Difference between revisions of "Xbox 360"

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[[Image:Xbox360.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Xbox 360]]
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{{ConsoleBob
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'''Xbox 360''' is Microsoft's successor to their [[Xbox]] [[video game console]], referred to during development as "Project Xenon," "Xbox 2," or "Xbox Next." The console is scheduled to be released on November 22, 2005, in North America (two days before the American Thanksgiving and three days before Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year in the United States), December 2 in Europe, December 10 in Japan, and elsewhere in early 2006. The Xbox 360 will compete against the |upcoming generation of consoles, including the [[Sony]] [[PlayStation 3]] and [[Nintendo Revolution]]. The Xbox 360 was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, a week before [[E³]].
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| | logo=Xbox 360 logo.png|320px]]
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| consoleimage=Xbox360.jpg
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| imgwidth=160
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| consoleimage2=Xbox360S.jpg
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| imgwidth2=160
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| name=
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| maker=[[Microsoft]]
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| variants=Xbox 360 S, Xbox 360 Elite, Xbox 360 E
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| add-ons=
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| processor=
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| releases={{releases360
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| 360_date_us=2005-11-22
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| 360_date_eu=2005-12-02
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| 360_date_jp=2005-12-10
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}}
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}}
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The '''Xbox 360''' is a video game console created by [[Microsoft]] as the successor to the [[Xbox]]. It was referred to during development as "Project Xenon," "Xbox 2," and "Xbox Next", before being released in late 2005 to start the seventh generation of video game consoles. The Xbox 360 found itself competing with the [[PlayStation 3]] and [[Wii]] for the next several years. It was succeeded by the [[Xbox One]] in 2013.
  
−
==Information==
+
==Overview==
 +
The Xbox 360 stands as a traditional upgrade over its predecessor, the Xbox, with vastly superior technical specifications, a more online-orientated focus and a multitude of new features straight out of the box from wireless controllers to (later) cloud hard drive storage for downloads. Though initially plagued by severe hardware issues, the Xbox 360 frequently led its generation in terms of sales, and a strong (and extended) line of first and third-party games eclipsed the prior successes of the original Xbox.
  
−
===Prices===
+
The Xbox 360 ran unopposed for roughly a year, when it was inevitably joined by the Wii and PlayStation 3, the former opting for radical changes in gameplay, and the latter trying to dethrone the Xbox 360 from a hardware perspective and repeat the success of the [[PlayStation 2]]. In the end, the Wii outclassed its rivals in terms of sales, but its shift in marketing strategy led to the perception that it was competing in an entirely different market (one Microsoft would try to capitalise on with its "Kinect" Xbox 360 peripheral), with the Xbox 360 instead competing directly with the PlayStation 3.
−
The system's current retail strategy involves two different configurations. (For differences, see [[Xbox 360#Components and accessories|Components and Accessories]].)
 
−
* '''Xbox 360 Core System''' SKU
 
−
** $299.99 USD
 
−
** €299.99 Euro
 
−
** £209.99 Pound sterling
 
−
** $399.99 Canadian Dollar
 
−
* '''Xbox 360''' SKU
 
−
** $399.99 USD
 
−
** €399.99 Euro
 
−
** £279.99 Pound sterling
 
−
** $499.99 Canadian Dollar
 
−
** ¥39,795 Yen
 
  
−
Additionally, first party (Microsoft Published) launch titles, such as ''Perfect Dark Zero'' and ''Project Gotham Racing 3'', are going to be priced at $49.99USD, while some third party (published outside of Microsoft) titles such as ''Need For Speed: Most Wanted'', are going to be priced at $59.99USD.
+
Although from a technical perspective the story is meant to be very different, sales of the Xbox 360 remained roughly on-par with the PlayStation 3 throughout the generation. Like the Xbox before it, Microsoft largely failed to make an impact in Japan, but its success in other markets, particularly North America, kept it in the race. This was also fueled in part by the generation's top games coming from western publishers - [[Electronic Arts]], [[Activision]] and [[Ubisoft]], causing Japan to have less of an impact in the video game market.
  
