, reflected in the renaming of Microsoft Studios to Xbox Game Studios in 2019.^[12][13] 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.^[14][15] 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 instead 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.^[16] 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.^[17]

Consoles

First generation: Xbox

Main article: Xbox (console)

 

Xbox console with "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 video game consoles, 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 built around a 733 MHz 32-bit Intel Pentium III CPU and a 233 MHz Nvidia GeForce 3-based NV2A GPU with 64 MB of memory. 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.^[18][19]

The integrated Xbox Live service launched in November 2002 allowed players to play games online with a broadband connection.^[20] It first competed with Dreamcast's online service but later primarily competed with PlayStation 2's online service. Although the two competing services were 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 it having better servers, features such as a buddy list, and milestone titles such as Halo 2 (released in November 2004), which became the best-selling Xbox video game and was by far the most popular online game for the original Xbox system.

Second generation: Xbox 360

Main article: Xbox 360

 

Left: Xbox 360 Elite
Right: Xbox 360 S and new-style controller

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. It featured a custom triple-core 64-bit PowerPC-based processor design by IBM with 512 MB of RAM memory. As of June 2014, 84 million Xbox 360 consoles have been sold worldwide.^[21] 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.^[22][23][24] Several retail configurations of the core Xbox 360 model were offered over its lifetime, varying the amount of RAM and internal storage offered.

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.

Two major revisions of the Xbox 360 were released following the initial launch. The Xbox 360 S (typically considered as "Slim"), launched in 2010, featured the same core hardware but with a redesigned, slimmer form factor with a smaller-sized 250 GB hard drive. It also added 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 a special port designed for the Kinect peripheral. The Xbox 360 S replaced the base Xbox 360 unit, which was discontinued, and sold at the same price.^[25][26][27] A cheaper Xbox 360 S unit, removing the 250 GB drive while adding 4 GB of internal storage, was released later in 2010; the unit allowed users to hook up an external storage solution or purchase a 250 GB internal add-on.

The second major revision of the Xbox 360 was the Xbox 360 E, released in 2013. It featured a case style similar to the upcoming Xbox One, and eliminated one USB port and the S/PDIF, YPbPr component and S-video connections, but otherwise shared the same specifications as the Xbox 360 S.

Third generation: Xbox One

Main article: Xbox One

 

The Xbox One with the redesigned Kinect and controller

The Xbox One was released on November 22, 2013, in North America, as the successor to 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. It features an AMD Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) built around the 64-bit x86-64 instruction set and can come with up to 12 GB of memory.

Announced on May 21, 2013,^[28] 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.^{[29][30][31][32]}

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.^[33][34] 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.^[35] 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.^[36][37][38]

On June 13, 2016, Microsoft announced the Xbox One S at E3 2016, which featured a smaller form factor, as well as support for 4K video (including streaming and Ultra HD Blu-ray) and HDR.^[39] At E3 2017, Microsoft unveiled Xbox One X, a high-end model with improved hardware designed to facilitate the playing of games at 4K resolution.^[40]

Since November 2014, Microsoft has stated it will not release sales numbers for the Xbox One line.^[41] Xbox head Phil Spencer said that while they do internally track sales figures, they do not want their developers to be focused on these numbers as to affect their products, and thus have opted not to report further sales of Xbox hardware going forward.^[42] In July 2023, Microsoft revealed that the Xbox One line has sold over 58 million units.^[2]

Fourth generation: Xbox Series X and Series S

Main article: Xbox Series X and Series S

 

The Xbox Series X and the controller

 

The Xbox Series S and the controller

The fourth generation of Xbox models, simply named Xbox,^[43] includes the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S that launched on November 10, 2020. Both are considered members of the ninth generation of video game consoles alongside the PlayStation 5, also released that month. Like the Xbox One, the consoles use an AMD 64-bit x86-64 CPU and GPU with up to 16 GB of memory.

The Xbox Series X and Series S are high- and low-end versions comparable to the Xbox One X and Xbox One S models, respectively, with all games designed for this model family playable on both systems. The Xbox Series X is estimated to be four times as powerful as Xbox One X, with support for 8K resolution and up to 120 frames-per-second rendering, with a nominal target of 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. The Xbox 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. Both consoles features support for new graphics rendering systems including real-time ray-tracing, and the new Xbox Velocity Architecture that works with the internal SSD drive to maximize the rate of texture streaming to the graphics processor, among other features. Besides games for this new console family, both consoles are fully compatible with all Xbox One games and most hardware, as well as all backward compatible games that were playable on the Xbox One from the Xbox 360 and original Xbox console.^[44]

To help transition consumers, Microsoft introduced its Smart Delivery system which most of its first-party games and several third-party games will use to offer free updates to Xbox One versions of games to the Xbox Series X/S version over the first few years of the consoles' launch.^[45][46]

Comparison

The following table is a comparison of the four generations of Xbox hardware.

