Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console released by Microsoft, after the Xbox. It was released on November 22, 2005, 1468 days after the first Xbox. The Xbox 360 competed against the Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 3. All three are called next-generation or seventh generation consoles. The Xbox 360 was officially revealed on MTV on May 12, 2005. The Xbox One, the successor (it came after) to the Xbox 360, was announced on May 21, 2013. Even though the Xbox One was released on November 22, 2013, the Xbox 360 continued to be made until April 20, 2016. Games are no longer being made for the Xbox 360.
 Xbox 360 logo. | |
   Left: Original model Xbox 360 Premium (2005) Center: Redesigned slim model Xbox 360 S (2010) Right: Latest model Xbox 360 E (2013) | |
| Developer | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Flextronics, Wistron, Celestica, Foxconn[1][2] |
| Product family | Xbox |
| Type | Home video game console |
| Generation | Seventh generation |
| Release date | November 22, 2005[3]
|
| Retail availability | 2005–2016 |
| Introductory price | US$299, €299, £209 (Xbox 360 Core) US$399, €399, £279 (Xbox 360 (20 GB)) |
| Discontinued |
|
| Units sold | Worldwide: 84 million (as of June 9, 2014[update])[6] (details) |
| Media | DVD, CD, digital distribution Add-on: HD DVD (discontinued) |
| Operating system | Xbox 360 system software |
| System-on-chip used | XCGPU (Xbox 360 S and E models only) |
| CPU | 3.2 GHz PowerPC Tri-Core Xenon |
| Memory | |
| Storage | Storage media
|
| Display | Video output formats
|
| Graphics | 500 MHz ATI/AMD Xenos |
| Sound |
|
| Controller input | Controllers
|
| Connectivity | Original models 2.4 GHz wireless, 3 × USB 2.0, IR receiver, 100 Mbit/s Ethernet |
| Online services | Xbox Live |
| Best-selling game | Kinect Adventures! (24 million as pack-in game for Kinect)[11][12] |
| Backward compatibility | Selected Xbox games[13][14] (requires hard drive and the latest update) |
| Predecessor | Xbox |
| Successor | Xbox One |
| Website | xbox |
History
Development
Before Microsoft revealed the console's real name, it was called the Xbox 2, Xbox NE, Xbox HD, Xbox FS, and other names.[15] During the development, Microsoft, said it would launch the High-Definition era for video game consoles, promising visuals that would look better and much more real. The Xbox 360 uses standard DVDs to play games and other media.[16]
Release
The Xbox 360 was released in the United States and Canada on November 22, 2005[17] in Europe on December 2, 2005, and in Japan on December 10, 2005. It was later launched in Malaysia, Mexico, Colombia, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, India, Brazil, Poland, Czech Republic, and Russia. When the console was first released in North America, demand was more than the supplies and the console sold out at many stores. Many people sold the console on eBay for higher prices, and it was not until early 2006 that the Xbox 360 became more available in stores again.
Discontinuation
The Xbox 360 was discontinued worldwide on 20 April 2016.
Models
- Xbox 360 Core – this was the first basic package of the Xbox 360, featuring only the console and a wired controller. This has been discontinued and replaced by the Arcade as the cheapest model.
- Xbox 360 Arcade – this was the second basic package of the Xbox 360, featuring only the console with HDMI output capabilities, a wireless controller, a 256 megabyte (MB) memory card, 5 Xbox Live Arcade games and Standard-definition video cables.
- Xbox 360 (commonly called the Premium or Pro) – this package was featuring the console (with HDMI output), 60 gigabyte (GB) hard drive, wireless controller, Ethernet cable, headset, High-definition video cables and one month Xbox Live Gold trial.
- Xbox 360 Elite – this was the most expensive package of the Xbox 360, featuring a black-colored console (with HDMI output), HDMI cable, 120 GB hard drive, headset, wireless controller, Ethernet cable, High-definition video cables and one month Xbox Live trial.
- Xbox 360 Slim - Piano Black (Matte Black on the 4 GB console), HDMI, 250 or 120 GB HDD and 4 GB SSD, headset (120/250 GB consoles only), wireless controller, ethernet cable, HD video cable, one month Xbox Live trial.
- Xbox 360 E - Half gloss, half matte finish, HDMI, one month Xbox Live membership trial, comes in 4GB and 250 GB models.
Software
The Xbox 360 is a multimedia console. It can play music and videos streamed or downloaded from a computer. It can also play DVDs, as well as HD-DVDs if a HD-DVD Drive is connected. The Xbox 360 plays games on either a disc or on its hard drive. There are many games for Xbox 360.