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While the Xbox360 was predicted by some to become one of the most expensive consoles ever offered at launch, mainly because major online retailers only offer the console as part of a bloated "premium" package [http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/08/24/news_6131860.html], this notion has been proven to be false [http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000147056329/].
+
==Sega support==
 +
Like other third-party publishers, [[Sega]] chose to back the Xbox 360 in roughly equal measure to the PlayStation 3, with very few "big" Sega titles opting for one console over the other (the only major example of this being the ''Yakuza'' series and other Japanese-centric games). This fell in line with Sega's late sixth-generation strategy which was to focus on multi-platform releases.
  
−
==Hardware specifications==
+
Many [[Sega Mega Drive]] conversions were brought to the 360's Xbox Live Arcade service fairly early on in the console's lifespan (mostly handled by [[Backbone Entertainment]]) with no PlayStation 3 counterparts, though many of these games have since been removed in favour of superior "[[Sega Ages Online]]" versions (which have also seen PlayStation 3 releases). Much suggests that Sega, among others, prioritised the 360 when dealing with the western markets during 2007 and 2008, although the playing field was leveled in the months which followed. In the second half of the generation, almost all games intended for a worldwide release were given to both platforms.
  
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Specifications are also available at the official [http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox360/factsheet.htm Xbox website].
+
Sega also released two games as part of the "Xbox Originals" programme between December 2007 and 2009, allowing for the digital download of select games from the original [[Xbox]]. Microsoft rebranded the initiative as "Games on Demand" and offered digital downloads for Xbox 360 games while discontinuing the effort of putting out more Xbox games for the service (the Xbox Originals available prior to the change still being available to purchase/download).
  
−
===Central processing unit===
+
The introduction of Microsoft's motion-controlled Kinect system in 2010 also attracted support from Sega for two games.
−
Custom IBM [[PowerPC]]-based "Xenon"
 
−
* 90 nm process, 165 million transistors
 
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* Three symmetrical cores, each one running at 3.2 GHz
 
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* Two hardware threads per core; six total
 
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* One AltiVec VMX-128 vector unit per core; three total
 
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* 128 VMX-128 registers per hardware thread
 
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* 1 MiB L2 cache (lockable by the GPU)
 
