Difference between revisions of "Xbox"

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[[Image:Xbox.jpg|thumb|right|260px|Microsoft Xbox console]]The '''Xbox''' is Microsoft's [[game console]], released on November 15, 2001. It is Microsoft's first independent venture into the console arena, after having collaborated with [[Sega]] in porting [[Windows CE]] to the Sega [[Dreamcast]] console. The price is currently 149 USD, 149 EUR, 99 GBP, 200 CAN and 249 AUD.  Notable Xbox-exclusive titles that debuted with the console include ''Amped'', ''Dead or Alive 3'', ''Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee'', ''Halo'', and ''Project Gotham Racing'', which almost all now have sequels, including ''Halo 2''.
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{{ConsoleBob
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| logo=Xbox logo.svg
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| consoleimage=Xbox.jpg
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| name=
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| maker=[[Microsoft]]
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| releases={{releasesXbox
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| xbox_date_us=2001-11-15{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20011006030323/http://www.xbox.com/News/0109/2101.htm}}
 +
| xbox_rrp_us=299.99{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20011006030323/http://www.xbox.com/News/0109/2101.htm}}
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| xbox_date_eu=2002-03-14
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| xbox_date_jp=2002-02-22{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20020305204529/http://xbox.jp:80/news/xbox/x_release20020222_01.html}}
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| xbox_rrp_jp=34,800{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20020305204529/http://xbox.jp:80/news/xbox/x_release20020222_01.html}}
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| xbox_date_au=2002-03-14
 +
}}
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}}
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The '''Xbox''' is a video game console developed by [[Microsoft]], and was first released in late 2001. It was Microsoft's first independent venture into the console arena, and competed in the sixth generation of video game consoles, primarily against the [[PlayStation 2]], [[Nintendo GameCube]] and to a lesser extent, the [[Sega Dreamcast]]. The Xbox was Microsoft's major console until 2005, when the Xbox's successor, the [[Xbox 360]] launched.
  
 
==Overview==
 
==Overview==
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Microsoft built the Xbox around industry-standard PC hardware in contrast to the traditionally proprietary design of nearly all other gaming consoles. It has
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Though the Xbox does not represent Microsoft's first foray into video games, it does represent their first attempt at a dedicated video game console. It was built by the team which had pioneered DirectX technology on Windows PCs (hence its working name, "DirectX Box"), and was the first major console since the Atari Jaguar to have been designed by a non-Japanese video game company. The Xbox is largely considered to be a relatively successful endeavour for Microsoft, though the company's business naivety when dealing with console gaming led to a number of issues which kept the Xbox behind the [[PlayStation 2]] both in terms of content and sales. Notably, the Xbox performed abysmally in Japan and struggled throughout much of Europe, but performed much better in North America where it pushed the GameCube to third place.
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* An Intel Celeron (Coppermine) based processor clocked at 733 MHz
 
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* An nVIDIA NV2A graphics processor which in terms of its PC brethren lies somewhere between the GeForce 3 and 4 lines
 
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* 64 MB of system [[RAM]].
 
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* A DVD-ROM drive
 
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* An 8 GB hard disk.
 
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* 10/100 Ethernet.
 
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Although the Xbox is based on PC architecture and runs a stripped down version of the Windows 2000 kernel, it incorporates restrictions designed to prevent uses not approved by Microsoft. It did not take long, however, for the hacker community to circumvent these limitations and install a customized distribution of the Linux operating system on the Xbox, thus making it usable as a fully featured PC (without eliminating its gaming and its online capabilities).
 
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Xbox has been criticized for its large size and weight compared to other consoles, mostly due to its inclusion of a full sized hard disk drive and DVD-ROM drive. Even so, it is considerably smaller and lighter than most desktop PCs which contain similar hardware. The inside of the Xbox is also rather packed in due to the full size drives and flat motherboard.  A warning in the Xbox manual that a falling Xbox "could cause serious injury" has been taken lightly by some; while the Xbox is certainly heavy enough to hurt a small child if dropped from a sufficient height (so can any other console if dropped), all controllers are equipped with break-away cables to help prevent this occurring.
 
