Xbox 360 theme by Sygal
Download: Xbox360_2.p3t
(3 backgrounds)
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| Developer | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Flextronics, Wistron, Celestica, Foxconn[1][2] |
| Product family | Xbox |
| Type | Home video game console |
| Generation | Seventh |
| Release date | November 22, 2005[5]
|
| Introductory price | |
| Discontinued |
|
| Units sold | Worldwide: 84 million (as of June 9, 2014[update])[8] (details) |
| Media | DVD, CD, digital distribution Add-on: HD DVD (discontinued) |
| Operating system | Xbox 360 system software |
| System on a chip | XCGPU (Xbox 360 S and E models only) |
| CPU | 3.2 GHz PowerPC Tri-Core Xenon |
| Memory | |
| Storage | Storage media
|
| Display | Video output formats
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| Graphics | 500 MHz ATI/AMD Xenos, 240 GFLOPS |
| Sound |
|
| Controller input | 4 maximum* (any combination):
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| Connectivity |
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| Current firmware | 2.0.17559.0[12] |
| Online services | Xbox Live |
| Best-selling game | Kinect Adventures! (24 million as pack-in game for Kinect)[13][14] |
| Backward compatibility | Selected Xbox games[15][16] (requires hard drive and the latest update) |
| Predecessor | Xbox |
| Successor | Xbox One |
| Website | xbox |
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information announced later that month at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).[17][18][19][20] As a seventh-generation console, it primarily competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii.
The Xbox 360 features an online service, Xbox Live, which was expanded from its previous iteration on the original Xbox and received regular updates during the console's lifetime. Available in free and subscription-based varieties, Xbox Live allows users to play games online; download games (through Xbox Live Arcade) and game demos; purchase and stream music, television programs, and films through the Xbox Music and Xbox Video portals; and access third-party content services through media streaming applications. In addition to online multimedia features, it allows users to stream media from local PCs. Several peripherals have been released, including wireless controllers, expanded hard drive storage, and the Kinect motion sensing camera. The release of these additional services and peripherals helped the Xbox brand grow from gaming-only to encompassing all multimedia, turning it into a hub for living-room computing entertainment.[21][22][23][24]
Launched worldwide across 2005–2006, the Xbox 360 was initially in short supply in many regions, including North America and Europe. The earliest versions of the console suffered from a high failure rate, indicated by the so-called "Red Ring of Death", necessitating an extension of the device's warranty period. Microsoft released two redesigned models of the console: the Xbox 360 S in 2010,[25] and the Xbox 360 E in 2013.[26] Xbox 360 is the ninth-highest-selling home video game console in history, and the highest-selling console made by an American company. Although not the best-selling console of its generation, the Xbox 360 was deemed by TechRadar to be the most influential through its emphasis on digital media distribution and multiplayer gaming on Xbox Live.[24][27]
The Xbox 360's successor, the Xbox One, was released on November 22, 2013.[28] On April 20, 2016, Microsoft announced that it would end the production of new Xbox 360 hardware, although the company will continue to support the platform.[7] On August 17, 2023, Microsoft announced that on July 29, 2024, the Xbox 360 game marketplace will stop offering new purchases and Microsoft Movies & TV app will no longer function (the console will still be able to download previously purchased content, run it, and enter multiplayer sessions).[29][30]
History[edit]
Development[edit]
Known during development as Xbox Next, Xenon, Xbox 2, Xbox FS or NextBox,[31] the Xbox 360 was conceived in early 2003.[32] In February 2003, planning for the Xenon software platform began, and was headed by Microsoft's Vice President J Allard.[32] That month, Microsoft held an event for 400 developers in Bellevue, Washington to recruit support for the system.[32] Also that month, Peter Moore, former president of Sega of America, joined Microsoft. On August 12, 2003, ATI signed on to produce the graphics processing unit for the new console, a deal that was publicly announced two days later.[33] Before the launch of the Xbox 360, several Alpha development kits were spotted using Apple's Power Mac G5 hardware. This was because the system's PowerPC 970 processor was running the same PowerPC architecture that the Xbox 360 would eventually run under IBM's Xenon processor. The cores of the Xenon processor were developed using a slightly modified version of the PlayStation 3's Cell Processor PPE architecture. According to David Shippy and Mickie Phipps, the IBM employees were "hiding" their work from Sony and Toshiba, IBM's partners in developing the Cell Processor.[34] Jeff Minter created the music visualization program Neon which is included with the Xbox 360.[35]
