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.
Some major features of the Xbox 360 are its integrated Xbox Live service that allows players to compete online, download arcade games, game demos, trailers, TV shows and movies and its Windows Media Center multimedia capabilities. The Xbox 360 also offers region specific access to third-party media streaming services such as Netflix in the USA or Sky TV in the UK.
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 January 2010, there are over 39 million Xbox 360 consoles worldwide. The Xbox 360 is currently available in two configurations—the "Arcade" and the "Elite"—each with 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 and Canada; 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 on the market, the system launched in 36 countries, more countries than any console has launched in a single year.
Retail configurations
Current models
The Xbox 360 is currently 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£279.99, and the "Xbox 360 Core," priced at US$299 and GB£209.99. 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 was discontinued and marked down to US$249 on August 28, 2009 to be sold until stock ran out, while the Elite was also marked down in price to US$299. Since then xbox models only came with S.D. AV cables.
Xbox 360 Arcade
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 512 MB memory chip (units released prior to summer 2009 had 256 MB internal memory while those 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. Like its predecessor the "Core" it does not include a hard disk drive, which is required for Xbox software backwards compatibility. Holiday 2008 consoles were bundled with Sega Superstars Tennis . With the September 4, 2008 price cuts, the Arcade fell from $279 to $199. In the UK, with the 2009 Elite price drop and discontinuation of the "Premium" Pro bundle, the Arcade price rose from £129.99 to £159.99.
Xbox 360 Elite
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 $479.99 USD, C$549.99, £299.99, and AU$729.95. The Elite was released in North America on April 29, 2007, 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 rated to 175 W. As of 2009, Elite models using the Jasper chipset have become available. These can also be identified by their power supply, which is rated at 150W and has a 12.1A 12v rail. 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. It currently sells at $299.99 USD.
Xbox 360 250GB Elite
The Xbox 360 Elite has also been configured with a 250 GB hard disk drive and 2 wireless controllers on special limited editions of the console. This "Super" Elite version (nickname used by some retailers) retails at US$399.99, UK£249.99 and AU$599.00 as of 10 November 2009. A Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 bundle includes a special limited edition console design and a flat black finish. Other bundles include a standard Elite finish and either the game Forza Motorsport 3 or both Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST. On March 9, 2010, alongside the release of Final Fantasy XIII, Microsoft will release another Elite 250 GB bundle with the same extras as the Modern Warfare bundle (excluding the Modern Warfare print on the console) except bundled with the Final Fantasy XIII game. It will also include exclusive downloadable items for use with Xbox 360 avatars.
Discontinued models
Xbox 360 Core
- The Xbox 360 Core was an entry level Xbox 360. The SKU was later replaced with the "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. It was however capable of the same HDTV resolutions (up to 1080i) as the other models when connected to a separately sold Component cable. In October 2006, 1080p support was added for all models in a system update, including the "Core" using either the component cable, or the new VGA cable (although 1080p via component was not widely supported by televisions). 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.
Xbox 360 Pro / Xbox 360 Premium
- 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 Hard Disk Drive (initially 20 GB, while later models had 60 GB) 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 version 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 Pro will, following its discontinuation, retail for $249.99 until it sells out.
Comparison of features
Information is based on current specifications for standard packages. Older or holiday packages may differ from current configurations.
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