Xbox is Microsoft's gaming division. Launched in 2001 with the original Xbox console (presented by Bill Gates and The Rock, no less), the division has gone through multiple permutations on its journey to its current form. Originally envisioned as a device that could bring Windows to the living room, Xbox eventually competed more directly with PlayStation targeting core gamers.
Xbox had solid success in the United States and other English-speaking markets, buoyed by heavy hitters like Halo and Forza, alongside various heavy hitting third-party exclusive titles. Microsoft's Xbox is responsible for various gaming innovations that are now commonplace. Online live infrastructure, "games as a service" titles, subscription services, and cloud-first business models owe at least something to initiatives spearheaded by Microsoft (for better or worse).
In 2013, Microsoft's push to turn Xbox into a digital-first entertainment center saw widespread pushback from the gaming community. Despite predicting trends that are now commonplace, the way Microsoft positioned Xbox back then has seen it struggle to regain the relevance it once enjoyed as a brand in a universe of increased competition from other platforms, in addition to always-on forms of entertainment and smartphone-delivered social media algorithms.
As Xbox enters its 25th year, Microsoft is once again reinventing what Xbox is with its new approach, doubling down on Windows' openness, and returning to the original vision of Windows gaming in the living room. It'll be fun to see how it pans out.
Essential Xbox reading
Latest about Xbox
Xbox Series X|S price tracker before the August 1 hike
FOMO A live tracker for every Xbox Series X|S deal before prices rise sharply on August 1 — and potentially again in 2027 as hardware costs continue climbing.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is limited to 30 FPS on Series S
Xbox Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced targets 60FPS on Xbox Series X, while Series S is limited to a single graphics mode.
Xbox reportedly funded 1666: Amsterdam before pulling out
XBOX A new report claims Xbox funded 1666: Amsterdam before pulling support. Was it the right decision?
A rumor of GTA 6 running at 60 FPS on Series X gives fans some hope
Xbox A new GTA 6 rumor suggests Rockstar is planning 30fps and 60fps graphical modes for Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, while a 60fps mode for Xbox Series S is reportedly still being worked on.
Xbox's main PR agency "Assembly" is reportedly laying off staff
XBOX Bloomberg reports that Xbox's main PR agency, Assembly, is laying off employees, separate from Microsoft cutting vendors ahead of a wider Xbox restructuring.
Xbox has been promising 'State of Decay 3' for years — now it's in danger of being cancelled?
Xbox Increasingly it looks like Xbox's layoffs are going to be catastrophic.
"Piracy is not a pricing issue. It’s a service issue": How Sony just proved Gabe Newell right
Gaming Sony is erasing over 550 movies from PlayStation libraries without offering refunds, showing the dangerous reality of digital ownership.
Is Xbox freezing third-party Xbox Game Pass deals? Here's what's being said, and why I don't buy it.
Xbox A new report suggested that Microsoft is freezing money for new third-party Xbox Game Pass deals. I don't buy it.
