Xbox

Xbox began as Microsoft's first video game console, released in North America on November 15, 2001. The machine was built around an Intel Pentium III-derived 733 MHz processor, an Nvidia NV2A graphics processor, a built-in 8GB hard drive, and DVD game media. Its original controller, nicknamed "Duke" by players, was large; Microsoft introduced the smaller Controller S. Xbox launched with Halo: Combat Evolved, developed by Bungie, a science-fiction first-person shooter starring Master Chief. Halo became the system's defining exclusive and helped establish console first-person shooters as a major commercial category. The console also supported four controller ports on its panel. Microsoft introduced Xbox Live on November 15, 2002, providing broadband online play, voice communication through a headset, downloadable content, and a unified friends list. Halo 2, released in 2004, became an important early Live title, bringing matchmaking and competitive multiplayer to a huge console audience. Subscription revenue and its network infrastructure made Live central to Xbox's identity. Microsoft ended service for original Xbox games in 2010, but Live continued on newer hardware. The service was renamed Xbox network in 2021, while Xbox Live Gold remained the subscription label until Microsoft replaced it with Game Pass Core in 2023 for subscribers. Xbox 360 arrived in North America on November 22, 2005, ahead of Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii. It used a custom IBM PowerPC-based CPU with three cores and popularized the Gamerscore achievement system, in which players earn points for completing defined game tasks. Xbox 360 games such as Gears of War, Forza Motorsport, Fable II, and Mass Effect were central to its catalog, although Mass Effect also later reached other platforms. The console's life was damaged by the reported "Red Ring of Death" failures. Microsoft extended warranty coverage for three red lights errors and took a charge to repairs. Microsoft launched Xbox One on November 22, 2013. Its reveal emphasized television integration and Kinect sensor, but Microsoft reversed always-online and used-game policies before release after backlash. Phil Spencer became head of Xbox in 2014 and refocused the division on games, backward compatibility, and cross-platform services. Xbox Game Pass debuted in 2017 as a subscription library. Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media, Bethesda's parent company, closed in 2021. Its purchase of Activision Blizzard closed in 2023, adding franchises including Call of Duty, Warcraft, Diablo, and Candy Crush to Microsoft Gaming. Xbox Series X and Series S launched on November 10, 2020.