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Another common complaint about the system was that the original game controller design was seen as too large for some people. For the Japanese Xbox launch, a new and smaller controller was introduced, a design which was subsequently released in other markets as the "Controller S," eventually replacing the original design. Now all Xbox consoles come with a "Controller S", offically making the orginal launch controller obsolete and unsupported.
 
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While some critics have speculated that the Xbox is Microsoft's attempt to monopolize the game console market due to heavy media critism, as of November 2004 estimates show the Xbox's share of the worldwide console market is slightly ahead of the [[Nintendo GameCube]] but is still far behind the [[Sony PlayStation 2]]. But the Xbox has very rarely sold in [[Japan]], due to the Japanese people's poor acceptence of an American console in Japan, which gives their rivals, [[Sony]] and [[Nintendo]] a big advantage. But, in much of Europe, the Xbox is currently ahead of the GameCube, but is still far behind the Playstation 2. What mainly helped worldwide sales of the Xbox was, ever since March 2004, Microsoft cut the price of the Xbox in several countries, such as the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and many other nations, which has substantially increased its sales outside of Japan. The Xbox has yet to return a profit for Microsoft, though this is common for a console company, this is in line with most other console marketing strategies in which the console is sold almost at cost, and profit is made on software licensing fees.  Microsoft itself has predicted that it would not make a profit on the Xbox for at least three years after the console's debut.  
 
  
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In November 2002, Microsoft released the successful Xbox Live online gaming service, allowing people to play games with people all around the world. The milestone of 1 million subscribers was announced in July 2004.
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From a technical perspective, the Xbox ''should'' be the most powerful console of its generation, but the GameCube is better suited to some tasks and some games designed for the PlayStation 2 (e.g. the ''Grand Theft Auto'' and ''Metal Gear Solid'' series) generally perform better on Sony's machine. For games designed as multi-platform from the outset, usually (but not always) the Xbox versions operate at higher resolutions and frame rates than the competition.
  
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==Specifications==
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The Xbox was the first console to incorporate an 8-10GB hard drive (significantly larger than the memory cards required by the Japanese machines) which could in theory reduce loading times, but it is also plagued by poor design decisions - it is a much bigger and heavier console than its counterparts that is more susceptible to overheating.
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*CPU: 733 MHz Intel processor (a Celeron/Pentium III hybrid chip)
 
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*Graphics Processor: 250 MHz custom chip named the NV2A, developed by Microsoft and nVIDIA (comparable to a low-end GeForce 4 card, but without DirectX 9.0 support)
 
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*Total Memory: 64 MB DDR SDRAM running at 200 MHz, supplied by Micron
 
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*Memory Bandwidth: 6.4 GB/s
 
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*[[Polygon]] Performance: 125 M/s*
 
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*Sustained Polygon Performance: 100+ M/s (transformed and lit polygons per second)
 
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*Micropolygons/particles per second: 125 M/s
 
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*Particle Performance: 125 M/s
 
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*Simultaneous Textures: 4
 
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*[[Pixel]] Fill Rate - No Texture: 4.0 G/s ([[Anti-aliasing|anti-aliased]])
 
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*Pixel Fill Rate - 1 Texture: 4.0 G/s anti-aliased
 
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*Compressed Textures: Yes (6:1)
 
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*Full Scene Anti-Alias: Yes
 
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*Micro Polygon Support: Yes
 
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*Storage Medium: 2-5x DVD, 8.5GB hard disk, 8MB memory card
 
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*I/O: 2-5x DVD, 8GB/10GB hard disk, 8MB memory card
 
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*Audio Channels: 64 3D channels(up to 256 stereo voices)
 
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*3D Audio Support: Yes
 
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*MIDI DLS2 Support: Yes
 
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*Dolby Digital Encoded Game Audio: Yes (via TOSLINK)
 
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*Broadband Enabled: Yes (10/100base-T ethernet)
 
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*DVD Movie Playback: Yes (separate DVD Playback Kit/Remote required)
 
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*Maximum Resolution (2x32bpp frame buffers +Z): 1920(vert.)x1080(horiz)
 
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*Note: Non-HD TV's have less than 500 horizontal lines
 
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*HDTV Support: Yes
 
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*Controller Ports: 4 proprietary USB ports
 
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*Weight: 3.86kg
 
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*Dimensions: 324 × 265 × 90mm (12.8 × 10.4 × 3.5 inches)
 
  
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<nowiki>*</nowiki> Microsoft figure. Some critics assert that the Xbox's polygon-per-second number is exaggerated by unrealistic testing conditions.
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The Xbox is also very poor at keeping time due to Microsoft's decision to use a "clock capacitor" rather than a traditional battery. This can affect games which use the clock to validate save files or trigger special events - if the system is not connected to mains power, the clock only stays active for about 8 hours, after which the user will need to reset it when the console is turned on. This capacitor is also a huge risk in older models - it is known to explode and cause damage to the console's internals, and can only be accessed by disassembling the unit.
  
