The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft, and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles.
A prominent feature of the Xbox 360 is its integrated Xbox Live service that allows players to compete online and download content such as arcade games, game demos, trailers, TV shows, and movies. Major features of the console include its Windows Media Center multimedia capabilities, mandatory support of high definition in all games, movie rentals and game downloads from its online marketplace and the ability to watch movies on the (now discontinued) HD DVD format via an add-on drive.
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, and, as of October, 2009, over 34 million units have been sold worldwide. The Xbox 360 is currently available in two configurations—the "Arcade" and the "Elite"—and each has its own selection of accessories.
Overview
Development
Known during development as Xenon , Xbox 2 , Xbox FS , Xbox Next , or NextBox , the Xbox 360 was conceived in early 2003. In February 2003, planning for the Xenon software platform began, and was headed by Microsoft's Vice President J Allard. That month, Microsoft held an event for 400 developers in Bellevue, Washington to recruit support for the system. Also that month, Peter Moore, former president of Sega of America, joined Microsoft. On August 12, 2003, ATI signed on to produce the graphic processing unit for the new console, a deal which was publicly announced two days later. Before the launch of the Xbox 360, several alpha development kits were spotted using Apple's Power Mac G5 hardware. This was due to the system's PowerPC 970 processor 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."
Launch
Main article: Xbox 360 launchThe Xbox 360 was released on November 22, 2005, in the United States, Mexico and Canada; December 2, 2005, in Europe and December 10, 2005, in Japan. It was later launched in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, and Russia. In its first year on the market, the system launched in 36 countries, more countries than any console has launched in a single year.
Retail configurations
The Xbox 360 is available in two standard variants; the "Xbox 360 Arcade" and the "Xbox 360 Elite." A discontinued SKU, the "Xbox 360 Core," was replaced by the "Xbox 360 Arcade" in October 2007. The 60 GB version of the Xbox 360 Pro was released on August 1, 2008. At launch, the Xbox 360 was available in two configurations: the "Xbox 360" package, priced at US$399 or GB£280, and the "Xbox 360 Core," priced at US$299 and GB£199. The original shipment of the Xbox 360 version included a cut-down version of the Media Remote as a promotion. The Elite package was launched later at US$479. The Pro package will be marked down to US$249 on August 28, 2009 and will be sold until supplies last, and the Elite will be marked down in price to US$299.
- The Xbox 360 Core was an entry level Xbox 360. The "Core" is no longer produced, having been replaced by the Xbox 360 Arcade. It was not originally available in Japan, but was later released on November 2, 2006. The Core system came bundled with composite video cables, capable of only SDTV resolutions. The Core only output HD signals up to 1080i when connected to a separately sold Component cable. In October 2006, 1080p support was added for all consoles, including the Core, but it would require a VGA cable to support it.. It may also utilize a separately sold Xbox 360 hard drive. Unlike all other SKUs, it shipped with a wired version of the Xbox 360 controller, instead of the wireless version found in other SKUs.
- The Xbox 360 Arcade is the entry level for the Xbox 360. On October 23, 2007, it replaced the "Xbox 360 Core" and maintained the price of $279.99. It was publicly revealed (though it was available in stores far earlier) by Microsoft's president of Entertainment Devices division Robbie Bach to the Financial Times on October 18, 2007, and officially announced on October 22, 2007. It includes a wireless controller, composite AV cable, HDMI 1.2 output, an internal 256 MB memory chip (units released prior to fall 2008 included a 256 MB memory unit), and 5 Xbox Live Arcade titles: Boom Boom Rocket , Feeding Frenzy , Luxor 2 , Pac-Man Championship Edition , and Uno on a single disk, which also includes a "Welcome Video" and several game trailers/demos. Holiday 2008 consoles were bundled with Sega Superstars Tennis . With the September 4, 2008 price cuts, the Arcade fell from $279 to $199. In Europe, with the 2009 Elite price drop and discontinuation of the "Premium" Pro bundle, the Arcade price rose to £159.99 from £129.99
- The Xbox 360 Pro (sometimes referred to as Premium and packaged as simply Xbox 360 with the subheading "Go Pro") included all the features of the Xbox 360 Arcade and included a hybrid composite and component cable with optional optical out instead of a composite cable. This model also included a detachable 60 GB Hard Disk Drive (previously a 20 GB HDD) to store downloaded content, provide compatibility with original Xbox games, and store game data. The included hard drive came with game demos, video clips and a free Live Arcade game, Hexic HD . In July 2007, this version of the Xbox 360 began appearing with the Zephyr motherboard (the motherboard used in the Elite) which features HDMI 1.2 output and an improved GPU heatsink. Although this package did include an HDMI output, it did not come with an HDMI cable. Starting at the end of September 2007, the newest systems were shipped with the new "Falcon" motherboard. This motherboard includes the new 65-nm CPUs, making them quieter and cooler than the older systems. On August 1, 2008, the 20 GB Xbox 360 was discontinued and was replaced by a 60 GB HDD model at the same price. Holiday 2008 consoles were bundled with Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures and Kung Fu Panda . Price cuts that took effect on September 4, 2008 reduced the price from $349 to $299.
