Xbox is a video gaming brand that includes four main home video game consoles, along with video games, the streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services like the Xbox network and Xbox Game Pass. The brand is owned by Microsoft Gaming, a part of Microsoft.

Xbox was first introduced in the United States in November 2001 with the release of the original Xbox console. From 2012 to 2015, the Xbox brand was used by Microsoft as its digital media entertainment brand, replacing Zune. In 2022, Microsoft expanded its gaming business and reorganized Xbox to become part of its new Microsoft Gaming division. Under Microsoft Gaming, Xbox's first-party publishers include Xbox Game Studios, ZeniMax Media (Bethesda Softworks), and Activision Blizzard (Activision, Blizzard Entertainment, and King), which own many studios and popular game series.

The original Xbox was the first video game console made by an American company after the Atari Jaguar stopped selling in 1996. It sold over 24 million units by May 2006. Microsoft's second console, the Xbox 360, was released in 2005 and sold 86 million units by October 2015. The third console, the Xbox One, was released in November 2013 and sold 58 million units. The fourth line of Xbox consoles, the Xbox Series X and Series S, was released in November 2020. Asha Sharma is the current head of Xbox, taking over from Phil Spencer after his retirement in February 2026.

History

In 1999, Sony Computer Entertainment introduced the PlayStation 2, describing it as a central part of home entertainment because it could play video games, audio CDs, and video DVDs. Microsoft, which had focused on supporting personal computers with its Windows operating system, software, and games, viewed the PlayStation 2 as a challenge to the personal computer market.

Four engineers from Microsoft's DirectX team—Kevin Bachus, Seamus Blackley, Ted Hase, and team leader Otto Berkes—began planning a Microsoft console to compete with the PlayStation 2. They designed a system that used hardware similar to personal computers, allowing it to run a version of Windows and DirectX to power games. This approach made it easier for Windows developers to create games for the console, unlike other consoles that used custom hardware. The console was given several names, such as "Direct X Box" and "Windows Entertainment Project." Microsoft's marketing team tested these names with consumers, using "Xbox" as a control name they believed would be least preferred. However, surveys showed "Xbox" was most popular and became the console's name.

Microsoft has used the "Xbox" brand beyond hardware, as seen in the 2019 renaming of Microsoft Studios to Xbox Game Studios. In June 2019, Phil Spencer stated that Microsoft's focus was not on selling consoles but on ensuring players enjoyed the games they purchased. This statement highlighted a shift toward prioritizing games, subscriptions, and services over hardware. In February 2020, Spencer said Microsoft no longer saw traditional gaming companies like Nintendo and Sony as competitors but instead saw companies like Amazon and Google, which offer cloud computing services. He noted that Microsoft Azure, a key part of its future plans, powers Xbox Cloud Gaming, a game streaming service. Spencer also mentioned mobile gaming as a potential area where Microsoft aimed to position itself through its services, saying, "I don't think it's 'hardware agnostic' as much as it's 'where you want to play.'"

In June 2025, Microsoft announced a partnership with AMD to develop the next generation of Xbox hardware, which could include consoles and computers. Despite rumors that Microsoft was moving away from hardware development, Xbox president Sarah Bond confirmed that work on the next console had already begun.

Consoles

The original Xbox was released in North America on November 15, 2001, in Japan on February 22, 2002, and in Australia and Europe on March 14, 2002. This marked Microsoft's first entry into the gaming console market. As part of the sixth generation of video game consoles, the Xbox competed with Sony's PlayStation 2, Sega's Dreamcast (which stopped selling in America before the Xbox was released), and Nintendo's GameCube. The Xbox used a 733 MHz 32-bit Intel Pentium III CPU and a 233 MHz Nvidia GeForce 3-based NV2A GPU with 64 MB of memory. It was the first console made by an American company after the Atari Jaguar stopped selling in 1996. Its name came from "DirectX Box," a reference to Microsoft's graphics API, DirectX.