Launch[edit]
The Xbox 360 was released on November 22, 2005, in the United States and Canada;[5] December 2, 2005, in Europe and December 10, 2005, in Japan. It was later launched in Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, and Russia. In its first year in the market, the system was launched in 36 countries, more countries than any other console has launched in a single year.[36]
Critical reception[edit]
In 2009, IGN named the Xbox 360 the sixth-greatest video game console of all time, out of a field of 25.[37] Although not the best-selling console of the seventh generation, the Xbox 360 was deemed by TechRadar to be the most influential, by emphasizing digital media distribution and online gaming through Xbox Live, and by popularizing game achievement awards.[24] PC Magazine considered the Xbox 360 the prototype for online gaming as it "proved that online gaming communities could thrive in the console space".[21] Five years after the Xbox 360's debut, the well-received Kinect motion capture camera was released, which set the record of being the fastest selling consumer electronic device in history, and extended the life of the console.[38] Edge ranked Xbox 360 the second-best console of the 1993–2013 period, stating "It had its own social network, cross-game chat, new indie games every week, and the best version of just about every multiformat game ... Killzone is no Halo and nowadays Gran Turismo is no Forza, but it's not about the exclusives—there's nothing to trump Naughty Dog's PS3 output, after all. Rather, it's about the choices Microsoft made back in the original Xbox's lifetime. The PC-like architecture meant the early EA Sports games ran at 60fps compared to only 30 on PS3, Xbox Live meant every dedicated player had an existing friends list, and Halo meant Microsoft had the killer next-generation exclusive. And when developers demo games on PC now they do it with a 360 pad—another industry benchmark, and a critical one."[39]
Sales[edit]
| Region | Units sold | First available |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 38.8 million as of June 27, 2013[update][40] | November 22, 2005 |
| EMEA region(Europe, Middle East and Africa) | 13.7 million as of March 31, 2011[update][41](includes UK sales) | December 2, 2005 |
| United Kingdom | 9 million (lifetime sales)[42][43] | |
| Japan | 1.62 million (lifetime sales)[44] | December 10, 2005 |
| Australia & New Zealand | 1 million as of April 19, 2010[update][45] | March 23, 2006 |
| Worldwide | 84 million as of June 9, 2014[update][8] | (more...) |
The Xbox 360 began production only 69 days before launch, on September 14, 2005,[46][47] and Microsoft was not able to supply enough systems to meet initial consumer demand in Europe or North America, selling out completely upon release in all regions except in Japan.[48][49][50][51] Forty thousand units were offered for sale on auction site eBay during the initial week of release, 10% of the total supply.[52] By year's end, Microsoft had shipped 1.5 million units, including 900,000 in North America, 500,000 in Europe, and 100,000 in Japan.[53]
In May 2008, Microsoft announced that 10 million Xbox 360s had been sold and that it was the "first current generation gaming console" to surpass the 10 million figure in the US.[54] In the US, the Xbox 360 was the leader in current-generation home console sales until June 2008, when it was surpassed by the Wii.[55][56][57] By the end of March 2011, Xbox 360 sales in the US had reached 25.4 million units.[41] Between January 2011 and October 2013, the Xbox 360 was the best-selling console in the United States for these 32 consecutive months.[58] By the end of 2014, Xbox 360 sales had surpassed sales of the Wii, making the Xbox 360 the best-selling 7th-generation console in the US once again.[59] In Canada, the Xbox 360 has sold a total of 870,000 units as of August 1, 2008.[60]
In Europe, the Xbox 360 has sold seven million units as of November 20, 2008.[61] The Xbox 360 took 110 weeks to reach 2 million units sold in the UK, generating £507m in revenue.[42] Sales in the United Kingdom would reach 3.2 million units by January 2009, per GfK Chart-Track.[62] The 8 million unit mark was crossed in the UK by February 2013.[63] Sales of the Xbox 360 would overtake the Wii later that year, topping 9 million units, making the Xbox 360 the best-selling 7th-generation console in the UK, as well as making it the third best-selling console of all time in the region, behind the PS2 and Nintendo DS.[64][42][43] Over 1 million units were sold in Spain across the console's lifecycle.[65]
