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{{Otheruses4||the successor to the Xbox|Xbox 360|other uses}}
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{{Infobox VG system
| logo = [[Image:Microsoft XBOX.svg|125px]]
| image =[[Image:Xbox 1.jpg|250px]]
| manufacturer = [[Microsoft]]
| family = Xbox
| type=[[Video game console]]
| generation=[[History of video game consoles (sixth generation)|Sixth generation era]]
| lifespan={{vgrelease|NA=November 15, 2001}}{{vgrelease|JP=February 22, 2002}}{{vgrelease|PAL=March 14, 2002}}
| discontinued = {{vgrelease|NA=2006}}{{vgrelease|JP=2005}}
| GPU=233 MHz nVidia [[Comparison of Nvidia graphics processing units#Console graphics processors|NV2A]]
| media=[[DVD]], [[Compact disc|CD]]
| storage=8 or 10 GB internal [[Hard disk|HDD]] (both formatted to 8 GB), 8 MB [[memory card]]
| controllers=4 maximum (wired) <!-- Wireless controllers not supported directly - third-party wireless controllers require a wired base unit. -->
| connectivity=[[Fast Ethernet|100Mbit Ethernet]]
| online service=[[Xbox Live]]
| CPU=Custom 733&nbsp;MHz Intel [[Pentium III#Coppermine|Coppermine-based]] processor
| RAM=64&nbsp;MB [[DDR SDRAM]] at 200&nbsp;MHz
| units sold=24 million <small>(as of May 10, 2006)</small><ref name="gamers_catch">{{cite web |url=http://www.xbox.com/zh-SG/community/news/2006/20060510.htm |title=Gamers Catch Their Breath as Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Reinvent Next-Generation Gaming |accessdate=2009-03-30 |date=2006-05-10|publisher=[[Microsoft]]}}</ref>
| units shipped=
| top game=''[[Halo 2]]'', 8 million <small>(as of May 9, 2006)</small><ref>{{cite web | url=http://money.cnn.com/2006/05/09/technology/e3_microsoft/index.htm | publisher=[[CNN]] | accessdate=2008-07-16 | author=Chris Morris | title=Grand Theft Auto, Halo 3 headed to Xbox 360 | date=2006-05-09}}</ref><ref name="halo2sales">{{cite web | author=Asher Moses | date=2007-08-30 | url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/biztech/prepare-for-allout-war/2007/08/30/1188067256196.html | title=Prepare for all-out war | publisher=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] | accessdate=2008-07-16 | quote=Combined, the first two Halo games have notched up sales of more than 14.5 million copies so far, about 8 million of which can be attributed to Halo 2, which is the best-selling first-generation Xbox game worldwide.}}</ref>
| successor=[[Xbox 360]]}}
The '''Xbox''' is a [[History of video games (Sixth generation era)|sixth-generation]] [[video game console]] produced by [[Microsoft|Microsoft Corporation]]. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market, and competed with [[Sony]]'s [[PlayStation 2]] and [[Nintendo]]'s [[GameCube]]. The integrated [[Xbox Live]] service allows players to [[online gaming|compete online]].


from ps3's to xbox 360s. games, accessories, anything you like.
The Xbox was released on November 15, 2001 in [[North America]], February 22, 2002 in [[Japan]], and March 14, 2002 in [[Australia]] and [[Europe]]. It is the predecessor to Microsoft's [[Xbox 360]] console. It was discontinued in late 2006, although the [[Madden NFL 09|final Xbox game]] was released in August 2008. Support for out-of-warranty Xbox consoles was discontinued on March 2, 2009, although in-warranty repairs will still be done.
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==History==
The Xbox was [[Microsoft]]'s first product that ventured into the video game console market, after having collaborated with [[Sega]] in porting [[Windows CE]] to the [[Dreamcast]] console. The Xbox first edition was initially developed by a small Microsoft team, that included game developer [[Seamus Blackley]]. Microsoft repeatedly delayed the console, which was revealed at the end of 1999 following interviews of then-Microsoft CEO Bill Gates. Gates stated that a gaming/multimedia device was essential for multimedia convergence in the new times, confirmed by Microsoft with a [[press release]].<ref>http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2000/03-10xbox.mspx</ref> A certain amount of excitement surrounded the announcement of Xbox. When Bill Gates unveiled it at the Game Developers Conference in 2000, audiences were dazzled by the console's amazing technology. At the time that Gates made the announcement, Sega's Dreamcast was diminishing and Sony's PlayStation 2 was just hitting the streets in Japan.<ref>http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/january04/xboxtimeline/</ref>