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==Devices and addons==
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The Xbox was disposed of relatively quickly after the launch of the far more successful Xbox 360 console. The 360 is backwards compatible with many Xbox games, but support is patchy and games may run better on the original unit. Similarly the [[Xbox One]] also supports a selection of original Xbox titles.
  
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*Standard AV Cable: Provides [[Composite video|composite video]] and [[Monaural|monoaural]] or [[Stereo|stereo audio]] to TVs equipped with [[RCA jack|RCA]] inputs. Comes with the system. European systems come with a RCA jack to SCART converter block in addition to the cable.
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==Sega support==
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*RF Adapter: Provides a combined audio and video signal on an [[RF connector]].
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[[Sega]] was one of the first major third-party publishers to back the Xbox, announcing that it would be publishing eleven video games for the platform during [[Tokyo Game Show 2001 Autumn]]{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20021117061804/http://www.sega.jp/release/nr010330_1e.html}}. The commitment from Sega was seen as something of a coup for Microsoft - with such a big Japanese publisher on board, it was hoped others from the region might follow suit, giving the console the much needed Japanese interest that had so far eluded the fledgling games machine.
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*Advanced AV Pack: A [[Breakout box|breakout box]] that provides [[S-Video]] and TOSLINK audio in addition to the RCA composite video and stereo audio of the Standard AV Cable.
 
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*High Definition AV Pack: A breakout box, intended for HDTVs, that provides a [[YUV|YPrPb]] component video signal over three RCA connectors.  Also provides analog RCA and digital TOSLINK audio outputs.
 
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*Advanced SCART Cable: The European equivalent to the Advanced AV Pack, providing a full RGB video [[SCART]] connection in place of [[S-Video]], RCA composite and stereo audio connections (composite video and stereo are still provided by the cable, through the SCART connector, in addition to the RGB signal), while retaining the TOSLINK audio connector. As Europe has no HDTV standard, no High Definition cable is currently provided in those markets.
 
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<nowiki>*</nowiki> Numerous third-party cables and breakout boxes exist that provide combinations of outputs not found in these official video packages; however, with the exception of a few component-to-VGA transcoders and custom-built VGA boxes, the four official video packages represent all of the Xbox's possible outputs.  This output selectivity is made possible by the Xbox's [[SCART]]-like AVIP port.
 
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*Memory Unit: An 8MB removable solid state memory card, onto which gamesaves can either be copied from the hard drive, or saved directly. Note that some recent games have dropped support for this accessory as a piracy prevention measure; I.E: Ninja Gaiden.
 
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*System Link Cable: A Cat 5 crossover cable for connecting together two consoles, for up to 8 total players. Also used to move [[Xbox Live]] system information between consoles.
 
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*Ethernet (Xbox Live) Cable: A Cat 5 cable for connecting the Xbox to a broadband modem or router (note that there is no "official" Xbox Live cable; any PC ethernet cable can be used)
 
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*DVD Playback Kit: Required in order to play DVD movies, the kit includes an infrared remote control and receiver. DVD playback was not included as a standard feature of the Xbox due to licensing issues with the DVD format that would have added extra cost to the console's base price. By selling a DVD remote separately Microsoft was able to recover the DVD licensing fee.  Although there is nothing to prevent the Xbox from acting as a Progressive scan|progressive-scan DVD player, Microsoft chose not to enable this feature in the Xbox DVD kit in order to avoid royalty payments to the patent-holder of progressive scan DVD playback.
 
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*Xbox Wireless Adapter: a wireless bridge which converts data running through an ethernet cable to a wireless (802.11b or 802.11g) signal.  Adds wireless internet capabilities to the Xbox.  Note that while there is an official Wireless Adapter, almost any wireless bridge can be used.
 
