Xbox facts for kids
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| Type | Video gaming |
|---|---|
| Owner | Microsoft Gaming |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | November 15, 2001 |
| Markets | Worldwide |
| Registered as a trademark in | Worldwide |
| Tagline | "It's a good day to play. When everyone plays, we all win." |
Xbox is a popular video gaming brand made by Microsoft Gaming. It includes five different home video game consoles. Xbox also offers many games, a streaming service called Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services like Xbox network and Xbox Game Pass.
The first Xbox console was launched in the United States in November 2001. It was the first video game console from an American company since the Atari Jaguar stopped selling in 1996. The original Xbox sold over 24 million units.
Microsoft's second console, the Xbox 360, came out in 2005. It sold 86 million units. The third console, the Xbox One, was released in November 2013 and sold 58 million units. The newest Xbox consoles, the Xbox Series X and Series S, were launched in November 2020. Phil Spencer has been the head of Xbox since 2014.
Contents
How Xbox Started
When Sony Computer Entertainment announced the PlayStation 2 in 1999, they said it would be a home entertainment center. It could play video games, music CDs, and movie DVDs. Microsoft, which mostly made software for computers, saw this as a challenge to personal computers.
Four engineers from Microsoft's DirectX team had an idea. They wanted to create a Microsoft console to compete with the PlayStation 2. They designed a system that would use many parts similar to a PC. This would make it easier for game makers to create games for the new console.
Many names were suggested, like "Direct X Box." Microsoft's marketing team did surveys. They used "Xbox" as a test name, thinking people wouldn't like it. But it turned out to be the most popular choice, so "Xbox" became the official name.
The first Xbox didn't sell huge numbers, and Microsoft lost a lot of money on it. However, it did well enough to convince the company to keep making consoles. Since then, there have been four generations of Xbox consoles. Xbox is now a direct competitor to Sony's PlayStation brand.
The Future of Xbox
Microsoft is working to make "Xbox" more than just a console. They want it to be a general brand for all video games. In 2019, they even changed the name of Microsoft Studios to Xbox Game Studios.
Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, said in 2019 that their goal isn't just to sell consoles. It's about how many people are playing games. This means they want to focus more on games, subscriptions, and services for players.
Spencer also mentioned that Microsoft doesn't see traditional game companies like Nintendo and Sony as their main rivals anymore. Instead, they see companies that offer cloud computing services, like Amazon and Google, as their new competitors. Microsoft Azure helps power their Xbox Cloud Gaming service. Spencer also thinks mobile gaming is a big area for the future.
Xbox Consoles Over Time
The First Xbox: Original Xbox
The very first Xbox came out in North America on November 15, 2001. It was Microsoft's first step into the gaming console world. The Xbox was part of the sixth generation of video game consoles. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's GameCube.
The original Xbox had a 733 MHz Intel Pentium III CPU and a 233 MHz Nvidia GeForce 3-based GPU. It also had 64 MB of memory. Its name came from "DirectX Box," which referred to Microsoft's graphics software, DirectX.
The Xbox Live service started in November 2002. It let players play games online using a fast internet connection. Xbox Live was a big success. It had better servers and features like a friends list. Games like Halo 2 became very popular online.
Second Xbox: Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 was released in November 2005. It was the next console after the original Xbox. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii. The Xbox 360 had a special triple-core processor from IBM and 512 MB of memory. By June 2014, over 84 million Xbox 360 consoles had been sold.
The Xbox 360 was first shown on MTV in May 2005. When it launched, it sold out almost everywhere except Japan. Over time, different versions of the Xbox 360 were offered with varying amounts of storage.
The Xbox 360 had an improved Xbox Live service. It also let users stream videos and music from their computers. Later, you could buy and stream music, TV shows, and movies through Xbox services. Microsoft also released Kinect, a motion control system for the Xbox 360. Kinect used sensors to let you play games with your body movements.
Two main updated versions of the Xbox 360 were released. The Xbox 360 S, launched in 2010, was slimmer and had a 250 GB hard drive. It also added built-in Wi-Fi and more USB ports. The Xbox 360 S replaced the original Xbox 360.