  
−
===Graphics processing unit===
+
==List of Sega games for the Xbox 360==
−
Custom ATI R500-based "Xenos"
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{{multicol|
−
* 337 million transistors total
+
*''[[Condemned]]'' (2005)
−
* 500 MHz parent GPU (90 nm process, 232 million transistors)
+
*''[[Full Auto]]'' (2006)
−
* 500 MHz 10 MB daughter embedded [[DRAM]] Framebuffer (90 nm process, 105 million transistors)
+
*''[[Football Manager 2006]]'' (2006)
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** NEC-designed eDRAM has internal logic for Color,[Alpha blendin], Z/Stencil buffering, and [[Anti-aliasing]]
+
*''[[Chromehounds]]'' (2006)
−
* 48-way parallel floating-point dynamically-scheduled shader pipelines (ALU's for Vertex or Pixel Shader processing)
+
*''[[Phantasy Star Universe]]'' (2006)
−
* Unified shader architecture (This means that all pipelines are capable of running either pixel or vertex shaders).
+
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' (2006)
−
* 16 filtered & 16 unfiltered texture samples per clock
+
*''[[Football Manager 2007]]'' (2006)
−
* Maximum polygon performance: 500 million triangles per second
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*''[[World Snooker Championship 2007]]'' (2007)
−
* [[Pixel]] fillrate: 16 gigasamples per second fillrate using 4X MSAA
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*''[[Armored Core 4]]'' (2007)
−
* Shader performance: 48 billion (48,000 million) shader operations per second (96 billion shader operations per second theoretical maximum)
+
*''[[Virtua Tennis 3]]'' (2007)
−
* Dot product operations: 9.6 billion per second theoretical maximum (Microsoft figure), 33.6 billion per second when combined with CPU power (theoretical maximum)
+
*''[[Sega Rally Revo]]'' (2007)
 +
*''[[Virtua Fighter 5]]'' (2007)
 +
*''[[The Golden Compass]]'' (2007)
 +
*''[[The Club]]'' (2008)
 +
*''[[Condemned 2]]'' (2008)
 +
*''[[Sega Superstars Tennis]]'' (2008)
 +
*''[[Universe at War: Earth Assault]]'' (2008)
 +
*''[[Viking: Battle for Asgard]]'' (2008)
 +
*''[[Football Manager 2008]]'' (2008)
 +
*''[[Iron Man]]'' (2008)
 +
*''[[The Incredible Hulk (2008)|The Incredible Hulk]]'' (2008)
 +
*''[[Beijing 2008]]'' (2008)
 +
*''[[Golden Axe: Beast Rider]]'' (2008)
 +
*''[[Sonic Unleashed]]'' (2008)
 +
*''[[Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection]]'' (2009)
 +
*''[[Stormrise]]'' (2009)
 +
*''[[Virtua Tennis 2009]]'' (2009)
 +
*''[[Bayonetta]]'' (2009)
 +
*''[[Planet 51: The Game]]'' (2009)
 +
*''[[Vancouver 2010]]'' (2010)
 +
*''[[Resonance of Fate]]'' (2010)
 +
*''[[Aliens vs. Predator]]'' (2010)
 +
*''[[Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing]]'' (2010)
 +
*''[[Iron Man 2]]'' (2010)
 +
*''[[Alpha Protocol]]'' (2010)
 +
*''[[Vanquish]]'' (2010)
 +
*''[[Dennou Senki Virtual-On: Force]]'' (2010)
 +
*''[[Dreamcast Collection (game)|Dreamcast Collection]]'' (2011)
 +
*''[[Thor: God of Thunder]]'' (2011)
 +
*''[[Virtua Tennis 4]]'' (2011)
 +
*''[[Captain America: Super Soldier]]'' (2011)
 +
*''[[Sonic Generations]]'' (2011)
 +
*''[[Binary Domain]]'' (2012)
 +
*''[[London 2012]]'' (2012)
 +
*''[[Anarchy Reigns]]'' (2012)
 +
*''[[Dead or Alive 5]]'' (2012)
 +
*''[[Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed]]'' (2012)
 +
*''[[Aliens: Colonial Marines]]'' (2013)
 +
*''[[Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate]]'' (2013)
 +
*''[[Ge-Sen Love: Plus Pengo!]]'' (2014)
 +
*''[[Persona 4 Arena Ultimax]]'' (2014)
 +
*''[[Alien: Isolation]]'' (2014)
 +
*''[[Dead or Alive 5 Last Round]]'' (2015)
 +
|cols=3}}
  