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*Xbox Live Kit: A subscription and installation pack for the Xbox Live service, as well as a headset (with monaural earpiece and microphone) which connects to a control box, which in turn connects to an accessory slot on the controller. The headset can in fact be replaced with most standard earpiece-and-microphone headsets; a special-edition headset for Halo 2 is being released.
 
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*Xbox Media Center Extender: A kit that allows a Xbox to act as a Media Center Extender to stream content from a Windows Media Center Edition PC. It can also be used for DVD playback.
 
  
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==Xbox and DirectX==
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Sega and Microsoft had worked closely with each other during the design of the [[Sega Dreamcast]], with Sega benefiting from the inclusion of [[Windows CE]], and Microsoft being able to experience the video game market at close range. Both were also eager to push the benefits of online gaming - a feeling perhaps not shared with [[Sony]] and [[Nintendo]] at the time. The Dreamcast is also thought to have influenced the design of the Xbox's controllers, with a similar button layout and two peripheral slots on the top.
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Microsoft's set of low-level APIs for game development and multimedia purposes, DirectX, was used as a basis for the Xbox's hardware programming (as well as its name, which implies "DirectX Box"). The API was developed jointly between Microsoft and NVIDIA, whose chips power the Xbox graphics. The Xbox API is similar to DirectX version 8.1, but is non-updateable just like other console technologies.
 
  
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==Modding the Xbox==
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At one point the Xbox was even planned to be able to run Dreamcast games, with [[Isao Okawa]], then-president of Sega, having several meetings with Microsoft founder Bill Gates over the subject. The deal inevitably fell through due to online issues (Dreamcast online support conflicting with Microsoft's plans for the Xbox Live service), but the relationship between the two firms remained close, with [[Sega of America]]'s [[Peter Moore]] migrating to Microsoft in the years that followed. The [[Sega Chihiro]] arcade board would also be derived from the Xbox, similar to how the [[NAOMI]] system stems from the Dreamcast.
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The recent popularity of the Xbox has inspired efforts to circumvent the built-in hardware and software security mechanisms, as well as to add customized design touches to the console's case (similar to PC case modding). Hardware modding can involve anything from simply replacing the console's green decorative "jewel" with a custom-designed one to opening up the case and installing a [[modchip]]. Software modding is much less intrusive, and only involves running software exploits to trick the Xbox into running unsigned program code. This allows running an alternate dashboard such as Avalaunch or Evolution-X and in turn makes playing various older games through [[arcade]] and [[emulator|games console emulators]] possible. This is especially attractive as the Xbox is designed to output to TVs, and has high quality controllers and arcade sticks available for it. The user can also replace the orginal hard drive with a larger one and copy an entire Xbox game to the hard disk to and then play it from the hard drive of a modded Xbox using one of the altertive dashboards (often extremely reducing DVD load-times).  Beyond gaming, a modded Xbox can be used as a media center with the Xbox Media Center  software (XBMC) allowing the playing of DVDs without the $30 DVD dongle/remote and streaming of music and video files from the hard drive or from another computer over a network. A modded Xbox can even be configured into a computer running Linux or [[Windows CE]] operating systems.  
 
  
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Modding an Xbox may require opening the Xbox case, and would certainly void the Xbox's warranty. Also, most internal hardware modifications will render an Xbox unable to participate in Xbox Live which is why many modders use a switch to turn on and off their modifications to the Xbox. But as of November 2004, Microsoft has been taking new actions for banning Xboxs with hard drive modifications from the Xbox Live service. There has been several theories on how banning in this new methoid is done. One theory is that there is a "marrage" of your hard drive serial number and your Xbox's serial number, and banning if one of those two change due to part replacement. Another is that it might check for modified files, and another suggesting that Microsoft is detecting if the unique hard drive key of every Xbox has changed.
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Sega missed the US launch of the Xbox, but through [[Smilebit]], was able to release two exclusive games to coincide with the Japanese and European launch windows in early 2002; ''[[Jet Set Radio Future]]'' and ''[[Gunvalkyrie]]''. While highly rated, both sold poorly in Japan{{magref|xbn|3|24}} - a recurring theme owed to Microsoft's inability to appeal to international audiences. This would be followed by the likes of  
 +
''[[Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller]]'', ''[[Panzer Dragoon Orta]]'', ''[[Sega GT 2002]]'', ''[[The House of the Dead III]]'', ''[[ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth]]'' and ''[[World Series Baseball (Xbox)|World Series Baseball]]'' later in the year - all exclusive to the Xbox, but none able to entice the Japanese market.
  