Xbox generation	First	Second	Third			Fourth
	Xbox	Xbox 360	Xbox One	Xbox One S	Xbox One X	Xbox Series S	Xbox Series X
Console
Console launch price	US$299.99		US$499.99 (with Kinect) US$399.99 (without Kinect)	US$299.99 (Xbox One S) US$249.99 (Xbox One S All-Digital Edition)	US$499.99	US$299.99	US$499.99
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	November 22, 2013^[47]	Xbox One S: August 2, 2016 Xbox One S All-Digital Edition: May 7, 2019	November 7, 2017	November 10, 2020
Discontinued	JP: June 4, 2006 NA: March 2, 2009 EU: March 11, 2007	WW: April 20, 2016	WW: August 2, 2016	WW: July 16, 2020 (Xbox One S All-Digital Edition) WW: Q4 2020 (Xbox One S)	WW: July 16, 2020	—	—
Units sold^[a]	24+ million (as of May 10, 2006)^[1]	84+ million (as of June 9, 2014^[update])^[21](details)	58 million (as of June 30, 2023^[update])^[2]			21 million (as of June 30, 2023^[update])^[2]
Best-selling game	Halo 2, 8 million (as of May 9, 2006)^[48]^[49]	Kinect Adventures! (pack-in with Kinect peripheral), 24 million^[50] Best selling non-bundled game: Grand Theft Auto V, 22.95 million^[51]	Grand Theft Auto V (as of November 5, 2018)^[52]			—	—
Media	CD, DVD	CD, DVD, HD DVD (movies only) with add-on drive, USB Drive with supported media, DLNA Servers^[53]	CD, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, USB Drive with supported media, DLNA Servers^[53]	CD, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UHD Blu-ray Disc, USB Drive with supported media, DLNA Servers^[54]		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) More...	Kinect Wireless Gaming Receiver Play & Charge Kit See Xbox 360 accessories	Xbox Wireless Controller Kinect Media Remote Stereo Headset Adapter Official Stereo Headset Digital TV Tuner (EU Only) Play and Charge Kit See Xbox One accessories			Xbox Wireless Controller See Xbox One accessories
CPU	733 MHz x86 Intel Celeron/Pentium III Custom Hybrid CPU	3.2 GHz IBM PowerPC tri-core CPU codenamed "Xenon"	1.75 GHz AMD x86-64 eight-core CPU codenamed "Jaguar"^[55]		2.3 GHz semi-custom AMD x86-64 eight-core CPU code named "Jaguar Enhanced"^[54]	3.6 GHz custom AMD Zen 2 eight-core CPU	3.8 GHz custom AMD Zen 2 eight-core CPU^[56]
GPU	233 MHz nVidia custom GeForce 3 NV2A DirectX 8.0 based GPU	500 MHz ATi custom Radeon X1800 DirectX 9.0c based GPU codenamed "Xenos"	853 MHz AMD Radeon HD 7000 series DirectX 11.1, DirectX 12 based GPU codenamed "Durango" with 12 compute units	914 MHz AMD Radeon HD 7000 series DirectX 11.1, DirectX 12 based GPU codenamed "Edmonton" with 12 compute units	1172 MHz AMD GCN DirectX 11.1, DirectX 12 based GPU codenamed "Scorpio" with 40 compute units	1550 MHz AMD Custom RDNA 2 DirectX 12 based GPU with 20 compute units^[56]	1825 MHz AMD Custom RDNA 2 DirectX 12 based GPU with 52 compute units^[56]
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,^[53] 32 MB ESRAM GPU frame buffer memory		12 GB of GDDR5 RAM @ 6.8 GHz 326 GB/s^[54]	10 GB of GDDR6 RAM: 8 GB @ 244 GB/s, 2 GB @ 56 GB/s	16 GB of GDDR6 RAM; 10 GB @ 560 GB/s, 6 GB @ 336 GB/s^[56]
Video I/O ports	VGA Component (YPbPr) SCART S-Video Composite	HDMI 1.1 (on models manufactured after August 2007) VGA Component/D-Terminal (YPbPr) SCART RGB S-Video Composite	HDMI 1.4b Input, Output	HDMI 1.4b Input, HDMI 2.0a Output	HDMI 1.4b Input, HDMI 2.0b Output	HDMI 2.1 Output
Video resolution and features	1080i, 720p, 576p, 576i, 480p, 480i	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)	1080p@60fps, 720p@60fps (does not support any interlaced resolutions)	4K@60fps, 1440p@60fps (up to 120fps), 1080p@60fps (up to 120fps), 720p@60fps (does not support any interlaced resolutions) HDR10 for games and media Dolby Vision for media AMD FreeSync		1440p@60fps (up to 120fps), 1080p@120fps, 720p@120fps HDR10/HDR10+/Dolby Vision for games and media AMD FreeSync	8K@60fps, 4K@60fps (up to 120fps), 1440p@120fps, 1080p@120fps, 720p@120fps^[56] HDR10/HDR10+/Dolby Vision for games and media AMD FreeSync
Video codecs supported		WMV (unprotected) MPEG-4 H.264 AVI	3GP video, 3GP2 AVI DivX, DV AVI, AVI uncompressed, asf, AVI Xvid H.264 AVCHD, H.264 AVC, H.264 ASP M-JPEG .mkv, .mov MPEG-PS, MPEG-2, MPEG-2 HD, MPEG-2 TS WMV, WMV HD			—	—
Audio I/O	Optical TOSLINK Stereo RCA	HDMI 1.1 (on models manufactured after August 2007) Optical Toslink Stereo RCA	HDMI 1.4b Input, Output Optical Toslink	HDMI 1.4b Input, HDMI 2.0a Output Optical Toslink	HDMI 1.4b Input, HDMI 2.0b Output Optical Toslink	HDMI 2.1 Output^[56]
Audio formats and features	dts Dolby Digital Live, Dolby Digital, Dolby Surround Stereo	dts Dolby Digital, Dolby Surround Stereo	dts-HD Master Audio, dts-HD High Resolution Audio, dts:X, dts Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital Auro-3D Stereo			—	—
Audio codecs supported		AAC MP3 WMA, WMA Lossless, WMA Pro	3GP audio AAC ADTS MP3 WAV WMA, WMA Lossless, WMA Pro, WMA Voice			—	—
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 Microsoft Store Internet Explorer Microsoft Edge Skype	Xbox Live Xbox Store Microsoft Store Microsoft Edge Skype
Backward compatibility	—	50% of Xbox Library	Select Xbox 360 and Xbox titles^[57]			All Xbox One Games 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 DVD playback (with the playback kit)	Audio CD playback DVD playback HD-DVD playback (with optional add-on) Audio file playback (non-DRM AAC, MP3, WMA) Video file playback (MPEG4, WMV, DivX, XviD^[58]) Image slideshows Connectivity with Windows PCs for more codec support and external playback (compatible natively with Windows XP Media Center Edition and Windows Vista, with Windows XP with downloadable utility)^[59]	Audio CD playback DVD playback Blu-ray playback 3D Blu-ray playback DLNA server support External hard drive support	Audio CD playback DVD playback Blu-ray playback 3D Blu-ray playback UHD Blu-ray playback DLNA server support External hard drive (HD) support		DLNA server support External hard drive (HD) support	Audio CD playback DVD playback Blu-ray playback 3D Blu-ray playback UHD Blu-ray playback DLNA server support External hard drive (HD) 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).^[60]	ID@Xbox and approved Microsoft Store; UWP apps.

