Everything you need to know about Xbox Gaming Consoles and Games

Hola! Gamers. In this article, we are going to talk about the Xbox gaming consoles. Microsoft established and owns the Xbox video game brand. The Xbox brand includes five video game consoles, as well as apps (games), streaming services, an internet service called Xbox network, and a development arm called Xbox Game Studios. With the release of the original Xbox console in November 2001, the brand was introduced in the United States for the first time.

From the original Xbox to the most recent and newest Xbox generation and models released in 2020, all Xbox console generations and models are listed in chronological sequence. Find out everything there is to know about every Xbox generation and model launched between 2001 and 2020 by following the Xbox timeline below. Read on!

About Xbox – The Brand

Microsoft established and owns the Xbox video game franchise. The Xbox brand encompasses five video game consoles, as well as apps (games), streaming services, an internet service known as Xbox Network, and the Xbox Game Studios production arm. With the release of the original Xbox console in November 2001, the brand was first promoted in the United States.

After the Atari Jaguar was discontinued in 1996, the original device was the first video game console offered by an American corporation. As of May 2006, it had sold over 24 million units. The Xbox 360, Microsoft’s second system, debuted in 2005 and has sold 86 million units as of October 2021. The Xbox One, which was released in November 2013 and has sold 51 million units, is the third system. The Xbox Series X and Series S, the fourth generation of Xbox consoles, were introduced in November 2020. Phil Spencer is the current CEO of Xbox, having taken over from former CEO Marc Whitten in late March 2014.

Xbox Gaming Consoles Generations – Here’s everything you need to know!

First Generation (2001 – 2009): The Original Xbox  

The first generation of the Xbox gaming consoles was released on November 15, 2001, in the United States, and the second Xbox was released on November 15, 2002, in Europe. The first Xbox was released in Japan on February 22, 2002, followed by Europe and Australia on March 14, 2002.

The Xbox was part of the sixth generation of consoles, competing alongside the Sega Dreamcast, Sony PlayStation 2, and Nintendo GameCube.

The first-generation Xbox sold around 24 million units but was outsold by Sony’s PlayStation 2, which sold over 155 million units over its lifetime.

Halo 2 (8.46 million copies sold), Halo: Combat Evolved (5 million copies sold), and Fable were the best-selling games for the original Xbox (3mil copies sold). Bungie (the Halo franchise’s developer) has released five Halo games to date, making both franchises flagship games for future Xbox releases.

Second Generation (2009 – 2016): Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 was released worldwide in late 2005 – early 2006, a year before the PlayStation 3. However, there was insufficient supply to match the high demand. The Xbox 360, in all of its variants and iterations, managed to retain a nearly identical market share with Sony’s PlayStation 3 during its lifetime.

The PlayStation 3 outsold the Xbox 360 by a slim margin, with 87.4 million systems sold to the Xbox 360’s 84 million (Source: Wikipedia).

Kinect Adventures! is the best-selling Xbox 360 game, with 24 million units sold. However, Grand Theft Auto V, which sold about 23 million copies globally on Xbox 360, is closely followed by Kinect Adventures. The Call of Duty franchise dominates the third, fourth, and fifth spots, with Modern Warfare 3 in third place, Black Ops in fourth, and Black Ops II in fifth place on the Xbox 360.

Retail customers could also pick between two configurations: the Xbox 360 Pro (Premium) and the Xbox 360 Core (Arcade). Later, a black Xbox 360 with modest enhancements was launched, dubbed the Xbox 360 Elite.

Third Generation (2017 – 2020): Xbox One

The Xbox One is the name of the Xbox’s third generation. When the Xbox One first came out, it was available with or without Kinect. At launch, users who wanted the Kinect functionality would have to spend $499 for their console. Users who don’t want Kinect will simply have to pay $399 for an Xbox One.

The first Xbox One was only around for a few years. The Xbox One was released on November 13, 2013, less than three years after the original Xbox was discontinued. This was owing to the Xbox One S’s release.