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Currently, it is believed that Microsoft compare each Xbox's serial number and hard drive serial number upon connecting to Live, and that any "unpairing" of the two will result in a ban for the user associated with the console; it should be possible for a modded Xbox to be used on Live, if the hard drive is either unchanged, or changed before the Xbox's first use on live.
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While perhaps initially treating the Xbox as a "continuation" of the Dreamcast, the playing field was levelled in 2003, with Sega adopting a clearer multi-platform strategy for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube. Roughly 50 games were released by Sega for the Xbox in total - more than the GameCube, but far less than the PlayStation 2.
  
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==Price history==
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A ''Panzer Dragoon Orta'' model of the Xbox console also released excuslively through [[Sega Direct]] on the 19th December 2002. Only 999 units were produced and were sold for ¥35,800{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20071118203752/http://sega.jp/corp/release/2002/1021_1/}}.
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*US$149, Canada-$199 (March 29, 2004), Europe-149 Euros (&#8364;), UK-99 Pounds (August 27, 2004)
 
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*US$179, Europe-199 Euros, UK-130 Pounds (2003)
 
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*US$199 (2002), Europe-479 Euros (Launch Price March 14, 2002), 299 Euros (April 26, 2002), 249 Euros (August 30, 2002)
 
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*US$299 (November 15, 2001, launch price)
 
  
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==Future==
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==Lists of Sega games for the Xbox==
 +
{{BulletPointGameList|XBOX}}
  
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Microsoft has released a new generation of Xbox hardware, called Xbox 360 in fall 2005. This is based around a customized, multi-core processor from IBM and an advanced GPU from ATI Technologies.The original Xbox will continue to be sold for some more years at a steadily decreasing price point, and with a decreasing number of new titles as game developers focus on the newer hardware.
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===By region===
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*[[List of Xbox games in Australia]]
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*[[List of Xbox games in Brazil]]
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*[[List of Xbox games in Canada]]
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*[[List of Xbox games in France]]
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*[[List of Xbox games in Germany]]
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*[[List of Xbox games in Italy]]
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*[[List of Xbox games in Japan]]
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*[[List of Xbox games in Mexico]]
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*[[List of Xbox games in Russia]]
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*[[List of Xbox games in South Korea]]
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*[[List of Xbox games in Spain]]
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*[[List of Xbox games in Taiwan]]
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*[[List of Xbox games in the United Kingdom]]
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*[[List of Xbox games in the United States]]
  
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==External links==
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==Photo gallery==
 +
<gallery>
 +
Xbox JP PanzerDragoonOrta.jpg|Xbox console, ''[[Panzer Dragoon Orta]]'' model
 +
</gallery>
  