Games

 

Xbox Game Studios logo

Main articles: List of Xbox games, List of Xbox 360 games, List of Xbox One games, and List of Xbox Series X and Series S games

See also: List of Xbox Live games on Windows 8.x, List of Xbox Live games on Windows 10, and List of Xbox Live games on Windows Phone

Each console has a variety of games. Most games released on the original Xbox are backwards compatible and can be played directly on its successor, Xbox 360. Backward compatibility with Xbox 360 titles was added to Xbox One a year-and-a-half after its launch in June 2015, with specific titles requiring Kinect or USB peripherals not being supported. The Xbox Series X/S supports backward compatibility with all Xbox One titles (except for Kinect-required games), as well as all the Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles that were made available for Xbox One.

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

Services

Microsoft has used the razor and blades model to sell the family of Xbox consoles, selling the console at or below the price of its manufacturing costs, while earning revenue from licensing fees it collects from publishers and developers and from its services offered to players.^[61]

Xbox network

Main article: Xbox network

Xbox network (formerly known as Xbox Live) is an online service with over 65 million users worldwide (as of July 2019).^[62] 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.

Microsoft Store

Main article: Microsoft Store

Microsoft Store is an online marketplace made for Microsoft's Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles. The marketplace is where you can buy games, apps, movies, etc. through digital download.

The Xbox 360 console uses the previous Xbox Games Store client.

Xbox App

Main article: Xbox (app)

The Xbox app is a companion application available for Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11, iOS, Android (version 4.0 and above),^[63] 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.^[64] It can connect with the console and allows more interactive entertainment, allowing mobile devices to potentially serve as second screens and remote controller.