Microsoft made a few crucial errors at the launch of Xbox, most notably in its efforts to impress Japanese consumers. Seeing the importance of a good showing in Japan, Microsoft went hard after the Japanese market, delaying its European launch. Europe was unquestionably the more receptive market.<ref>http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/january04/xboxtimeline/</ref> Two of the original members of the Xbox team, Seamus Blackley and Kevin Bachus, left the company early on. The other founding members, Otto Berkes and Ted Hase, are still with Microsoft, but no longer working on the Xbox project. But Microsoft has also made some brilliant moves. In preparation for its launch, Microsoft acquired Bungie and used [[Halo:Combat Evolved|Halo]] as its launch title. At the time, Goldeneye 007, for Nintendo 64, had been one of the very few hit [[First-person shooter|FPS]] games to appear on a console, some of other ones being Perfect Dark and Medal of Honor. The Bungie acquisition proved itself, giving Microsoft a good application to drive its sales.<ref>http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/january04/xboxtimeline/</ref> In 2002, Xbox reached one milestone that few people would have predicted when Microsoft overtook [[Nintendo]] to capture the second place slot in consoles sold in North America.

Notable [[launch game]]s for the console included ''[[Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding]]'', ''[[Dead or Alive 3]]'', ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'', ''[[Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee]]'' and ''[[Project Gotham Racing]]''.

===Xbox 360===
{{main|Xbox 360|List of Xbox games compatible with Xbox 360}}
[[NVIDIA]] ceased production of the Xbox's GPU in August 2005, which marked the end of Xbox production and the quick release of the [[Xbox 360]] on November 22, 2005.

When equipped with a removable hard drive add-on, the Xbox 360 supports [[List of Xbox games compatible with Xbox 360|a limited number of the Xbox's game library]] through emulation. Emulation adds support for anti-aliasing as well as upscaling of the still standard definition image. These emulators are periodically updated to add compatibility for older games and are available for free through Xbox Live or as a file download to be burned to a CD/DVD from the Xbox web site. These updates are also available monthly as part of the demo disc that comes with each issue of [[Official Xbox Magazine]]. As the architectures are entirely different between Xbox and Xbox 360, software emulation is the only viable option for compatibility without including processors from the original Xbox.

==Hardware==
{{see also|Xbox special limited editions}}
[[Image:Xboxinside02.jpg|thumb|right|Xbox drives]]

The Xbox was the first major console to incorporate a [[hard disk drive]], used primarily for storing game saves compressed in [[ZIP (file format)|ZIP]] archives and content downloaded from Xbox Live. This eliminated the need for separate [[memory cards]] (although some older consoles, such as the [[TurboGrafx-16#TurboGrafx-CD|TurboGrafx-CD]], [[Sega CD]] and [[Sega Saturn]] had featured built-in battery backup memory prior to 2007). An Xbox user could [[Ripping|rip]] music from [[Red Book (audio CD standard)|standard audio CDs]] to the hard drive, and these songs were used for the custom soundtracks in some games.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://support.microsoft.com/kb/909942 |title = Xbox: Description of custom soundtracks |accessdate = 2008-01-13 |date = [[2007-04-25]] |publisher = Microsoft Knowledge Base}}</ref>

The Xbox was the first product in the gaming industry to feature Dolby Interactive Content-Encoding Technology, which allows real-time Dolby Digital encoding in game consoles. Previous game consoles could only utilize Dolby Digital 5.1 during non-interactive "cut scene" playback.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.dolby.com/assets/pdf/press_releases/841_co.pr.0104.xbox.pdf |title=The Xbox Video Game System from Microsoft to Feature Groundbreaking Dolby Interactive Content-Encoding Technology |date=2001-04-18 |publisher=[[Dolby Laboratories]] |accessdate=2008-07-03 |format=[[PDF]]}}</ref>

The Xbox is based on commodity PC hardware and is much larger and heavier than its contemporaries. This is largely due to a bulky tray-loading [[DVD-ROM]] drive and the standard-size 3.5 inch hard drive. However, the Xbox has also pioneered safety features, such as breakaway cables for the controllers to prevent the console from being pulled from the surface on which it resides.

