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
Gaming Cyberpunk 2077 is about to get a new Cyberpunk: Edgerunners tie-in quest, dual-wielding pistols, mod support on consoles, and more in its 2.5 update, along with Xbox Play Anywhere support
Xbox Microsoft revealed a few weeks ago that Xbox Cloud Gaming will lose its "unlimited" playtime under Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Here's how users will be able to go beyond the limit.
GAMING EA just announced 400 jobs to be cut and the closure of BioWare, a studio famed for Dragon Age and Mass Effect.
GAMING Xbox Labs is experimenting with classic Xbox 360 dashboards, including Blades, NXE, and Metro, and fans are hoping it leads somewhere.
GAMING Private equity firms reportedly explored purchasing Microsoft’s Xbox division, which is valued at between $100 billion and $150 billion, although talks never progressed to formal negotiations.
Xbox Xbox's most affordable (and weakest) current-gen console just got another reason to buy in 2026.
Xbox Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, Plants Vs. Zombies: Replanted, and more are coming to Xbox Game Pass in October.
Xbox Sources tell us that Xbox Ally will see FSR 4.1 as soon as this week, with the first Xbox Series X|S games gaining the capabilities in the holiday season and before year's end.