The Xbox Live service, which allowed online gaming with a broadband connection, launched in November 2002. It first competed with Dreamcast's online service but later mainly competed with PlayStation 2's online service. Although both services were free, Xbox Live required a subscription and a broadband-only connection, which was not widely used at the time. Xbox Live became popular because it had better servers, features like a buddy list, and popular games such as Halo 2, which became the best-selling Xbox game and the most popular online game for the original Xbox.

The Xbox 360 was released in November 2005 as the successor to the original Xbox. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles. It used a custom triple-core 64-bit PowerPC-based processor made by IBM with 512 MB of RAM. By June 2014, 84 million Xbox 360 consoles had been sold worldwide. The Xbox 360 was first shown on MTV on May 12, 2005, with more details shared later that month at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). It sold out completely in all regions except Japan. Different versions of the Xbox 360 were released over time, offering varying amounts of RAM and internal storage.

The Xbox 360 improved the Xbox Live service, which included a free tier called Silver. It also allowed users to stream multimedia content from PCs. Later updates added the ability to purchase and stream music, television, and films through Xbox Music and Xbox Video services. Microsoft also released Kinect, a motion control system that used advanced sensors.

Two major updates of the Xbox 360 were released after its initial launch. The Xbox 360 S, often called "Slim," was launched in 2010. It had the same core hardware but a smaller design, a 250 GB hard drive, integrated Wi-Fi, and a special port for the Kinect. It replaced the original Xbox 360 model. A cheaper version of the Xbox 360 S, with less internal storage but more USB ports, was released in 2010. The second major update was the Xbox 360 E, released in 2013. It had a design similar to the upcoming Xbox One but removed some ports and connections.

The Xbox One was released on November 22, 2013, as the successor to the Xbox 360. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 4 and Nintendo's Wii U and Switch as part of the eighth generation of video game consoles. It used an AMD Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) based on the 64-bit x86-64 instruction set and could have up to 12 GB of memory.

Announced on May 21, 2013, the Xbox One focused on internet-based features, such as recording and streaming gameplay and integrating with set-top boxes to watch cable or satellite TV. However, its initial digital rights management and privacy practices caused controversy. Microsoft allowed users to access their game library on any Xbox One console without needing discs and let them share their library with up to 10 family members. However, all games had to be linked to an Xbox Live account, and the console needed to connect to the internet at least once every 24 hours to function. After criticism, Microsoft removed these restrictions. The requirement to use the Kinect peripheral also faced criticism, leading Microsoft to allow the console to work without it.

On June 13, 2016, Microsoft announced the Xbox One S at E3 2016. It had a smaller design, supported 4K video (including streaming and Ultra HD Blu-ray), and HDR. At E3 2017, Microsoft introduced the Xbox One X, a high-end model with improved hardware for 4K gaming.

Since November 2014, Microsoft has not released sales numbers for the Xbox One line. Xbox head Phil Spencer stated that while sales are tracked internally, the company chooses not to report them to avoid affecting developers. In July 2023, Microsoft revealed that the Xbox One line sold over 58 million units.

The fourth generation of Xbox models, called simply "Xbox," includes the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, launched on November 10, 2020. These consoles are part of the ninth generation of video game consoles alongside the PlayStation 5, also released that month. Like the Xbox One, they use an AMD 64-bit x86-64 CPU and GPU with up to 16 GB of memory.

The Xbox Series X and Series S are high-end and low-end versions similar to the Xbox One X and Xbox One S, respectively. All games designed for this model family can be played on both systems. The Xbox Series X is estimated to

Games

Each console offers many different games. Most games made for the original Xbox can be played on its newer console, the Xbox 360. Later, in 2016, the Xbox One added support for playing Xbox 360 games, but some games that required special equipment like Kinect or USB devices were not supported. The Xbox Series X/S can play all Xbox One games (except those needing Kinect), as well as all Xbox 360 and original Xbox games that were available for the Xbox One.