Xbox Game Pass Cloud Gaming

Main article: Xbox Game Pass cloud gaming

Xbox Game Pass Cloud Gaming^[65] (codenamed xCloud during development) is the Microsoft's Xbox cloud gaming streaming service.

Content filter

In 2019, Microsoft released a content filtering to stop swearing and toxicity in online gaming. The service enables players to report messages, Gamertags, photos, and any other toxic content on its platform.^[66]

Xbox Game Pass

Main article: Xbox Game Pass

Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service from Microsoft for use with the Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows 10 and Windows 11. 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 Xbox's news blog, launched by Microsoft in May 2013 in preparation for the announcement of the Xbox One.^[67] It was Microsoft's first Xbox-focused blog since it shut down Gamerscore in early 2009.^[68] In March 2022, a Japanese-language version of the site was published as part of Microsoft's focus on the Japanese gaming market.^[69]

Software

Main article: Xbox system software

The main interface for all four generations of Xbox has been the Xbox Dashboard, which allows users to manage games stored on the console, play media, and access system settings. Since 2002, the Dashboard has been integrated with the Xbox network which provides online functionality and storefront options. The operating systems for all Xbox platforms are heavily modified versions of the Windows NT operating system; the original Xbox and the Xbox 360 system softwares are based on Windows 2000, and the latest system software for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S is based on Windows 11, with support for Universal Windows Platform (UWP) applications.

Xbox Family Settings App

In May 2020, Xbox presented a preview version of an app that allows parents and guardians to set daily limits for their children's playing time, provides weekly activity reports, filters out age-restricted games, and places limits on online communication. This is the attempt of Microsoft, Xbox's owner, to promote a message of responsible gaming.^[70]

Controllers

Xbox controller

 

Original Xbox controller, first showcased in 2000

 

Xbox Controller S, which first shipped in 2002

Main article: 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).^[71] The original Xbox controller (nicknamed the "Fatty"^[72] and later the "Duke"^[73]) was the controller initially bundled with Xbox systems for all territories except Japan, which received a more compact controller called the Controller S. The Controller S was later made the standard included controller in all territories.

Xbox 360 controller

Main article: Xbox 360 controller

 

Xbox 360 S 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 labelled 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 Wireless Controller (2013–present)

Main article: Xbox Wireless Controller

Xbox One controller

 

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 the regular triggers. The Xbox button still brings up the mini-guide as of recent dashboard versions, though in earlier iterations it brought up the main dashboard menu while leaving the game uninterrupted.

Xbox Series X/S Controller

The fourth generation Xbox Controller doesn't change much from the Xbox One controller, but the new wireless Xbox Controller does add a capture and share button, a hybrid d-pad, and better gripping on the bumpers and triggers.^[74] The controller is also promised to be cross compatible with certain PC's and mobile devices.^[75]

Xbox Adaptive Controller

Main article: Xbox Adaptive Controller

 

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

Main article: Kinect

 

The Xbox 360 Kinect sensor

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.^[76] The project is aimed at broadening the Xbox 360's audience beyond its typical gamer base.^[77] 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.^[78]

Kinect was launched in North America on November 4, 2010,^[79] in Europe on November 10, 2010,^[80] in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore on November 18, 2010,^[81][82][83] and in Japan on November 20, 2010.^[84] Purchase options for the sensor peripheral include a bundle with the game Kinect Adventures and console bundles with either a 4 GB^[85][86][87] or 250 GB^[88] Xbox 360 console and Kinect Adventures.^{[85][86][87][88]}

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.^[89][90][91] 24 million units of the Kinect sensor had been shipped as of January 2012.^[50]

Microsoft released Kinect software development kit for Windows 7 on June 16, 2011.^[92][93][94] This SDK was meant to allow developers to write Kinecting apps in C++/CLI, C#, or Visual Basic .NET.^[95][96]

Additional information on the Xbox One Kinect was released on June 6, 2013, including information on how to turn off the "always on" feature.^[97]

 

The Xbox One Kinect sensor

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.

Headsets

When the Xbox Live online service was launched in 2002, the Xbox Communicator headset was included with the Live Starter Kit.^[98] The Communicator, which enabled in-game voice chat, consisted of a wired headset and an interface module. The module plugged into the controller's top expansion slot, and the headset plugged into the module; the interface module was equipped with a dial to control volume and a button to mute the microphone.^[99] The headset socket on the module was a standard 2.5mm TRS audio jack with monaural input and output, compatible with cellular phone headsets.