The original game controller design, which was particularly large, was similarly often criticized since it was ill-suited to those with small hands and caused cramping in the hands of some users. In response to these criticisms, a smaller controller was introduced for the Japanese Xbox launch. This Japanese controller (which was briefly imported by even mainstream video game store chains such as [[GameStop]]) was subsequently released in other markets as the "Xbox Controller S". In addition, all future Xbox consoles were shipped with a "Controller S", while the original controller (known as Controller "0" or "The Duke") was discontinued.<ref>[http://www.gamer20.com/features/150/4 Xbox Retrospective: All-Time Top Xbox News - Gamer 2.0]</ref>

Several internal hardware revisions have been made in an ongoing battle to discourage [[modding]] (hackers continually updated [[modchip]] designs in an attempt to defeat them), to cut manufacturing costs, and to provide a more reliable DVD-ROM drive (some of the early units' drives gave Disc Reading Errors due to the unreliable Thomson DVD-ROM drives used). Later generations of Xbox units that used the Thomson TGM-600 DVD-ROM drives and the Philips VAD6011 DVD-ROM drives were still vulnerable to failure that rendered the consoles either unable to read newer discs or caused them to halt the console with an error code usually indicating a [[Programmed input/output|PIO]]/[[Direct memory access|DMA]] identification failure, respectively. These units would not be covered under the extended warranty.

In 2002, Microsoft and [[NVIDIA]] entered arbitration over a dispute on the pricing of NVIDIA's chips for the Xbox.<ref name="eetimes-chip-dispute">{{cite web|url=http://www.eetimes.com/news/semi/showArticle.jhtml;?articleID=10803514|title= Microsoft takes Nvidia to arbitration over pricing of Xbox processors|accessdate=2006-06-29|date=[[2002-04-29]]|publisher=[[EE Times]]}}</ref> NVIDIA's filing with the [[United States Securities and Exchange Commission|SEC]] indicated that Microsoft was seeking a US$13 million discount on shipments for NVIDIA's fiscal year 2002. Additionally, Microsoft alleged violations of the agreement the two companies entered, sought reduced chipset pricing, and sought to ensure that NVIDIA fulfill Microsoft's chipset orders without limits on quantity. The matter was settled on February 6, 2003, and no terms of the settlement were released.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=10800974|title=Microsoft and Nvidia settle Xbox chip pricing dispute|accessdate=2006-06-29|date=[[2003-02-06]]|publisher=[[EE Times]]}}</ref>

Launch-era Xbox gaming units were manufactured in [[Hungary]], while the controllers were manufactured primarily in [[Indonesia]].