Games with the Xbox and Xbox Live brands have also been released for devices running Microsoft Windows, Windows Phone, Android, and iOS. Xbox games can be played through the Xbox Cloud Gaming service, which streams games over the internet.

Services

Microsoft sells Xbox consoles at or below the cost to make them, but earns money through fees from game publishers, developers, and online services for players.

The Xbox network (formerly Xbox Live) is an online service with more than 65 million users worldwide (as of July 2019). It includes an online store called the Xbox Games Store, where users can buy and download games and other media. Online gaming on Xbox began on November 15, 2002, and the service is still active today.

The Microsoft Store is an online marketplace for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles. The Xbox 360 console uses an earlier version of the Xbox Games Store.

The Xbox app is a tool that works on Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11, iOS, Android (version 4.0 and above), and Windows Server 2012. It was introduced in 2012 with the release of Windows 8. The app connects to the Xbox console and allows mobile devices to act as a second screen or remote control for interactive entertainment.

Xbox Game Pass Cloud Gaming (called xCloud during development) is Microsoft’s cloud gaming service that streams games over the internet.

In 2019, Microsoft added a feature to reduce harmful behavior in online games. Players can report messages, usernames, photos, and other harmful content on the platform.

Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows 10, and Windows 11. It gives users access to a collection of games from multiple publishers for a single monthly fee. The service started on June 1, 2017.

Xbox Wire is Xbox’s news blog. It was launched in May 2013 to prepare for the Xbox One announcement. It was Microsoft’s first blog focused on Xbox since 2009. In March 2022, a Japanese-language version of the blog was released to support the Japanese gaming market.

Software

The Xbox Dashboard is the main interface for all four generations of Xbox. It helps users manage games stored on the console, play media, and access system settings. Since 2002, the Dashboard has connected to the Xbox network, which offers online features and a place to buy games. The operating systems for all Xbox platforms are changed versions of the Windows NT operating system. The original Xbox and Xbox 360 use software based on Windows 2000, while the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S use software based on Windows 11. These systems support Universal Windows Platform (UWP) applications.

In May 2020, Xbox introduced a preview of an app that lets parents set daily limits on children's playing time, provides weekly activity reports, blocks age-restricted games, and limits online communication. This is an effort by Microsoft to encourage responsible gaming.

Controllers

Released in 2001, the Xbox control pad was the first controller made for the original Xbox. The Xbox controller has two analog sticks, a directional pad that responds to pressure, two analog triggers, a Back button, a Start button, two accessory slots, and six 8-bit analog action buttons (A/Green, B/Red, X/Blue, Y/Yellow, and Black and White buttons). The original Xbox controller, nicknamed the "Fatty" and later the "Duke," was the controller included with Xbox systems in all regions except Japan. Japan received a more compact controller called the Controller S. The Controller S later became the standard included controller in all regions.

Released in 2005, the Xbox 360 controller for the Xbox 360 replaced its predecessor. A standard Xbox 360 controller has eleven digital buttons, two analog triggers, two analog sticks, and a digital D-pad. The right side of the controller has four digital action buttons: a green "A" button, a red "B" button, a blue "X" button, and a yellow "Y" button. The lower right side holds the right analog stick, the lower left side has a digital D-pad, and the left side has the left analog stick. Both analog sticks can be "clicked in" to activate a digital button beneath them. In the center of the controller are digital "Start," "Back," and "Guide" buttons. The "Guide" button is labeled with the Xbox logo and is used to turn on the console/controller and access the guide menu. It is surrounded by the "ring of light," which shows the controller number, flashes when connecting, and provides notifications. The left and right "shoulders" each have a digital shoulder button, or "bumper," and an analog trigger.

The Xbox One console has a revised controller with forty improvements over the 360's controller. This new controller is designed to work with Kinect. The Start and Back buttons are replaced with Menu and View buttons. It has impulse triggers instead of regular triggers. The Xbox button still brings up the mini-guide in recent versions, though earlier versions used it to access the main dashboard menu while leaving the game uninterrupted.

