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
'The Witcher 3: Remastered' drops on Sept. 29, with Xbox Play Anywhere!
Xbox A dream come true, The Witcher 3 finally gets Xbox Play Anywhere support in addition to a ton of new features on September 29, 2026. Here's what you need to know.
PREVIEW: Gears of War: E-Day might be remembered as the best Gears story ever
Xbox Recently I played 1.5 hours of the Gears of War: E-Day campaign, and oh man, if the whole experience is on this level, Gears is more than back.
Wuthering Waves runs terribly on Xbox and the problems are hard to ignore
Xbox A few weeks from launch, Xbox fans were happy to finally receive one of the most viral gatcha games of recent times. Until they actually played it ...
Over 58,000 fans want classic Transformers games back on Xbox
Xbox The fan-run Xbox Preservation Website has listed The Transformers games as the highest third-party franchise fans want to see receive Backwards Compatibility on the modern Xbox console/PC ecosystem.
Xbox's green Series X25 might launch for $100 above its counterpart
Xbox Rumors hint that Xbox's translucent green Series X25 console will launch on November 27 for $100 more than its standard, disc-based counterpart.
This not-LEGO OG Xbox has nostalgic dioramas inside — for over $300
Xbox A $329.99 buildable OG Xbox hides dioramas of Halo, Psychonauts, and Morrowind with controller‑activated lights, but that's a steep price for nostalgia.
Xbox Insiders are getting a wave of new Xbox Series X|S dashboard features
Xbox The Xbox dashboard has been getting tons of improvements as of late. Here's what's coming later today for Xbox Insiders on Xbox Series X|S.
On This Day: Xbox’s 2015 “games everywhere” strategy revisited
On this Day A look back at Xbox’s 2015 “games everywhere” vision — the moment Phil Spencer sketched out a future that Asha Sharma is now fully realizing 11 years later.