Updates
The NXE (New Xbox Experience) update had many new features. One new feature is an avatar (profile picture) system. You can make the avatar look like you. The avatar is used in games and more. The menus were changed too. The NXE shows your friends and what they are doing. Another new feature is the ability to add people to an Xbox Live Party. People can talk online in a party. It does not matter if you are on the dashboard or playing another game. Up to seven of your friends or anyone else can join a party. Another option is to add friends to the party and game, which will invite them to both your game and party.
Xbox Live now has Facebook, Twitter, and Last.fm. You can use them on Xbox Live, but some features are different. 1080p High definition movies are also on Xbox Live. You can pay to download them.
The most recent update on the Xbox 360 was allowing users to input a USB memory device, allowing USB drives with memory over 1 GB to be used for storing data such as avatar items, or game saves, up to a maximum of 16 GB of data.
Accessories
A number of accessories can be purchased for the Xbox 360. These include both wired and wireless controllers, custom faceplates that cover the front of the console, headsets for chatting while online, a webcam, a steering wheel for driving games and various other accessories.
Kinect is a major accessory that Microsoft made for the Xbox 360. It is a way to control games without a controller. Kinect was released in stores in late 2010. It won many awards, including "Fastest selling consumer electronics device" by the Guinness World Records.[18] When it was first being made, it was called Project Natal.
Red Ring of death
The Xbox 360 Red Ring of death issue is very common on older consoles. When this happens, what is known as the Red Ring of Death (RRoD) appears: three of the four warning lights surrounding the power button on the console flash in red. The Red Ring of Death shows that there is a hardware problem, which usually means that the console no longer works. The white Arcade console breaks down a lot. On later models for example, the Xbox 360 S, these three lights show that there is an over-heating problem.
Xbox 360 Media
A Kinect sensor device. The Xbox 360 E revision has an additional Xbox logo to the left of the Xbox 360 branding.
Xbox 360 Chatpad from the Messenger Kit attached to a wireless controller
Rock of Ages, one of many Unreal Engine 3 powered games available on Xbox 360
Related pages
References
- ↑ Radd, David (August 16, 2005). "Xbox 360 Manufacturers Revealed". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on August 17, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
- ↑ Ashcraft, Brian (November 19, 2010). "Report: Foxconn Denies Protest Over Pay | Kotaku Australia". Kotaku.com.au. Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
- ↑ Dybwad, Barb (September 15, 2005). "Xbox 360 launch date is November 22". Engadget. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
- ↑ "E3 2013: New Xbox 360 Model Revealed - IGN". 10 June 2013 – via www.ign.com.
- ↑ "Achievement Unlocked: 10 Years – Thank You, Xbox 360". Xbox Wire. April 20, 2016. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
- ↑ "E3 2014: $399 Xbox One Out Now, Xbox 360 Sales Rise to 84 million". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 25, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ↑ "Xbox 360 Cloud Storage Size Revealed". Psu.com. Archived from the original on April 28, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
- ↑ Xbox 360 D-Terminal HD AV Cable, archived from the original on 2010-10-31, retrieved 2019-12-29
- ↑ Sam Byford (January 20, 2012). "Xbox 360 color space fix coming, still no word on restoring 1080p playback". The Verge. Archived from the original on November 15, 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2012.
- ↑ "Microsoft confirms Xbox 360 802.11n adapter". joystiq. September 21, 2009. Archived from the original on August 26, 2011. Retrieved November 23, 2009.
- ↑ Dean Takahashi (January 9, 2012). "Xbox 360 surpasses 66M sold and Kinect passes 18M units". VentureBeat. https://venturebeat.com/2012/01/09/xbox-360-surpassed-66m-sold-and-kinect-has-sold-18m-units/. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
- ↑ "Microsoft sells 24 million Kinects". Joystiq. Archived from the original on February 13, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
- ↑ "Original Xbox Games Playable on Xbox 360". Archived from the original on May 12, 2008. Retrieved November 17, 2009.
- ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (May 2, 2015). "Why Are Current Consoles Not Backward Compatible?". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ↑ "Microsoft Narrowing Down Xbox Successor's Name? 1UP - Find Articles". archive.ph. 2007-05-17. Archived from the original on 2007-05-17. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ↑ Padilla, Raymond (2005-03-08). "We Got Next—Part One (Xbox)". GameSpy. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
- ↑ Xbox 360 Launch
- ↑ "Kinect Confirmed As Fastest-Selling Consumer Electronics Device - Guinness World Records Blog post - Home of the Longest, Shortest, Fastest, Tallest facts and feats". 2011-03-17. Archived from the original on 2011-03-17. Retrieved 2022-03-28.