The fourth generation Xbox Controller is similar to the Xbox One controller but adds a capture and share button, a hybrid D-pad, and better gripping on the bumpers and triggers. The controller is also compatible with certain PCs and mobile devices.

The Xbox Adaptive Controller is a special controller designed to help players with accessibility needs. It is larger than typical controllers and includes extra ports to connect other devices and map them to controller functions. The controller works with Xbox, Windows, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch platforms.

Other accessories

Kinect (named KINECT) is a motion-sensing device made by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 video game console and Windows computers. It works like a webcam attached to the Xbox 360, letting users control the console without a game controller by using body movements and spoken commands. The goal of Kinect was to attract more people to play Xbox 360 games, not just gamers. It competes with similar devices like the Wii Remote Plus and PlayStation Move for the Wii and PlayStation 3 consoles. A version for Windows was released on February 1, 2012.

Kinect was first sold in North America on November 4, 2010, in Europe on November 10, 2010, in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore on November 18, 2010, and in Japan on November 20, 2010. Buyers could purchase Kinect with the game Kinect Adventures or with an Xbox 360 console that had either 4 GB or 250 GB of storage.

Kinect set a Guinness World Record for being the "fastest-selling consumer electronics device" after selling 8 million units in its first 60 days. By January 2012, 24 million Kinect sensors had been shipped.

Microsoft released a software development kit for Windows 7 on June 16, 2011. This tool helped developers create apps using Kinect with programming languages like C++/CLI, C#, or Visual Basic .NET.

More details about the Xbox One Kinect were shared on June 6, 2013, including how to disable its "always on" feature. While the Xbox One Kinect had better performance than the original Xbox 360 Kinect, it received mixed reviews. Users praised its wide viewing angle, quick response time, and high-quality camera. However, some criticized its difficulty in understanding certain English accents. Concerns also arose about Microsoft linking the sensor to the Xbox One console and privacy issues.

When Xbox Live launched in 2002, the Xbox Communicator headset was included in the Live Starter Kit. This headset allowed players to chat during games. It had a wired headset and an interface module that connected to the controller. The module had a dial for volume and a button to mute the microphone. The headset used a standard 2.5mm TRS audio jack, which worked with phone headsets.

Xbox 360 controllers had a built-in 2.5mm TRS jack, allowing players to use the Xbox Communicator headset without an extra module. A premium bundle included a wired Xbox 360 Live Communicator headset with matching colors. A revised version of the headset, with black coloring, was released in 2010 and came with the Xbox 360 S. The mute and volume controls were moved to the cable.

Microsoft introduced the Xbox 360 Wireless Headset in 2005. Special editions with themed colors were released later. In 2011, a version with Bluetooth was launched, allowing use with both the Xbox 360 and phones.

The first Xbox One Wireless Controller (Model 1537) had a 2.5mm jack for phone headsets. Starting in 2013, each Xbox One console came with the Xbox One Chat Headset, which had a wired interface module for mute and volume controls. In 2014, the Xbox One Stereo Headset was released, allowing players to hear game audio and chat at the same time. A special edition with white coloring was released in 2016. The next controller model (Model 1697) replaced the 2.5mm jack with a 3.5mm jack.

In 2021, a new Xbox Wireless Headset was introduced for the Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows computers. Each earcup has a rotary control: the right controls volume, and the left adjusts the mix of game and chat audio. The headset uses both Xbox Wireless and Bluetooth, allowing simultaneous connections. A simpler version, the Xbox Stereo Headset, was released in 2021 with a 3.5mm plug and no wireless features.

Marketing

In 2016, Microsoft decided to hold an Xbox FanFest instead of a press conference at the Gamescom annual European video game convention. The event took place in Sydney in September 2016.

On November 15, 2021, Microsoft celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Xbox with a special online event. During this celebration, they announced a documentary titled Power On: The Story of Xbox. The documentary was released in six parts beginning on December 13, 2021. It received the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Camera Editing.