The Xbox 360 crossed the 1 million units sold in Japan in March 2009,[66] and the 1.5 million units sold in June 2011.[67] Lifetime sales of the Xbox 360 in Japan stand at 1,616,218 million units. While the Xbox 360 has sold poorly in Japan, it improved upon the sales of the original Xbox, which had total sales of 474,992 units.[44] Furthermore, the Xbox 360 managed to outsell both the PlayStation 3 and Wii the week ending September 14, 2008, as well as the week ending February 22, 2009, when the Japanese Xbox 360 exclusives Infinite Undiscovery[68] and Star Ocean: The Last Hope,[69] were released those weeks, respectively. Ultimately, Edge magazine would report that Microsoft had been unable to make serious inroads into the dominance of domestic rivals Sony and Nintendo; adding that lackluster sales in Japan had led to retailers scaling down and in some cases, discontinuing sales of the Xbox 360 completely.[70] The significance of Japan's poor sales might be overstated in the media in comparison to overall international sales.[71]
Legacy[edit]
The Xbox 360 sold much better than its predecessor, and although not the best-selling console of the seventh generation, it is regarded as a success since it strengthened Microsoft as a major force in the console market at the expense of well-established rivals.[27] The inexpensive Wii did sell the most console units but eventually saw a collapse of third-party software support in its later years, and it has been viewed by some as a fad since the succeeding Wii U had a poor debut in 2012.[24][72][73][74][75] The PlayStation 3 struggled for a time due to being too expensive and initially lacking quality games,[76] making it far less dominant than its predecessor, the PlayStation 2, and it took until late in the PlayStation 3's lifespan for its sales and games to reach parity with the Xbox 360. TechRadar proclaimed that "Xbox 360 passes the baton as the king of the hill – a position that puts all the more pressure on its successor, Xbox One".[24]
The Xbox 360's advantage over its competitors was due to the release of high-profile games from both first party and third-party developers. The 2007 Game Critics Awards honored the platform with 38 nominations and 12 wins – more than any other platform.[77][78] By March 2008, the Xbox 360 had reached a software attach rate of 7.5 games per console in the US; the rate was 7.0 in Europe, while its competitors were 3.8 (PS3) and 3.5 (Wii), according to Microsoft.[79] At the 2008 Game Developers Conference, Microsoft announced that it expected over 1,000 games available for Xbox 360 by the end of the year.[80] As well as enjoying exclusives such as additions to the Halo franchise and Gears of War, the Xbox 360 has managed to gain a simultaneous release of games that were initially planned to be PS3 exclusives, including Devil May Cry 4,[81] Ace Combat 6,[82] Virtua Fighter 5,[83] Grand Theft Auto IV,[84] Final Fantasy XIII,[85] Tekken 6,[86] Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance,[87] and L.A. Noire.[88] In addition, Xbox 360 versions of cross-platform games were generally considered superior to their PS3 counterparts in 2006 and 2007, due in part to the difficulties of programming for the PS3.[89]
TechRadar deemed the Xbox 360 as the most influential game system through its emphasis of digital media distribution, Xbox Live online gaming service, and game achievement feature.[24] During the console's lifetime, the Xbox brand has grown from gaming-only to encompassing all multimedia, turning it into a hub for "living-room computing environment".[90][22][23]
Microsoft announced the successor to the Xbox 360, the Xbox One, on May 21, 2013.[91] On April 20, 2016, Microsoft announced the end of production of new Xbox 360 hardware, though the company will continue to provide hardware and software support for the platform as selected Xbox 360 games are playable on Xbox One.[92] The Xbox 360 continued to be supported by major publishers with new games well into the Xbox One's lifecycle. New titles were still being released in 2018.[93] The Xbox 360 continues to have an active player base years after the system's discontinuation. Speaking to Engadget at E3 2019 after the announcement of Project Scarlett, the next-generation of Xbox consoles after the Xbox One, Phil Spencer stated that there were still "millions and millions of players" act
2 Replies to “Xbox 360 #2”
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Why disgrace the best console ever by gussying it up with themes based on a inferior hunk of junk, i had one i know, it worked for all of about 2 weeks.
thats too bad. I still play mine from 07