===Technical specifications===
*[[Central processing unit|CPU]]: 32-bit 733 [[Hertz|MHz]] Custom Intel [[Pentium III#Coppermine|Coppermine-based]] processor in a [[Micro-PGA2]] package. 180 [[nanometre|nm]] process.<ref name="anandtech">[http://www.anandtech.com/systems/showdoc.aspx?i=1561&p=2 Anandtech Microsoft's Xbox]</ref>
<!-- DO NOT change this to Pentium 9876. It is not a Pentium 3 unless it has 256 KB or more L2 cache.-->
<!-- Anandtech claims the processor still has 8-way set associative L2 cache, which the Pentium III has. The Celeron has 4-way set associative L2 cache-->
**[[Streaming SIMD Extensions|SSE]] [[floating point]] [[SIMD]]. Four [[Single precision|single-precision]] floating point numbers per clock cycle.
**[[MMX (instruction set)|MMX]] [[integer]] SIMD
**133&nbsp;MHz 64-bit [[Gunning Transceiver Logic|GTL+]] [[front side bus]] to GPU
**32&nbsp;[[Kilobyte|KB]] L1 [[CPU cache|cache]]. 128&nbsp;KB on-die L2 "[[Advanced Transfer Cache]]"
*[[Shared memory]] subsystem
**64&nbsp;[[Megabyte|MB]] [[DDR SDRAM]] at 200&nbsp;MHz; 3.2&nbsp;[[Gigabyte|GB]]/s
**Supplied by [[Hynix]] or [[Samsung Group|Samsung]] depending on manufacture date and location
*[[Graphics processing unit|GPU]] and system [[chipset]]: 233&nbsp;MHz "[[Comparison of Nvidia graphics processing units#Comparison Table: Miscellaneous|NV2A]]" [[Application-specific integrated circuit|ASIC]]. Co-developed by Microsoft and [[NVIDIA]].
**Geometry engine: 115 million [[Vertex (geometry)|vertices]]/second, 125 million [[Particle system|particle]]s/second (peak)
**4 [[pixel pipeline]]s with 2 [[Texture mapping unit|texture units]] each
**932 [[megapixel]]s/second (233&nbsp;MHz x 4 pipelines), 1,864 [[Texel (graphics)|megatexels]]/second (932&nbsp;MP×2 texture units) (peak)
***Peak triangle performance (32pixel divided from filrate): 29,125,000 32-pixel triangles/s raw or w. 2 textures and lit.
****485,416 triangles per frame at 60 frame/s
****970,833 triangles per frame at 30 frame/s
**8 textures per pass, [[texture compression]], [[FSAA|full scene anti-aliasing]] (NV [[Quincunx]], [[supersampling]], [[Multisample anti-aliasing|multisampling]])
**[[Bilinear filtering|Bilinear]], [[Trilinear filtering|trilinear]], and [[Anisotropic filtering|anisotropic]] [[texture filtering]]
**Similar to the [[GeForce 3 Series|GeForce 3]] and [[GeForce 4 Series|GeForce 4]] PC GPUs
*Storage media
**2×–5× (2.6&nbsp;MB/s–6.6&nbsp;MB/s) [[Constant Angular Velocity|CAV]] [[DVD|DVD-ROM]]
**8 or 10 [[gigabyte|GB]], 3.5&nbsp;in, 5,400 [[Revolutions per minute|RPM]] [[hard disk]]. [[Disk formatting|Formatted]] to 8&nbsp;GB. [[FATX]] [[file system]].
**Optional 8 MB memory card for saved game file transfer.
*Audio processor: NVIDIA "MCPX" (a.k.a. [[SoundStorm]] "NVAPU")
**64 3D sound channels (up to 256 [[Stereophonic sound|stereo]] voices)
**[[Head-related transfer function|HRTF]] [[Sensaura]] 3D enhancement
**[[Musical Instrument Digital Interface|MIDI]] DLS2 Support
**[[Monaural]], [[Stereophonic sound|Stereo]], [[Dolby Surround]], [[Dolby Digital|Dolby Digital Live 5.1]], and [[Digital Theater System|DTS Surround]] (DVD movies only) audio output options
*Integrated 10/[[Fast Ethernet#100BASE-TX|100BASE-TX]] wired [[ethernet]]
*DVD movie playback
*A/V outputs: [[composite video]], [[S-Video]], [[component video]], [[SCART]], Digital Optical [[TOSLINK]], and [[RCA connector|stereo RCA analog audio]]
*Resolutions: [[480i]], [[480p]], [[576i]], [[720p]], [[1080i]]
*Controller ports: 4 proprietary [[Universal Serial Bus|USB]] 1.1 ports
*Weight: 3.86&nbsp;kg (8.5&nbsp;[[Pound (mass)|lb]])
*Dimensions: 320×100×260&nbsp;mm (12.5×4×10.5&nbsp;[[inch|in]])

===Accessories===
The Xbox's standard retail packages came with the following accessories:
* One controller (''Duke'' or ''Controller S'')
* One A/V cable
* One power cable
* One CAT5 Ethernet cable (some packages)
* One bundled game disc (some packages)