The second update was the Xbox 360 E, released in 2013. It looked similar to the upcoming Xbox One. It removed some ports but was otherwise like the Xbox 360 S.
Third Xbox: Xbox One
The Xbox One was released on November 22, 2013. It was the successor to the Xbox 360. The Xbox One competed with Sony's PlayStation 4 and Nintendo's Wii U and Switch. It used an AMD processor and could have up to 12 GB of memory.
When it was first shown in May 2013, the Xbox One focused a lot on internet features. You could record and stream your gameplay. You could also connect it to your TV box to watch cable or satellite TV through the console.
The Xbox One faced some issues when it was first announced. People were worried about its rules for games and privacy. Microsoft had planned that all games would need to be linked to your Xbox Live account. The console would also need to connect to the internet every 24 hours to play games. Many people didn't like these rules, especially because it could make selling used games harder. Because of the strong negative feedback, Microsoft removed these restrictions.
Microsoft also initially required the updated Kinect sensor to be plugged in for the console to work. Some people worried this could be used for spying. To show they cared about user privacy, Microsoft changed this rule, allowing the console to work without Kinect.
In June 2016, Microsoft announced the Xbox One S. This version was smaller and supported 4K video and HDR. In 2017, Microsoft showed the Xbox One X. This was a more powerful model designed to play games in 4K resolution.
Microsoft stopped sharing exact sales numbers for the Xbox One in November 2014. However, in July 2023, they shared that the Xbox One line had sold over 58 million units.
Fourth Xbox: Xbox Series X and Series S
The newest Xbox consoles are the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. They both launched on November 10, 2020. They are part of the ninth generation of video game consoles, alongside the PlayStation 5. Like the Xbox One, these consoles use an AMD processor and can have up to 16 GB of memory.
The Xbox Series X is the more powerful version, like the Xbox One X. The Xbox Series S is a smaller, digital-only version, similar to the Xbox One S. All games made for this new family of consoles can be played on both systems.
The Xbox Series X is about four times more powerful than the Xbox One X. It supports 8K resolution and can run games at up to 120 frames per second. It aims for 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. The Xbox Series S has less graphics power. It can run games at 1440p resolution at 60 frames per second and can upscale to 4K.
Both consoles have new graphics features like real-time ray-tracing. They also have the new Xbox Velocity Architecture. This system works with the internal SSD drive to load game textures very quickly.
These new consoles can play all Xbox One games. They can also play most older games that were playable on the Xbox One from the Xbox 360 and original Xbox. To help people switch to the new consoles, Microsoft introduced "Smart Delivery." This system gives free updates to Xbox One games so they can run better on the Xbox Series X/S.
Comparing Xbox Consoles
This table shows how the different Xbox consoles compare.
| Xbox generation | First | Second | Third | Fourth | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox | Xbox 360 | Xbox One | Xbox One S | Xbox One X | Xbox Series S | Xbox Series X | |
| Console |  |
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| Launch Price | US$299.99 |
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US$499.99 | US$299.99 | US$499.99 | |
| Release Date |
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November 22, 2013 |
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November 7, 2017 | November 10, 2020 | |
| Discontinued |
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N/A | N/A |
| Units Sold | 24+ million (as of May 2006) | 84+ million (as of June 2014) | 58 million (as of June 2023) | 21 million (as of June 2023) | |||
| Best-selling Game | Halo 2, 8 million | Kinect Adventures! (24 million) | Grand Theft Auto V | N/A | N/A | ||
| Media | CD, DVD | CD, DVD, HD DVD (movies only), USB Drive | CD, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, USB Drive | CD, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UHD Blu-ray Disc, USB Drive | USB Drive | CD, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, UHD Blu-ray Disc, USB Drive | |
| Online Service | Xbox Live (2002–10) | Xbox Live | Xbox Live Xbox Store |
Xbox Live Xbox Store |
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| Backward Compatibility | N/A | Some Xbox games | Select Xbox 360 and Xbox titles |
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See also
In Spanish: Xbox (marca) para niños