The Xbox One lagged behind its primary competition Sony’s PlayStation 4 in terms of sales. Overall, all Xbox One models (original Xbox One, S, and X) sold around 48.69 million units, while the PlayStation 4 sold nearly 115 million units.

One of the key reasons for the large discrepancy is that Sony launched the PlayStation 4 at a loss and offered the PlayStation 4 for $100 less than the Xbox One.

Both the original Xbox and the Xbox 360 had limited backward compatibility with the Xbox One.

Fourth Generation (2020 – Present): Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S

In late 2020, the Xbox Series X was released at the same time as the Series S. When it comes to hardware, the Series X is comparable to a prebuilt gaming PC and has some exceptional components for the price. What distinguishes the X and S, however, is the size as well as the general design.

The newest addition to the Xbox gaming consoles, the Series X, is significantly larger than the Series S, and it is only available in black, whereas the Series S is only available in white. A comparison of the two can be found below.

• Xbox Series X

The Xbox Series X can support up to 8K at 60 frames per second and 4K at 120 frames per second, which is rather impressive for such a low-cost system. All Xbox consoles, with the exception of Kinect games, are backward compatible with the Series X and S.

Some Xbox Series X/S games are predicted to be delayed as a result of the pandemic. Both Series X and S are experiencing stock shortages as a result of their phenomenal performance, which is expected to endure through the end of Q1 2021.

Halo: Infinite, Fable, Forza Motorsport, and State of Decay 3 are among the Xbox Series X and S exclusives, but Microsoft has announced that most exclusives will also be released on PC.

• Xbox Series S

Unlike the Series X, the Series S can only display 1440p at 120 frames per second. Because of its low price and tiny size, Microsoft had to eliminate features in order for everything to fit into the casing.

The Series S does not allow backward compatibility for Xbox One X-enhanced games, but it does support backward compatibility for all previous generations. The Series S, unlike the Series X, lacks an optical disc drive, which makes sense given that it was built for travel. Travelers would want to have all of their games on digital media rather than CDs because it is easier to transport.

Also read: Sony Playstation Gaming Consoles

Top 5 Xbox Games of all time!

• Halo 2

The 2004 sequel to Halo: Combat Evolved outperformed the original in every way and paved the door for online gaming on the first Xbox. Halo 2 included several new weaponry to the game and let players play as members of the Covenant, the series’ major enemy. The campaign is highly enjoyable, with a terrific plot and action-packed gameplay, and the game’s online component is one of the best online experiences in console gaming at the time. Halo 2 has now been remastered as Halo 2 Anniversary and is now available on the Xbox One and PC as part of the Halo: Master Chief Collection.

• Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic

The events of Bioware’s Knights of the Old Republic take place thousands of years before the events of the film, but everything that makes Star Wars legendary remains. In the game, players can become Jedis, create their own Lightsabers, and battle the Sith. The game is heavily story-driven, and its gameplay served as the foundation for future games by the developer, including Mass Effect and Dragon Age.

• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

When it comes to GTA games published during the sixth generation, San Andreas is the one that fans remember the most. With 2001’s GTA 3, the series turned 3D for the first time, but by the time San Andreas was published a few years later, Rockstar Games had really figured out what could be done in a 3D GTA game. Swimming and character stats are among the numerous new elements introduced in San Andreas.

• Morrowind: The Elder Scrolls III

Until the debut of Morrowind, The Elder Scrolls was a PC-exclusive and specialized franchise. With Morrowind being the first console game to be released, as well as being exclusive to Xbox for its console release, it began exposing more people to the series and set the wheels in motion for the series to become one of the most popular RPG franchises today, with the most recent entry Skyrim selling over 30 million copies.

• Fable

Fable is an action-adventure RPG that is one of the best Xbox exclusives. The wry British humor that the series was known for is one of the game’s most memorable characteristics. The series has been dormant since the third game was launched in 2011, but Fable is slated to be rebooted and a new game will be released in the coming years.

Wrapping up

We hope that you found this article on ‘Xbox Gaming Consoles’ useful and informative. Thanks for being with us till the end, and we’ll see you in the next one. Until then, keep gaming!