====Controllers====
[[File:XboxOriginalController.jpg|thumb|right|The original ''Duke'' controller (left) and the ''Controller S'' (right).]]
The Xbox controller features two [[analog stick]]s, a pressure sensitive directional pad, 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.)<ref>{{cite web| url = http://euc.jp/periphs/xbox-controller.en.html |title = Inside Xbox 360 Controller}}</ref>The standard Xbox controller (also known as the "Duke" controller) was originally the Xbox controller for all territories except Japan. The Duke controller has been criticized for being relatively large and bulky compared to other video game controllers (it was awarded "Blunder of the Year" by ''[[Game Informer]]'' in 2001<ref>Games of 2001. ''[[Game Informer]]'' (January 2002, pg. 48).</ref> and a Guinness World Record for the biggest controller in [[Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition]] 2008). The Controller S, a smaller, lighter Xbox controller was originally the standard Xbox controller only in Japan (codenamed "Akebono").<ref>Ninja Beach Party. ''[[Official Xbox Magazine]]'' (October 2002, issue 11, pg. 44).</ref> It was designed to be more comfortable for those with smaller hands.<ref>[http://archive.gamespy.com/hardware/march02/xboxcontrollers/ GameSpy.com - Hardware: Xbox Controller S<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.gamer20.com/features/150/4 Xbox Retrospective: All-Time Top Xbox News - Gamer 2.0<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The Controller S was released in other territories by popular demand, and eventually replaced the standard controller in the Xbox's retail package, with the larger original controller available as an accessory.

====Memory====
An 8 MB removable [[Solid-state drive|solid state]] [[memory card]] can be plugged into the controllers, onto which game saves can either be copied from the hard drive when in the Xbox dashboard's memory manager or saved during a game. Most Xbox games can be copied to the memory unit and to another console but some Xbox saves are digitally signed, each console has a unique signing key, and some games (e.g., ''[[Ninja Gaiden (2004 video game)|Ninja Gaiden]]'' and ''[[Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball]]'') will not load saved games signed by a different Xbox, limiting the utility of the memory card. Additionally, game saves can be tagged as uncopyable, or simply padded to over 8 MB (''[[Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic]]''). The signing mechanism has been reverse-engineered by the Xbox hacking community, who have developed tools to modify savegames to work in a different console, though the signing key of the recipient Xbox (the 'HDkey'), and the ramped-up title key of the game (the 'authkey'), must be known. It is also possible to save an Xbox Live account on a memory unit, to simplify its use on more than one Xbox.

====Cables====
The Xbox comes with a standard AV cable which provides [[composite video]] and [[monaural]] or [[stereophonic sound|stereo audio]] to TVs equipped with [[RCA jack|RCA]] inputs. European consoles come with an RCA jack to [[SCART]] converter block in addition to the cable. Some Xbox consoles come with a standard Ethernet cable ([[RJ-45]] connection) for connecting to the internet to access [[Xbox Live]].

==System software==
{{See also|Xbox 360 System Software}}
The Xbox runs a custom [[operating system]] which was once believed to be a modified version of the [[Windows 2000]] [[kernel (computing)|kernel]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/xboxteam/archive/2006/02/17/534421.aspx|title=The Xbox Operating System|work=XBox Team Blog|accessdate=2008-07-03}}</ref> It exposes [[Application programming interface|API]]s similar to APIs found in [[Microsoft Windows]], such as [[DirectX]] 8.1.

The [[user interface]] for the Xbox is called the Xbox Dashboard. It features a [[Media player (application software)|media player]] that can be used to play music CDs, rip CD's to the Xbox's built in [[hard drive]], and play music that has been ripped to the hard drive. The Xbox Dashboard also has a memory management feature that lets users manage game saves, music, and downloaded content from Xbox LIVE. In addition, the Xbox Dashboard allows Xbox LIVE users sign in, and manage their account. The Xbox Dashboard is only available when the user is not watching a movie or playing a game. The Xbox Dashboard uses many shades of green and black for the user interface, in order to be consistent with the Xbox's color scheme. When the Xbox was released in 2001, the LIVE service wasn't released yet, so LIVE services could not be used.

Xbox LIVE was released in 2002, but in order to access it, the user would need to purchase the Xbox LIVE starter kit which includes a [[Headset (telephone/computer)|headset]], a subscription, and the necessary software for the Xbox Dashboard. Throughout its history, the Xbox Dashboard has been updated via Xbox LIVE several times in order to reduce cheating and add new features.

