The Xbox console was Microsoft’s answer to Sony’s PlayStation and Nintendo’s gaming consoles. The Xbox platform has been going strong for the past two decades now with no signs of slowing down, Microsoft had its ups and downs with the platform. However, they are dedicated to continuing support for the platform for years to come. But how did all of this start? What will the future hold for Xbox? Well, let’s take a dive into the history of Microsoft’s Xbox.
The Beginning
The era of the sixth generation gaming
Microsoft was founded on April 4, 1975, by Bill Gates, they started by selling operating systems for computers from a company they bought. Microsoft eventually created its operating system in 1985 which is Windows. Their business model ran well for many years, around this time, the popularity of video games had been rising, despite the Video Game Crash of 1983.
Around the late 90s, Microsoft noticed the rising popularity of video games, especially after video games started making their way to home entertainment instead of being exclusive to arcades. So, they made plans to try their hand at making a video game console of their own to try and expand into the gaming industry for home entertainment.
Finally, on November 15, 2001; The Original Xbox was released to the world. Despite not knowing much of the gaming industry and going against the titans of gaming which was PlayStation and Nintendo, they were a titan of their own in the computer industry. To them, Xbox was just another form of computer, so Microsoft did what they did best.
Original Xbox (2001-2005)
Microsoft went with a different approach towards gaming, they focused more on building a better system with more state-of-the-art hardware to encourage game developers and publishers alike to develop games for their system. One great example is their partnership with Bungie to develop the Halo series, with Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 being developed as exclusives for the system.
Xbox was the first video game console to be able to utilize online multiplayer capabilities. This was an absolute game changer as this expanded multiplayer potential to the absolute highest, not longer would the players be restricted to local multiplayer playing on the same console or Offline LAN Network.
Despite being a financial loss for Microsoft as development for the Xbox was expensive, the job was done, Microsoft had managed to gain an even foothold in the market and gaming industry to go up against the other two titans which were Sony and Nintendo. All that was left from here was to expand on the platform to make it even better than before.
The Rise
The era of seventh-generation gaming
As the gaming industry evolved and the console wars raged on, there were now three major players for video game consoles: Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. The sixth generation of gaming is starting to draw to a close as the next generation of video game consoles makes their way onto the market. The Xbox 360 made its official debut on November 22, 2005, many changes were made to the system to make it even more compatible with entertainment.
While PlayStation was making advancements with the PlayStation 3, and Nintendo with the Wii and many handheld devices like the Nintendo DS, Microsoft was making moves for Xbox to not only make advancements for video games but to become a jack of all trades with multimedia. One of the best features of the Xbox 360 was the ability to personalize the player’s experience by introducing profiles, achievements, gamerscore, player reputation, Xbox Live Party, and Voice Chat, making each player’s experience unique to them based on their preferred way of gaming and their interests.
Xbox 360 (2005-2013)
This new generation of consoles was the time for innovation, what was possible and what was impossible. Microsoft made some changes to the Xbox 360 while also keeping what made the original console so beloved in the first place. Xbox 360 was designed with online play in mind so they refined aspects like voice chat, multiplayer, and personalizing the player’s experience by being able to view their friend’s interests and personalization with avatars.
Xbox Live went through some changes as well like introducing a subscription service to play online and access features like Xbox Live Parties and entertainment apps like YouTube, Hulu, and Netflix; (Although this was later removed).
This was one of the most controversial decisions Microsoft made for the platform, with it only generating more controversy as changes were made throughout the years. Lastly, the Xbox Marketplace where indie, arcade, full games and DLC could be bought digitally with Microsoft Points. The users could also buy TV shows, movies, and music to utilize on their Xbox 360.
The Fall
The era of eighth-generation gaming
As the seventh generation of consoles were reaching the end of their lifespan with the approach of the next generation of consoles, many enthusiastic fans alike were anxiously waiting for what was in store for them. The Xbox One was released on November 22, 2013, at the overwhelming price of $500 while the competing PlayStation 4 sat at $400 on release, despite the price difference, gamers had hope for what was to come.
The unveiling of the Xbox One was disappointing, to say the least. Microsoft was keen on making the Xbox platform the best multimedia device, and while that in and of itself wasn’t a bad idea, they shot themselves in the foot with how the execution went.
The presentation was counterintuitive to what Xbox was meant to be. Microsoft was too focused on how the Xbox One could handle TV and movies, it seemed like the gaming aspect was an afterthought instead of being an absolute priority. The Kinect, Microsoft’s answer to the Nintendo Wii was not well-liked despite the initial popularity boom, but they upgraded the Kinect and sold it as a bundle to the Xbox One which was also not well-liked.
Xbox One (2013-2020)
After the colossal failure of the Xbox One’s launch due to their execution and lack of good launch titles, Microsoft realized they made several crucial mistakes and immediately went into damage control. They started to sell Xbox One consoles without the Kinect which helped in lowering the already exorbitant prices, and they cancelled frowned upon features such as the always online feature and the ability to play pre-owned games on their systems.
The damage was done, however, as the Xbox One was the worst performing console, severely falling behind sold units to Sony’s PlayStation 4. Microsoft knew they could not afford to make the same mistake again, so they began brainstorming ways to get the best of both worlds, their solution: the Xbox One S and the Xbox One X.
The decision to split the Xbox platform up into two different variants was the best decision they could’ve made, making the S model more for casual gamers or a multimedia device for the family and the X model for more serious gamers and pro gamers who need better performance above all else.
The Road to Glory
The current era of ninth-generation gaming
The previous generation of consoles taught a lot of valuable lessons to Microsoft on what to do and what not to do with a gaming console. So, they set their sights higher for the ninth generation of consoles, Microsoft took what they learned from the previous generation and worked with what they had.
The Xbox Series X/S were both released on November 10, 2020, but they had other problems to deal with. Scalping for gaming consoles was at an all-time high during the release of next-gen consoles. Despite reports of record sales, a small percentage of their player base actually had a Series X or S console, which had long-term consequences for Microsoft as well as the three titans of gaming.
Although this isn’t much of a problem anymore, it was a horrible time trying to get a next-gen console for retail price despite measures to stop scalping. However, Microsoft persisted with the next-gen consoles and held strong through every blow they got with whatever came their way. It’s safe to say it paid off in the end.
Xbox Series X/S (2020-ongoing)
The new generation of Xbox consoles offered new features while also delivering on all fronts and remaining an effective jack of all trades. The Xbox Series X has the hardware to push game resolution and performance up to 4k at 120 FPS, given that the player’s TV can run those resolutions as well. While the Xbox Series S has less power than the Series X, it can still perform remarkably well and is more affordable than the Series X.
However, that’s not all the Series X/S has to offer, being fully backward compatible, you can play games across all four generations of Xbox on this console, the Series X even has options to enhance the gameplay experience for newer and older titles. A large majority of titles have the Quick Resume feature, which allows the player to be able to quickly resume where they left off on a game without having to close out the game, even if the player turns off the Xbox.
Many titles that weren’t designed for the Series X/S have compatibility features such as FPS Boost which can set your game to automatically run at 60 FPS, and Auto HDR which can help set your game at a better dynamic range.
Departing Thoughts
The Xbox Platform has seen its fair share of wins and losses trying to make a name for itself. Despite these losses, they are keen to learn from their mistakes and experts in their field. With all of these years of experience under their belt, as they experienced firsthand how the industry changed over the years. They are confident and determined to carry on the torch to many more years of Xbox. No one knows what the future will behold, but one thing is for sure, Xbox is prepared for the road ahead.
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