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* [http://www.xbox.com Official Xbox website]
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==Promotional images==
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* [http://www.xbox-scene.com Xbox Community/Modding/Tutorial/News site]
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<gallery>
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* [http://www.xboxgaming.com Xbox Community/News site]
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XboxE32004 xbox.png
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* [http://www.consoledatabase.com Console Database] - Xbox Info
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XboxE32004 Xbox and controller-LATEST2.png
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* [http://www.dmoz.org/Games/Video_Games/Console_Platforms/Microsoft/Xbox/ Xbox Directory]
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X02 Controller-Angle.jpg
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* [http://www.xboxmediacenter.de Xbox Media Center] - play almost any kind of video and audio formats with a modded Xbox.  
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X02 Controller-Front.jpg
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* [http://www.teamxbox.com Xbox forums]
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X03MediaResource CONTROL2.jpg
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* [http://www.elook.org/games/cheats/xbox/ eLook Xbox Cheats]
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X03MediaResource CONTROL4.jpg
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* [http://www.xboxcentral.net Xbox Central]
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X03MediaResource CONTROL6.jpg
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* [http://www.console-cheats.com/xbox/ Xbox Cheats]
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X03MediaResource CONTROL8.jpg
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* [http://www.xbox-linux.org/ Linux on the Xbox]
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X03MediaResource CONTRO10.jpg
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* [http://gentoo-wiki.com/Gentoo_for_Xbox Gentoo for Xbox Wiki (real Gentoo)]
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X03MediaResource CONTRO12.jpg
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* [http://gentoox.shallax.org/ Gentoo Linux for Xbox (GentooX)]
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X03MediaResource CONTRO14.jpg
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* [http://www.caustik.com/cxbx/ Emulating the Xbox]
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X03MediaResource CONTRO16.jpg
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* [http://www.xboxreactor.com Xbox Reactor]
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X03MediaResource CONTROLE.jpg
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* [http://www.teamavalaunch.com Replacement for MS Dashboard]
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X03MediaResource CONTROL1.jpg
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* [http://www.xbox-scene.com Everything you want to know about modding an Xbox]
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X03MediaResource CONTROL3.jpg
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* [http://www.xbox99.com Xbox news and headlines]
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X03MediaResource CONTROL5.jpg
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X03MediaResource CONTROL7.jpg
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X03MediaResource CONTROL9.jpg
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X03MediaResource CONTRO11.jpg
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X03MediaResource CONTRO13.jpg
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X03MediaResource CONTRO15.jpg
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X03MediaResource CONTROLL.jpg
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X03MediaResource Controller-S-Front.png
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X03MediaResource Xbox-Console-Angle.png
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</gallery>
  
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[[Category:Hardware]]
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==References==
 +
<references />
 +
{{NonSegaConsoles}}

Latest revision as of 16:26, 21 September 2022

Xbox logo.svg
Xbox.jpg
Xbox
Manufacturer: Microsoft
Release Date RRP Code
Xbox
JP 		¥34,80034,800[2]
Xbox
US 		$299.99299.99[1]
Xbox
EU
Xbox
AU

The Xbox is a video game console developed by Microsoft, and was first released in late 2001. It was Microsoft's first independent venture into the console arena, and competed in the sixth generation of video game consoles, primarily against the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube and to a lesser extent, the Sega Dreamcast. The Xbox was Microsoft's major console until 2005, when the Xbox's successor, the Xbox 360 launched.

Overview

Though the Xbox does not represent Microsoft's first foray into video games, it does represent their first attempt at a dedicated video game console. It was built by the team which had pioneered DirectX technology on Windows PCs (hence its working name, "DirectX Box"), and was the first major console since the Atari Jaguar to have been designed by a non-Japanese video game company. The Xbox is largely considered to be a relatively successful endeavour for Microsoft, though the company's business naivety when dealing with console gaming led to a number of issues which kept the Xbox behind the PlayStation 2 both in terms of content and sales. Notably, the Xbox performed abysmally in Japan and struggled throughout much of Europe, but performed much better in North America where it pushed the GameCube to third place.

From a technical perspective, the Xbox should be the most powerful console of its generation, but the GameCube is better suited to some tasks and some games designed for the PlayStation 2 (e.g. the Grand Theft Auto and Metal Gear Solid series) generally perform better on Sony's machine. For games designed as multi-platform from the outset, usually (but not always) the Xbox versions operate at higher resolutions and frame rates than the competition.

The Xbox was the first console to incorporate an 8-10GB hard drive (significantly larger than the memory cards required by the Japanese machines) which could in theory reduce loading times, but it is also plagued by poor design decisions - it is a much bigger and heavier console than its counterparts that is more susceptible to overheating.

The Xbox is also very poor at keeping time due to Microsoft's decision to use a "clock capacitor" rather than a traditional battery. This can affect games which use the clock to validate save files or trigger special events - if the system is not connected to mains power, the clock only stays active for about 8 hours, after which the user will need to reset it when the console is turned on. This capacitor is also a huge risk in older models - it is known to explode and cause damage to the console's internals, and can only be accessed by disassembling the unit.

The Xbox was disposed of relatively quickly after the launch of the far more successful Xbox 360 console. The 360 is backwards compatible with many Xbox games, but support is patchy and games may run better on the original unit. Similarly the Xbox One also supports a selection of original Xbox titles.