==Games==
{{main|List of video game console launch games#Microsoft Xbox|List of Xbox games|l1=List of Xbox launch games}}
{{See also|List of Xbox games compatible with Xbox 360}}
The Xbox launched in North America on November 15, 2001. The greatest success of the Xbox's [[launch game]]s was ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' which was well received by critics.<ref>[http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/472132.asp Halo: Combat Evolved] at [[Game Rankings]]</ref> Its sequel, ''[[Halo 2]]'', is the [[List of best-selling video games#Xbox|best-selling first-generation Xbox game]] worldwide.<ref name="halo2sales"/> Other successful launch titles included ''[[NFL Fever 2002]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/472134.asp|title=NFL Fever 2002: Summary|accessdate=2007-09-30|publisher=[[Game Rankings]]}}</ref> ''[[Project Gotham Racing]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/472137.asp|title=Project Gotham Racing: Summary |accessdate=2007-09-30|publisher=[[Game Rankings]]}}</ref> and ''[[Dead or Alive 3]]'';<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/475251.asp|title=Dead or Alive 3: Summary |accessdate = 2007-09-30|publisher=[[Game Rankings]]}}</ref> however, the failure of several first-party games (including ''[[Azurik: Rise of Perathia]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/472133.asp| title=Azurik: Rise of Perathia: Summary|accessdate=2007-09-30|publisher=[[Game Rankings]]}}</ref> damaged the initial public reputation of the Xbox.

Although the console gained strong third party support from its inception, many early Xbox games did not fully use its powerful hardware, with few additional features or graphical improvements to distinguish them from the PS2 version, thus negating one of the Xbox's main selling points. Additionally, Sony countered the Xbox for a short time by temporarily securing PlayStation 2 exclusives for highly anticipated games such as the [[Grand Theft Auto (series)|''Grand Theft Auto'' series]] and ''[[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty]]''.

In 2002 and 2003, several releases helped the Xbox to gain momentum and distinguish itself from the PS2. The [[Xbox Live]] online service was launched in late 2002 alongside pilot titles ''MotoGP'', ''[[MechAssault]]'' and ''[[Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon]]''. Several best-selling and critically acclaimed titles for the Xbox were published, such as ''[[Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell]]'', ''[[Ninja Gaiden (2004 video game)|Ninja Gaiden]]'' and [[LucasArts]]' ''[[Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic]]''. [[Take-Two Interactive]]'s exclusivity deal with [[Sony Computer Entertainment|Sony]] was amended to allow ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'' and its [[Grand Theft Auto (series)|sequels]] to be published on the Xbox. In addition, many other publishers got into the trend of releasing the Xbox version alongside the PS2 version, instead of delaying it for months.

In 2004, ''[[Halo 2]]'' set records as the highest-grossing release in entertainment history making over $125 million in its first day,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news.com/Halo-2-clears-record-125-million-in-first-day/2100-1043_3-5447379.html| title='Halo 2' clears record $125 million in first day|accessdate=2007-09-30|author=Becker, David|date=[[2004-11-10]]| publisher=News.com}}</ref> as well as being a successful [[killer app]] for the online service. That year, Microsoft and [[Electronic Arts]] reached a deal that would see the latter's popular titles enabled on [[Xbox Live]].

In [[August]] of [[2008]], [[Madden NFL 09]] was released for the system, making it the last game made for the Xbox.

==Xbox Live==
[[Image:Xbox-live-logo.png|thumb|Xbox Live logo|150px]]
{{main|Xbox Live}}
On November 15, 2002, Microsoft launched its Xbox Live online gaming service, allowing subscribers to play online Xbox games with other subscribers all around the world and download new content for their games to the system's [[hard drive]]. This online service works exclusively with a [[broadband]] Internet connection. Approximately 250,000 subscribers had signed up within two months of Xbox Live's launch.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://games.ign.com/articles/381/381618p1.html|title= Xbox Live Subscriptions Double Expectations|accessdate=2007-09-30|author=Coleman, Stephen|date=[[2003-01-07]]|publisher= [[IGN]]}}</ref> In July 2004, Microsoft announced that Xbox Live had reached one million subscribers, and a year later, in July 2005, that membership had reached two million. More recently, in July 2007 the membership had reached over 3 million, making it a popular gaming service.