Xbox 360 controllers featured a built-in monaural 2.5mm TRS jack also compatible with standard cellular phone headsets, allowing players to reuse the Xbox Communicator headset and chat on Xbox Live without a separate interface module.^[100] The premium console bundle included a wired Xbox 360 Live Communicator headset with grey and white cosmetics matching the console, which also was available separately;^[101] the wired headset connected to the audio jack on the bottom of the controller through a wide plug that included mute and volume controls. An updated Xbox 360 Headset was released in 2010 with black cosmetics, bundled with the Xbox 360 S; for the revised wired headset, the mute/volume controls were moved to a position inline along the cable.

 

Xbox 360 Wireless Headset

Main article: Xbox 360 Wireless Headset

Microsoft also announced the Xbox 360 Wireless Headset, a first-party single-ear headset accessory designed for and released with the Xbox 360 console in November 2005. Special editions of the wireless headset were released with colors themed for Halo 3 (green/orange, September 2007),^[102] the Xbox 360 S (black, 2010), and Halo: Reach (silver, September 2010).^[103] It was replaced by the Xbox 360 Wireless Headset with Bluetooth in 2011, which could be used with the console (using the Xbox wireless protocol) or a phone (using Bluetooth).^[104]

The initial revision of the Xbox One Wireless Controller (Model 1537) also included a 2.5mm monaural jack compatible with standard cellular phone headsets. Microsoft bundled the Xbox One Chat Headset with each console starting from launch in 2013; the headset was permanently wired to an interface module that plugged into the controller's expansion port and provided microphone mute and volume controls.^[105] In addition, Microsoft released the Xbox One Stereo Headset in early March 2014, bundled with a Stereo Headset Adapter, which allowed players to listen to in-game audio blended with chat simultaneously. The Adapter connected to the controller's expansion port and headset jack, and the Headset connected to the Adapter through a 3.5mm plug. Prior headsets released with the Xbox and Xbox 360 were limited to voice chat only.^[106] A white-colored special edition was released in fall 2016.^[107] The next revision of the controller (Model 1697) replaced with 2.5mm jack with a 3.5mm jack.^[108]

A new Xbox Wireless Headset was introduced in February 2021, targeted for use on the Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows computers. The outer surface of each earcup is a rotary control; the right earcup controls overall volume, and the left earcup controls game/chat mix level.^[109] It is equipped with both proprietary Xbox Wireless and Bluetooth radios, and could be connected to both simultaneously.^[110] A corresponding Xbox Stereo Headset, which omits the wireless connections in favor of a standard 3.5mm plug and also omits the game/chat mix control dial, was introduced in August 2021 with a reduced price.^[111]

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.^[112] Microsoft held an Xbox FanFest in Sydney in September 2016.^[113]

Microsoft held a 20th anniversary celebration stream for the Xbox on November 15, 2021. During it, they announced that a documentary behind the history of the Xbox, titled Power On: The Story of Xbox. The documentary was released in six parts starting on December 13, 2021.^[114] The documentary won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Camera Editing.^[115]

Notes

1. Starting with the Xbox One, Microsoft does not release detailed sales figures of its Xbox hardware sales, so all figures provided are based on industry analysis estimates. Xbox's head Phil Spenser said that they do not want their teams to be focused on sales numbers so have opted not to report them and do not plan to for the foreseeable future.^[41][42]