- The Xbox 360 Elite is the second most expensive variation of the console. It includes a 120 GB hard drive and a matte black finish. The Elite retail package also includes a controller and headset that match the system's black finish. The initial release price was US$479.99, C$549.99, £299.99, and AU$729.95. The Elite was released in Europe on August 24, 2007, and Australia on August 30, 2007. Early Elite models shipped using the Zephyr motherboard, though later models used the Falcon 65 nm chipset instead. These Elites (and other Xbox 360 models using the Falcon) can be identified from earlier versions by a re-designed power connector and a power supply that runs at 175w. As of 2009 Elite models using the Jasper chipset have become available; these are identified by a 12.1V power supply. Holiday 2008 consoles were bundled with Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures and Kung Fu Panda . The Elite's price tag was cut from $449 to $399 on September 4, 2008.
- The Xbox 360 Elite has also been configured with a 250GB hard disk drive and 2 wireless controllers on special limited editions of the console. The 250GB Elite will retail at US$399.99, UK£249.99 and AU$599.00 on 10 November 2009. A Modern Warfare 2 bundle includes a special limited edition console design and a flat black finish. The other bundle will include a standard Elite finish and the game Forza Motorsport 3
Comparison of features
Information is based on current specifications for standard packages. Older or holiday packages may differ from current configurations.
- All Xbox 360s come with free Xbox Live Silver membership and a one-month trial of Xbox Live Gold membership
- All Xbox 360s are backwards compatible as long as they have an Xbox 360 HDD attached. This can be purchased separately for the Core/Arcade pack
- Included accessories match the color scheme of the console they are bundled with
- The hybrid video cable contains six RCA connectors, for standard left and right channel audio, composite video and HD component (YPbPr) supporting up to 1080p image (although almost all TVs will only support up to 1080i). It also has a connector to attach a toslink optical audio cable, which supports either 2 channel (stereo) LPCM or dolby digital 5.1.
- The standard composite cable contains only three connectors, for standard left and right channel audio and composite video, supporting up to 576i image. It also lacks the toslink connector found on the hybrid cable.
- The audio dongle contains two RCA connectors for left and right audio and a toslink optical audio connector
Special editions
Microsoft Xbox 360 Specs - Xbox 360 Pics - Xbox 360 News - Xbox 360 ...
Xbox 360 News - GameSpot offers Microsoft Xbox 360 specs on the new ... X; Y; Z. First-Person Shooters; Action Adventure; Role-Playing ... Konami projects 22.5% six-month sales slip
Xbox - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Xbox (name derived from "Direct X box " [4]) is a video game ... It is the predecessor to Microsoft's Xbox 360 console ... good application to drive its sales. [6] In 2002, Microsoft ...
Xbox 360 for sale United Kingdom
Here at xbox 360 sale, we've compiled a list of where you ... XBOX 360 X-Clamp Repair Kit (Rrod E74) xclamp Inc Paste ... 2 Faulty Microsoft Xbox 360 Consoles Plus Accessories
Xbox 360 UK sales up 43% | Games Industry | MCV
... combination of a UK bank holiday and Microsoft’s £30 reduction in the cost of an Xbox 360 Elite lead to a 43 per cent week-on-week sales ... X
Microsoft Preps External Blu-Ray Disc Optical Drive for Xbox 360 - X ...
Microsoft Preps External Blu-Ray Disc Optical Drive for Xbox 360. Microsoft Has Blu-Ray Drive for Xbox 360 Ready ... But since sales of Blu-ray are still on a low level, the ...
Microsoft Gears Up to Release Xbox 360 with New Chips - X-bit labs
Currently Microsoft Xbox 360 is available for $279, $349 or $449 in the USA ... Acer Wants to Challenge Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony Sales of Game Console Up in February ...
Xbox 360 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
On October 4, 2007, after the launch of Halo 3, Microsoft stated that Xbox 360 sales had more ... http://web.archive.org/web/20071212014825/http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/x ...
JB Hi-Fi - Games - Xbox 360
Manage Your JB Gift Card | Commercial Sales | Music Australia Guide | Kool Skools | Xceed http://www.jbhifi.com.au/games/microsoft/x-box/360/ JB-AU-33-20091006G
ShopTo.Net - Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Microsoft Xbox 360
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Microsoft Xbox 360 at ShopTo.Net - The Online UK Video Games ... Unit 2, The Western Centre, Western Road, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 1RW. sales ...
Microsoft Xbox 360 (20GB) - Compare prices, reviews, user opinions ...
Microsoft Xbox 360 (20GB) Manufacturer: Microsoft Corp. Part number: ... Hitting the "X" guide button on your controller ... instead of a 16x (can you even FIND a 12x drive for sale ...