The Evolution of the XBOX

The Original XBOX

Released in order to rival Sony’s PlayStation monopoly, Microsoft’s XBOX was released on November 15, 2001 and was the first gaming system released by an American company since the Atari Jaguar in November 1993. This was the first time the company had moved their efforts from PC gaming where, at the time, they held a monopoly. The XBOX was the first console to include a built-in HDD, and developers generally agree it was the more powerful console in the Generation 6 category. It sold 24 million units, falling well-short of the PlayStation 2, however holds number spot ahead of Nintendo’s Game Cube.

XBOX 360

Released 22^nd November, 2005, almost a year before the PlayStation 3, the XBOX 360 is by far the best selling model from Microsoft, selling over 84 million units. Again holding a superior processing power, the XBOX 360 developers met with game developers to tailor graphic requirements to their games, leading to class-leading games like Gears of War, Forza, Fable and Saints Row being exclusive to their platform. It enables people to stream Netflix and also supported CDs, DVDs and were a common house-hold all-in-one entertainment system. The XBOX 360 also introduced Kinect, motion sensing equipment that showed their commitment to active lifestyles with the games that followed.

XBOX ONE

Released November 2013, the XBOX One was marketed as being an all-round home entertainment system, offering a 1080p camera via Kinect, USB connectivity, WIFI direct navigation and Blu-ray compatibility alongside the already CD and DVD connectivity. The device was significantly cooler and quitter than the PS4, and ran a simpler version of Windows 8. . Backwards compatibility for some games was enabled on the XBOX One, allowing individuals to relive the nostalgia of classic games. The company held on to the many exclusive games as the previous system, however issues with the previous system, the most significant commonly referred to as ‘the Red Rings of Death’, the sales were stunted. The XBOX One’s sales of an estimated 24 million were once again dwarfed by the PlayStation 4s estimated 60 million.

X XBOX ONE X

Set to be released November 7, 2017, the XBOX One X is set to be 4k capable and run all the same software as the XBOX One Systems. It will be of course far superior in terms of its processing power while also being the smallest console of its franchise. Not much has been released about the XBOX One X yet, however they have advised that the increase in capabilities is largely to facilitate the needs of Role Playing Games like Middle Earth: Shadows of War and Assassins Creed. PlayStation has announced the 5^th version of their console, but with no immediate plans for release.

PlayStation vs XBOX

The PlayStation vs XBOX debate is ongoing and will likely continue to do so. PlayStation held much of a Monopoly Before the release of the first XBOX, although still a leader in the genre, the XBOX franchise has done well to compete. The abilities of the individual machines aside, rivalry also stems from the size, shape and layout of controllers. With XBOX going for larger, whole-of-hand controllers as well as a standard and an elevated thumb stick, while PlayStation controllers have been smaller and almost symmetrical with buttons and layout aligned. One thing that separates the two is the names, XBOX has refused to go along with the numerical values like PlayStation as then their will lag behind in terms of highest value, so when it comes to releasing a console, XBOX is often ridiculed for their choice.

Content Used
*PlayStation Controller - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieYEuh4Tit8
*XBOX Controller - http://mashable.com/2017/09/25/xbox-duke-controller-re-release-explained/#ZM0YDl7nZmqC
*Red Ring - https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Xbox_360
*XBOX - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_(console)
XBOX ONE - https://www.jbhifi.com.au/games-consoles/games/gaming-consoles/xbox-one-console/xbox-one-s-500gb-middle-earth-shadow-of-war-console-bundle/979619/
*XBOX ONE X- https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/store/d/xbox-live-gold-membership-digital-code/cfq7ttc0k5zm

 - Chris