Exhibit: Microsoft Xbox (2001–2009)
Released: November 15, 2001 (North America) · March 14, 2002 (UK)
Manufacturer: Microsoft
Units Sold: 24 million worldwide
Status: The console that invented modern online gaming
Microsoft Enters the Arena
In 2001, Microsoft — a software company with no console experience — launched the Xbox. It was enormous. It was powerful. It had a hard drive built in — a first for a home console. And it had Halo: Combat Evolved, a launch title that redefined first-person shooters on console and gave Microsoft an instant system seller.
Xbox Live, launched in 2002, was the defining moment. Online console gaming existed before — but Xbox Live made it mainstream, seamless, and social. Every online console gaming experience since owes a debt to what Microsoft built in 2002.
Iconic Games
- Halo: Combat Evolved — the game that justified the console's existence
- Halo 2 — Xbox Live's killer app and one of the greatest sequels ever made
- Knights of the Old Republic — the greatest Star Wars game ever made
- Fable — Peter Molyneux's ambitious RPG, flawed and brilliant
- Ninja Gaiden — brutally difficult and technically stunning
- Jet Set Radio Future — the Dreamcast classic reborn and expanded
The Hard Drive Advantage
The Xbox's built-in hard drive wasn't just a storage device — it enabled features no other console could match. Custom soundtracks. Game saves without memory cards. Downloadable content. The Xbox was thinking about the future of gaming before anyone else.
Own a Piece of History
Our original Xbox consoles are fully tested, cleaned, and ready to play. A piece of gaming history that launched one of the industry's great franchises.