==Xbox modding==
[[Image:Xboxinside01.jpg|thumb|right|Xbox motherboard, with installed [[modchip]]]]
The popularity of the Xbox, as well as its relatively short 90 day warranty, inspired efforts to circumvent the built-in hardware and software security mechanisms, a practice informally known as [[modding]]. Within a few months of its release the Xbox BIOS was dumped and hacked by MIT student [[Andrew Huang]] so that it would skip digital signature checks and media flags, allowing unsigned code, Xbox game backups, etc., to be run. This was possible due to flaws in the Xbox's security.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/The_Hidden_Boot_Code_of_the_Xbox |title = The Hidden Boot Code of the Xbox|accessdate=2007-07-18|publisher=[[Xbox Linux]]}}</ref>{{Verify credibility|date=July 2008}} Modding an Xbox in any manner will void its warranty, as it may require disassembly of the console. Having a modified Xbox may also disallow it from accessing Xbox Live if detected by Microsoft, as it contravenes the Xbox Live [[Terms of Use]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/legal/legal-tou.htm|title=Xbox Live Terms of Use|accessdate=2007-07-18|date=October 2006|publisher=Xbox.com}}</ref> however most modchips can be disabled, allowing the Xbox to boot in a "stock" configuration, softmods can be disabled by "coldbooting" a game (having the game in the DVD drive before turning the console on, so the softmod is not loaded) or by using a multiboot configuration.

Four main methods exist of modding the Xbox:

*[[Modchip]]: installing a modchip inside the Xbox that bypasses the original BIOS, with a hacked BIOS to circumvent the security mechanisms.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vgstrategies.about.com/od/faqglossary/a/modchips.htm|title=Modchips - What Are They and Should You Use One?|accessdate=2007-07-18|author=Rybka, Jason|publisher=[[About.com]]}}</ref>
*[[Thin small-outline package|TSOP]] flashing: reflashing the onboard BIOS chip with a hacked BIOS to circumvent the security mechanisms. The Xbox BIOS is contained on a commodity [[EEPROM]] (the 'TSOP'), which can be made writable by the Xbox by bridging points on the motherboard.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.i-hacked.com/content/view/37/62/|title=Flashing TSOP With ANY Version XBOX V1.0-V1.5 For Noobs|accessdate=2007-07-18|author=SLuSHIE |date=[[2004-03-30]]|publisher=I-Hacked.com}}</ref> Flashing is usually carried out by using a specially crafted gamesave (see 'Game save exploit', below) to flash the onboard TSOP, but the TSOP can also be de-soldered and re-written in a standard EEPROM programmer. This method only works on 1.0 to 1.5 Xboxes, as later versions replace the commodity TSOP with an LPC ROM contained within a proprietary chip.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/Xbox_Hardware_Overview#Xcalibur|title=Xbox Hardware Overview – Xcalibur|accessdate=2007-07-18| author=Steil, Michael|date=[[2007-02-07]]|publisher=[[Xbox Linux]]}}</ref>
*[[Softmod]]s: installing additional software files to the Xbox hard drive, which exploit programming errors in the Dashboard to gain control of the system, and overwrite the in-memory copy of the BIOS.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.xbox-hq.com/html/modules.php?name=Xbox_Homebrew&op=view&gid=132|title=Phoenix Bios Loader|accessdate=2007-07-18|author=Phoenix| publisher=Xbox-HQ.com}}</ref> Soft modification is known to be safe for Xbox Live if the user enables multibooting with the Microsoft dashboard and an original game disc is used.{{Fact|date=March 2009}}
**Game save exploit: using select official game releases to load game saves that exploit buffer overflows in the save game handling.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news.com/2100-1043-994794.html|title=Hacker cracks Xbox challenge|accessdate=2007-07-18|author=Becker, David|date=[[2003-03-31]]|publisher=News.com}}</ref> When these special game saves are loaded, they access an interface with scripts for installing the necessary softmod files. Disassembly of the Xbox is not required when installing most game save exploits.
**[[Hot swap]]: using a computer to change the data on the hard drive. This requires having the Xbox unlock the hard drive when it is turned on, then swapping the powered hard drive into a running computer. By using a Linux-based Live CD, data on the hard drive can be read, altered, and deleted. In most cases, an automated script will automatically install the softmod files directly to the Xbox hard drive. This technique has been used extensively to harbor cheating on many online games. Disassembly of the console is required to perform a hot swap.

