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
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Xbox I've noticed that more games than ever are hitting Xbox Play Anywhere, both new and old. Has something changed recently?
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Xbox Coalition lays out its plans for Gears of War: E-Day's multiplayer updates, including seasonal content, limited-time events, balance changes, and more.
REVIEW Gears of War: E-Day is a fantastic game overall with satisfying combat and immense technical chops, but some baffling design decisions stop it from reaching its full potential.
Xbox One thing journalists keep asking me lately revolves around this theory that Xbox is "for sale," but Sharma directly addressed that narrative today.
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Xbox Claim digital copies of your physical games today using Xbox's Disc-To-Digital program, now available to the general public.
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