Sega support

Sega was one of the first major third-party publishers to back the Xbox, announcing that it would be publishing eleven video games for the platform during Tokyo Game Show 2001 Autumn[3]. The commitment from Sega was seen as something of a coup for Microsoft - with such a big Japanese publisher on board, it was hoped others from the region might follow suit, giving the console the much needed Japanese interest that had so far eluded the fledgling games machine.

Sega and Microsoft had worked closely with each other during the design of the Sega Dreamcast, with Sega benefiting from the inclusion of Windows CE, and Microsoft being able to experience the video game market at close range. Both were also eager to push the benefits of online gaming - a feeling perhaps not shared with Sony and Nintendo at the time. The Dreamcast is also thought to have influenced the design of the Xbox's controllers, with a similar button layout and two peripheral slots on the top.

At one point the Xbox was even planned to be able to run Dreamcast games, with Isao Okawa, then-president of Sega, having several meetings with Microsoft founder Bill Gates over the subject. The deal inevitably fell through due to online issues (Dreamcast online support conflicting with Microsoft's plans for the Xbox Live service), but the relationship between the two firms remained close, with Sega of America's Peter Moore migrating to Microsoft in the years that followed. The Sega Chihiro arcade board would also be derived from the Xbox, similar to how the NAOMI system stems from the Dreamcast.

Sega missed the US launch of the Xbox, but through Smilebit, was able to release two exclusive games to coincide with the Japanese and European launch windows in early 2002; Jet Set Radio Future and Gunvalkyrie. While highly rated, both sold poorly in Japan[4] - a recurring theme owed to Microsoft's inability to appeal to international audiences. This would be followed by the likes of Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Sega GT 2002, The House of the Dead III, ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth and World Series Baseball later in the year - all exclusive to the Xbox, but none able to entice the Japanese market.

While perhaps initially treating the Xbox as a "continuation" of the Dreamcast, the playing field was levelled in 2003, with Sega adopting a clearer multi-platform strategy for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube. Roughly 50 games were released by Sega for the Xbox in total - more than the GameCube, but far less than the PlayStation 2.

A Panzer Dragoon Orta model of the Xbox console also released excuslively through Sega Direct on the 19th December 2002. Only 999 units were produced and were sold for ¥35,800[5].

Lists of Sega games for the Xbox

By region

Photo gallery

Promotional images

  • XboxE32004 xbox.png
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  • X03MediaResource CONTROLL.jpg
  • X03MediaResource Controller-S-Front.png
  • X03MediaResource Xbox-Console-Angle.png

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Xbox.com (News; 2101.htm/) (Wayback Machine: 2001-10-06 03:03)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://xbox.jp:80/news/xbox/x_release20020222_01.html (Wayback Machine: 2002-03-05 20:45)
  3. ↑ http://www.sega.jp/release/nr010330_1e.html (Wayback Machine: 2002-11-17 06:18)
  4. ↑ Xbox Nation, "Summer 2002" (US; 2002-xx-xx), page 24
  5. ↑ http://sega.jp/corp/release/2002/1021_1/ (Wayback Machine: 2007-11-18 20:37)
Non-Sega consoles
Nintendo
Nintendo Entertainment System (1983) | Game Boy (1989) | Super Nintendo Entertainment System (1990) | Nintendo 64 (1996) | Game Boy Color (1998) | Game Boy Advance (2001) | Nintendo GameCube (2001) | Nintendo DS (2004) | Wii (2006) | Nintendo 3DS (2011) | Wii U (2012) | Nintendo Switch (2017)
Sony
PlayStation (1994) | PlayStation 2 (2000) | PlayStation Portable (2004) | PlayStation 3 (2006) | PlayStation Vita (2011) | PlayStation 4 (2013) | PlayStation 5 (2020)
Microsoft
Xbox (2001) | Xbox 360 (2005) | Xbox One (2013) | Xbox Series X (2020)
Mobile
iOS | Android | Windows Phone
Other
Atari 2600 (1977) | ColecoVision (1982) | PC Engine (1987) | R-Zone (1995) | Game.com (1997) | WonderSwan (1998) | Neo Geo Pocket Color (1999) | N-Gage (2003) | LeapFrog Didj (2008) | Stadia (2019)
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