===Alternative operating systems===
Beyond gaming, a modded Xbox can be used as a media center with [[XBMC]].<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.tomshardware.com/2004/05/11/modding_the_xbox_into_the_ultimate_multimedia_center/index.html|title=Modding The Xbox Into The Ultimate Multimedia Center|accessdate=2004-05-11|author=Patrick Schmid and Achim Roos|date=[[2007-07-18]]|publisher= [[Tom's Hardware]]}}</ref>

There are also distributions of Linux developed specifically for the Xbox, including those based on [http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=gentoox Gentoo], [http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/Xebian_HOWTO Debian] (see also [[Xebian]]), [http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/XDSL_HOWTO Damn Small Linux], and [http://www.dynebolic.org/ Dyne:bolic].

List of alternative operating systems:

*[[Xbox Linux]] is a project that ported [[Linux]] to the Xbox.
*[[FreeBSD]] has also been ported to Xbox.
*[[Windows CE]]<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=2077|title=Windows CE .Net 4.20 ported to Xbox|accessdate=2004-01-03}}</ref>
*[[Windows 98]] (using [[QEMU]])<ref>{{cite web|url= http://pspold.qj.net/windows-98-on-xbox.html|title=Run Windows 98 on the Xbox|accessdate=07 January 2009}}</ref>
*[[Mac OS X]] made possible through emulation via [[PearPC]] on [[Xebian]] [[Linux]]<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~ranma1/mac_install.html|title=PearPC and Mac OS X Installation}}</ref>

One advantage over a regular, unmodded Xbox, is the ability to use a [[Trainer (games)|trainer]].

==Sales==
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right;margin:0 0 0.5em 1em;"
|-
! Region
! [[List of best-selling game consoles|Units sold]] <br><small>(as of May 10, 2006)</small>
! First available
|-
| North America
| 16 million
| November 15, 2001
|-
| Europe
| 6 million
| March 14, 2002
|-
| Asia
| 2 million
| February 22, 2002
|-
| '''Worldwide'''
| '''24 million'''
|}

On [[November 15]] [[2001]], Xbox launched in North America and quickly sold out. The Xbox and competitor [[GameCube]] launched one year later than [[PlayStation 2]]. When the Xbox launched in Japan, only 250,000 units were sold.

The Xbox has sold 24 million units worldwide as of May 10, 2006, according to Microsoft.<ref name="gamers_catch" /> This is divided out to 16 million units sold in North America, six million units in Europe, and two million units sold in Asia.

==UK advertising controversy==
In 2002, the [[Independent Television Commission]] (ITC) banned a television advertisement for the Xbox in the [[United Kingdom]] after responses from certain members of the public deemed it distasteful. It depicted a mother giving birth to a boy who is fired like a projectile through the hospital window and ages rapidly as he flies through the air screaming, before crashing into his own grave. The advertisement ended with the slogan ''Life is short. Play more.''<ref>{{cite web|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/new_media/2028725.stm|title='Shocking' Xbox advert banned|accessdate=2007-07-18|date=[[2002-06-06]]|publisher=[[BBC News Online]]}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat|Xbox}}
{{Portal|Microsoft}}
{{Portal|Xbox}}
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* [http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/xbox/ Official Xbox website]
* {{dmoz|Games/Video_Games/Console_Platforms/Microsoft/Xbox}}
* {{Wikia | xbox | Xbox Wiki | Xbox}}

{{Xbox}}
{{Microsoft}}
{{Microsoft operating systems}}
{{Dedicated video game consoles}}

[[Category:2001 introductions]]
[[Category:Xbox]]
[[Category:Microsoft gaming consoles]]
[[Category:Sixth-generation video game consoles]]

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Revision as of 00:20, 10 April 2009

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