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===Memory===
+
===Xbox Live Arcade===
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* 512 MB 700MHz GDDR3 RAM (unified memory architecture)
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[[File:XboxLiveArcadeLogo.svg|thumb|right]]
 +
{{multicol|
 +
*''[[Golden Axe]]'' (2007)
 +
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (Mega Drive)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' (2007)
 +
*''[[Ecco the Dolphin]]'' (2007)
 +
*''[[Streets of Rage 2]]'' (2007)
 +
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Mega Drive)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' (2007)
 +
*''[[Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus]]'' (2007)
 +
*''[[Rez]]'' (2008)
 +
*''[[Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm]]'' (2008)
 +
*''[[OutRun Online Arcade]]'' (2009)
 +
*''[[Cyber Troopers Virtual-On: Oratorio Tangram M.S.B.S. Ver. 5.66]]'' (2009)
 +
*''[[Altered Beast]]'' (2009)
 +
*''[[Comix Zone]]'' (2009)
 +
*''[[Gunstar Heroes]]'' (2009)
 +
*''[[Phantasy Star II]]'' (2009)
 +
*''[[Shinobi]]'' (2009)
 +
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'' (2009)
 +
*''[[Sonic & Knuckles]]'' (2009)
 +
*''[[After Burner Climax]]'' (2010)
 +
*''[[Sonic Adventure (2010)|Sonic Adventure]]'' (2010)
 +
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I]]'' (2010)
 +
*''[[Crazy Taxi]]'' (2010)
 +
*''[[Sega Rally Online Arcade]]'' (2011)
 +
*''[[Renegade Ops]]'' (2011)
 +
*''[[Sega Bass Fishing]]'' (2011)
 +
*''[[Space Channel 5: Part 2]]'' (2011)
 +
*''[[Guardian Heroes (Xbox 360)|Guardian Heroes]]'' (2011)
 +
*''[[Daytona USA]]'' (2011)
 +
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog CD (2011)|Sonic CD]]'' (2011)
 +
*''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II]]'' (2012)
 +
*''[[Sega Vintage Collection: Alex Kidd & Co.]]'' (2012)
 +
*''[[Sega Vintage Collection: Monster World]]'' (2012)
 +
*''[[Sega Vintage Collection: Golden Axe]]'' (2012)
 +
*''[[Sega Vintage Collection: Streets of Rage]]'' (2012)
 +
*''[[Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown]]'' (2012)
 +
*''[[Jet Set Radio]]'' (2012)
 +
*''[[Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit]]'' (2012)
 +
*''[[NiGHTS into Dreams]]'' (2012)
 +
*''[[Sonic Adventure 2]]'' (2012)
 +
*''[[Sega Vintage Collection: ToeJam & Earl]]'' (2012)
 +
*''[[Fighting Vipers]]'' (2012)
 +
*''[[Sonic the Fighters]]'' (2012)
 +
*''[[Virtua Fighter 2]]'' (2012)
 +
*''[[The Cave]]'' (2013)
 +
*''[[Cyber Troopers Virtual-On]]'' (2013)
 +
*''[[Virtua Striker]]'' (2013)
 +
*''[[Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (2013)|Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse]]'' (2013)
 +
*''[[Abyss Odyssey]]'' (2014)
 +
|cols=3}}
  
−
===System bandwidth===
+
===Xbox Originals===
−
* 22.4 GB/s memory interface bus bandwidth (700 MHz x 2 accesses per clock cycle (one per edge) on a 128bit bus)
+
*''[[Puyo Pop Fever]]'' (2007)
−
* 256 GB/s eDRAM internal logic to internal memory bandwidth
+
*''[[Sega Soccer Slam]]'' (2008)
−
* 32 GB/s GPU to eDRAM bandwidth (2 GHz x 2 accesses per clock cycle on a 64bit DDR bus)
+
*''[[Panzer Dragoon Orta]]'' (2018)
−
* 21.6 GB/s frontside bus (Aggregated 10.8 GB/s upstream and downstream)
+
*''[[Gunvalkyrie]]'' (2021)
−
* 1 GB/s southbridge bandwidth (Aggregated 500 MB/s upstream and downstream)
 
  
−
===Overall System Floating-Point Performance===
+
===Kinect===
−
* 1 TFLOPS theoretical peak performance
+
[[File:Kinect logo.svg|thumb|right]]
 +
*''[[Sonic Free Riders]]'' (2010)
 +
*''[[Rise of Nightmares]]'' (2011)
  