References

1. . Microsoft. May 10, 2006. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
2. "Xbox Series X/S Has Sold 21 Million Units, Xbox One at 58 Million, as Per Microsoft Brazil Presentation". GamingBolt. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
3. Gilbert, Ben (April 10, 2014). "Getting to know Microsoft's new Xbox lead, Phil Spencer". Engadget. from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
4. . Microsoft. March 31, 2014. Archived from the original on March 31, 2014. Retrieved April 6, 2014.
5. "The making of the Xbox: How Microsoft unleashed a video game revolution (part 1)". VentureBeat. November 14, 2011. from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
6. Dudley, Brier (May 25, 2011). "Last of Xbox Dream Team, Otto Berkes Is Moving On". The Seattle Times. p. A12.
7. "The History of the Xbox | Digital Trends". from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
8. "The Life and Death of the Original Xbox - IGN". November 23, 2011. from the original on May 15, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
9. Dudley, Brier (May 24, 2011). "Exclusive: Microsoft loses last Xbox founder, mobile PC visionary". The Seattle Times. from the original on May 26, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
10. "The Xbox could have been named 11-X, original WEP and DirectX Box codenames revealed - the Verge". July 5, 2013. from the original on June 5, 2019. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
11. Alexander, Leigh (August 14, 2009). . Gamasutra. UBM TechWeb. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2011. Direct X-Box, of course, was truncated to "Xbox," -- and "marketing hated the name", says Fries. "They went off and created this whole, long list of better names for the machine." In focus testing, the marketing team left the name "Xbox" on that long list simply as a control, to demonstrate to everyone why it was a horrible name for a console. "Of course, "Xbox" outscored, in focus testing, everything they came up with. They had to admit it was going to be the Xbox."
12. Frank, Allegra (February 5, 2019). "Microsoft Studios is now Xbox Game Studios". Polygon. from the original on February 6, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
13. Chalk, Andy (February 5, 2019). "Xbox Game Studios rebranding signals big changes for Microsoft's focus on gaming". PC Gamer. from the original on February 7, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
14. Webster, Andrew (June 11, 2019). "Xbox Boss Phil Spencer On The Future Of Gaming: 'The Business Isn't How Many Consoles You Sell'". The Verge. from the original on March 4, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
15. McCafferty, Ryan (June 19, 2019). "Phil Spencer: Xbox Focus Is on Software and Services, Not Console Sales". IGN. from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
16. Warren, Tom (February 5, 2020). "Microsoft's Xbox boss says Amazon and Google are "the main competitors going forward"". The Verge. from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
17. D'anastasio, Cecilia (June 8, 2020). "The Future of Xbox Isn't Just a Console". Wired. from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
18. . Edge Magazine. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013.
19. Karmali, Luke (July 6, 2013). "Rejected Names for the Original Xbox Revealed". IGN. Ziff Davis. from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
20. "Xbox Live's Major Nelson » Xbox LIVE being discontinued for Original Xbox consoles and games". Majornelson.com. April 15, 2010. from the original on April 25, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
21. "E3 2014: $399 Xbox One Out Now, Xbox 360 Sales Rise to 84 million". GameSpot. from the original on March 25, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
22. "Shortages spoil Xbox 360 launch". BBC News. November 23, 2005. from the original on November 17, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
23. . Archived from the original on June 3, 2012.
24. . Archived from the original on January 6, 2008. Retrieved October 14, 2008.
25. "New Xbox 360 Shipping Today, Costs $299". Kotaku.com. June 14, 2010. from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
26. Dean Takahashi, VentureBeat. "Microsoft to Launch Smaller XBOX 360 Game Console August 16, 2019, at the Wayback Machine." June 14, 2010.
27. Thorsen, Tor (June 14, 2010). . GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 29, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2010. Moore said that Microsoft is currently working on a second new Xbox 360, which will be offered at the arcade's price point of $200. He declined to say what functionalities the cheaper model would or would not have. One likely scenario is the cheaper model will essentially be a slim arcade with no Wi-Fi capabilities or a hard drive. Moore also said that going forward, all future models of the Xbox 360 would not have names and would only be designated by their memory capacity.
28. "Microsoft unveils Xbox One next-generation console". BBC News. May 21, 2013. from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
29. "Xbox One: a next-gen console with a focus on interactive TV and apps". The Verge. May 21, 2013. from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
30. "Xbox One guide brings HDMI in/out, overlays for live TV". Engadget. from the original on June 8, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
31. "Xbox One adds Smart Match, Game DVR". Gamespot. May 21, 2013. from the original on June 8, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
32. "Why Microsoft's Xbox One Won't Kick the Cable Guy Out of Your House". AllThingsD. May 22, 2013. from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
33. Jeffrey Grubb (May 21, 2013). "Deal with it: Xbox One requires an Internet connection". VentureBeat. from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
34. "How Games Licensing Works on Xbox One". Microsoft. June 6, 2013. from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
35. Stuart, Keith (June 19, 2013). "Xbox One: Microsoft abandons controversial DRM restrictions". The Guardian. from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
36. "Kinect on Xbox One will not record or upload your conversations, Microsoft says". Polygon. June 6, 2013. from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
37. [1] September 6, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Kinect No Longer Mandatory For Xbox One (But Will Still Come With It). Kotaku.com. Retrieved on August 23, 2013.
38. Anthony, Sebastian (August 13, 2013). "Xbox One no longer requires Kinect, but it'll still come in the box, and you'll still pay $500". ExtremeTech. from the original on September 10, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
39. Webster, Andrew (June 13, 2016). "Microsoft announces the Xbox One S, its smallest Xbox yet". The Verge. from the original on June 14, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
40. Warren, Tom (June 11, 2017). "Xbox One X is Microsoft's next games console, arriving on November 7th for $499". The Verge. from the original on June 11, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
41. Humphries, Matthew (October 26, 2015). . Geek.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
42. MacDonald, Keza (November 11, 2020). "Xbox's Phil Spencer: 'We're not driven by how many consoles we sell'". The Guardian. from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
43. Gilliam, Ryan (December 16, 2019). "The next generation of Xbox is just called ... Xbox". Polygon. from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
44. Greenwald, Will. "Microsoft Teases Xbox Project Scarlett, Tons of Games, Keanu". PCmag.com. from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
45. Statt, Nick (January 10, 2020). "Microsoft says Xbox Series X won't have exclusive games at launch". The Verge. from the original on January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
46. Hollister, Sean (July 24, 2020). "One week later, it looks like Microsoft is already breaking a big promise with Xbox Series X". The Verge. from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
47. "Xbox One to Launch on November 22, 2013 in 13 Markets". September 4, 2013. from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
48. Asher Moses (August 30, 2007). "Prepare for all-out war". The Sydney Morning Herald. from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2007.
49. Morris, Chris (May 9, 2006). "Grand Theft Auto, Halo 3 headed to Xbox 360". CNN. from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2007.
50. Epstein, Zach (February 12, 2013). "MICROSOFT SAYS XBOX 360 SALES HAVE SURPASSED 76 MILLION UNITS, KINECT SALES TOP 24 MILLION". BGR.com. from the original on February 15, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
51. Cherney, Max A. "This violent videogame has made more money than any movie ever". MarketWatch. from the original on April 7, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
52. "Best-selling Xbox One games of all time". Windows Central. from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
53. "Xbox One review: Much improved, has hit its stride (updated for holiday 2015)". from the original on March 23, 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
54. "Xbox One X | Xbox". Xbox.com. from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
55. Cunningham, Andrew (September 3, 2013). "Xbox One gets a CPU speed boost to go with its faster GPU". ArsTechnica. from the original on September 5, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
56. Leadbetter, Richard (March 16, 2020). "Inside Xbox Series X: the full specs". Eurogamer. from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
57. Tuttle, Will (June 11, 2017). "The Xbox E3 2017 Briefing: Everything You Need to Know". Xbox Wire. from the original on June 26, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
58. "Xbox 360 DivX/XviD Playback Tested (Verdict: It's Almost Perfect)". December 4, 2007. from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved June 24, 2008.
59. . Xbox (Microsoft). Archived from the original on October 29, 2007. Retrieved October 30, 2007.
60. "XNA Game Studio Express". MSDN (Microsoft). from the original on September 25, 2008. Retrieved October 30, 2007.
61. Klepek, Patrick (May 5, 2021). "Microsoft Says It's Never Made Money Selling an Xbox Console". Vice. from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
62. Madan, Asher (July 18, 2019). "Xbox Live monthly active users grew to 65 million over the past 3 months". Mobile Nations. Windows Central. from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
63. . Xbox.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
64. . Xbox.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
65. "Cloud gaming (Beta) with Xbox Game Pass | Xbox". Xbox.com. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
66. Warren, Tom (October 14, 2019). "Microsoft unveils Xbox content filters to stop the swears and toxicity". The Verge. from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
67. Wittkopf, Norman (May 18, 2013). "Xbox 720: Neuer News-Blog "Xbox Wire" für die Next-Gen-Konsole gestartet" [Xbox 720: New news blog "Xbox Wire" launched for the next-gen console]. PC Games Hardware (in German). from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
68. Callaham, John (May 17, 2013). "Microsoft launches Xbox Wire as official Xbox news blog". Neowin. from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
69. Boddy, Zachary (March 1, 2020). "Xbox Wire has officially launched in Japan with full localization". Windows Central. from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
70. Powell, Steffan (May 27, 2020). "Xbox releasing a new family safety app". BBC News. from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
71. . Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
72. "Xbox 360 Wireless Controller Tour". IGN. May 13, 2005. from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved July 2, 2011. the original "Fatty" Xbox controller didn't have a specific public name
73. "Xbox's original beast of a controller making a comeback?". CNET. June 15, 2005. from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2011. Anyone who purchased the original Xbox during its launch window quickly came to know its behemoth of a controller, now nicknamed "Duke."
74. "Microsoft showcases new low-latency, cross-compatible Xbox Series X controller". TechSpot. from the original on March 31, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
75. "Xbox Series X | Xbox". Xbox.com. from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
76. . Microsoft. June 1, 2009. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
77. Pham, Alex (June 1, 2009). "E3: Microsoft shows off gesture control technology for Xbox 360". Los Angeles Times. from the original on June 11, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2009. The effort aims to attract a broader audience to Microsoft's console. Most of the 30 million Xbox 360s sold since November 2005 have been snapped up by avid young males drawn to complex shooter or adventure games such as Halo and Modern Warfare or R.P.Gs
78. . Blogs.msdn.com. January 9, 2012. Archived from the original on January 10, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2012.
79. "Microsoft Xbox 360 Kinect Launches November 4". Gizmodo. June 14, 2010. from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
80. "Kinect gets UK release date". BBC News. August 17, 2010. from the original on August 19, 2010. Retrieved August 17, 2010. It will hit the shelves on 10 November, five days after the US.
81. . September 1, 2010. Archived from the original on September 3, 2010. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
82. Lian, Jotham. . ChannelNewsAsia.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2010.
83. . September 17, 2010. Archived from the original on December 10, 2010. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
84. . September 14, 2010. Archived from the original on September 19, 2010. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
85. . Redmond, Washington: Microsoft. July 20, 2010. Archived from the original on July 22, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
86. . Microsoft. Archived from the original on February 24, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
87. Boyd, Graeme (AceyBongos) (July 20, 2010). . Twitter. Archived from the original on September 25, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2010. Euro prices are 149.99 Euro for the camera + Kinect Adventures, 299.99 Euro for the 4 GB console bundle. Alt URL June 20, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
88. Purchese, Robert (September 8, 2010). "£300 Kinect 250 GB bundle confirmed". Eurogamer. from the original on September 11, 2010. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
89. Alexander, Leigh (March 9, 2011). "Microsoft: Kinect Hits 10 Million Units, 10 Million Games". Gamasutra. from the original on March 11, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
90. Ingham, Tim (March 9, 2011). . CVG. Archived from the original on March 11, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
91. . Guinnessworldrecords.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
92. Orland, Kyle (February 21, 2011). "News – Microsoft Announces Windows Kinect SDK For Spring Release". Gamasutra. from the original on March 4, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
93. . Gadgetsteria.com. February 21, 2011. Archived from the original on March 19, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
94. Knies, Rob (February 21, 2011). . Archived from the original on February 22, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
95. "Kinect for Windows SDK beta launches, wants PC users to get a move on". Engadget. June 16, 2011. from the original on October 20, 2011. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
96. "Microsoft releases Kinect for Windows SDK – latimes.com". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. June 16, 2011. from the original on November 25, 2011. Retrieved October 19, 2011.
97. . All That Gaming Stuff. June 6, 2013. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
98. "Xbox Live Starter Kits Virtually Sell Out in First Week of Sales" (Press release). Microsoft Corporation. November 22, 2002. from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
99. Goldstein, Hilary (June 28, 2002). "IGN Xbox goes Live". IGN. from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
100. Thorsen, Tor (November 16, 2005). "Microsoft announces the Xbox 360, confirms worldwide 2005 launch". Gamespot. from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
101. Morris, Chris (August 17, 2005). "Price of Xbox 360? It depends". CNN Money. from the original on April 25, 2018. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
102. Burg, Dustin (September 14, 2007). "Halo 3 Xbox 360 available September 16th". yahoo! finance. from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
103. (Press release). Xbox. July 22, 2010. Archived from the original on October 12, 2010.
104. Burns, Chris (July 26, 2011). "Xbox 360 Media Remote and Bluetooth Wireless Headset Announced". Slash Gear. from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
105. Acevedo, Paul (August 8, 2013). "Microsoft hears gamer requests, reveals free Xbox One Chat Headset in official unboxing video". Windows Central. from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
106. "Xbox One Stereo Headset and Adapter Coming in Early March". Xbox News. February 11, 2014. from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
107. White, Bree (September 12, 2016). "Elevate Your Game with New Accessories from Xbox". Xbox News. from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
108. Warren, Tom (May 28, 2015). "New Xbox One controller will have a standard headphone jack". The Verge. from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
109. Warren, Tom (February 16, 2021). "Microsoft announces new Xbox Wireless Headset, available March 16th for $99". The Verge. from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
110. Faulkner, Cameron (March 15, 2021). "Microsoft's Xbox Wireless headset is a mic-drop moment". The Verge. from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
111. Faulkner, Cameron (August 19, 2021). "Microsoft announces new wired Xbox stereo headset". The Verge. from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
112. Frank, Allegra (July 13, 2016). "Microsoft ditches Gamescom 2016 press conference for fan event". Polygon. from the original on October 21, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
113. O'Brien, Lucy (September 6, 2016). "Xbox Fanfest Launching in Sydney". from the original on October 26, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
114. Lyles, Taylor (November 15, 2021). "Xbox Documentary, Power On, Announced For Six Part Mini-Series". IGN. from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
115. Blake, Vikki (June 19, 2022). "Xbox's Power On documentary is awarded a Daytime Emmy". Eurogamer. from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2022.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Xbox (brand).

• Official website