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===Audio===
+
===Backward compatible Sega games===
−
* All games support at least five channel (5.1) Dolby Digital surround sound
+
{{multicol|
−
* S
+
*''[[ESPN College Hoops]]''
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upports 48kHz 16-bit audio
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*''[[ESPN College Hoops 2K5]]''
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* 320 independent decompression channels
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*''[[ESPN Major League Baseball]]''
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* 32 bit processing
+
*''[[ESPN NFL 2K5]]''
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* 256+ audio channels
+
*''[[ESPN NHL 2K5]]''
 +
*''[[Jet Set Radio Future]]''
 +
*''[[NBA 2K3]]''
 +
*''[[NCAA College Basketball 2K3]]''
 +
*''[[NFL 2K2]]''
 +
*''[[NFL 2K3]]''
 +
*''[[NHL 2K3]]''
 +
*''[[OutRun 2 (Xbox)|Outrun 2]]''
 +
*''[[OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast]]''
 +
*''[[Panzer Dragoon Orta]]''
 +
*''[[Puyo Pop Fever]]''
 +
*''[[Sega GT 2002]]''
 +
*''[[Sega GT 2002/Jet Set Radio Future]]''
 +
*''[[Sega GT Online]]''
 +
*''[[Sega Soccer Slam]]''
 +
*''[[Shadow the Hedgehog]]''
 +
*''[[Shenmue II]]''
 +
*''[[Sonic Heroes]]''
 +
*''[[Sonic Mega Collection Plus]]''
 +
*''[[Sonic Riders]]''
 +
*''[[Super Monkey Ball Deluxe]]''
 +
*''[[World Series Baseball 2K3]]''
 +
*''[[Worms 3D]]''
 +
*''[[Worms Forts: Under Siege]]''
 +
|cols=3}}
  
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===DVD Drive===
+
===By region===
−
A DVD-ROM drive, capable of reading DVD+R/RW discs, will be part of the console, with game titles shipping on single or dual-layer DVDs.  The other supported formats are: CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-R/RW, WMACD, MP3CD, and JPEG Photo CD.
+
*[[List of Xbox 360 games in Australia]]
 +
*[[List of Xbox 360 games in Brazil]]
 +
*[[List of Xbox 360 games in Canada]]
 +
*[[List of Xbox 360 games in France]]
 +
*[[List of Xbox 360 games in Germany]]
 +
*[[List of Xbox 360 games in Italy]]
 +
*[[List of Xbox 360 games in Japan]]
 +
*[[List of Xbox 360 games in Mexico]]
 +
*[[List of Xbox 360 games in Russia]]
 +
*[[List of Xbox 360 games in South Korea]]
 +
*[[List of Xbox 360 games in Spain]]
 +
*[[List of Xbox 360 games in Taiwan]]
 +
*[[List of Xbox 360 games in the United Kingdom]]
 +
*[[List of Xbox 360 games in the United States]]
  
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Recently, it was announced that future revisions of the Xbox 360 '''may''' include HD DVD drives as part of Microsoft's partnership with Toshiba. The source of this information is the following statement made by Bill Gates on the 28th of June in Japan:
+
==Gallery==
 +
<gallery>
 +
XboxOriginalsScreenshot.jpg|Xbox Originals
 +
KinectXbox360.png|Kinect
 +
</gallery>
  
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:The initial shipments of Xbox 360 will be based on today's DVD format. We are looking at whether future versions of Xbox 360 will incorporate an additional capability of an HD DVD player or something else.
+
==Promotional images==
 +
<gallery>
 +
XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Xbox 360 Contr.seitlich oben.jpg
 +
XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 console straight Hi Res.jpg
 +
XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 console straight Hi Res1.jpg
 +
XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 console tilt view1 hi res.jpg
 +
XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 console tilt view2.jpg
 +
XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Xbox 360 sideview light background.jpg
 +
XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Xbox 360 console and controler light background.jpg
 +
XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Xbox 360 Flat light background.jpg
 +
XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Xbox 360.jpg
 +
XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Xbox 360 front view black background.jpg
 +
XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Xbox 360 Flat black background.jpg
 +
XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Xbox 360 Controller black background.jpg
 +
XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Console Angle Control.jpg
 +
XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Console Angle.jpg
 +
XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Console Front Tilt Fi.jpg
 +
XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 black pro dvd drive.png
 +
XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 black wrlss controller copy.jpg
 +
</gallery>
  
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The HD DVD and Blu-Ray Disc formats have already developed an intense rivalry to become the de facto successor to DVD for high-definition video, and if Microsoft chooses to add HD DVD it could make the Xbox 360 a more competitive multimedia device from a marketing perspective.
+
==References==
 +
<references />
  
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Since HD DVD would not be standard across all models of the Xbox 360, however, it would only be used for video playback, and not for game distribution. Unfortunately, as such, any games for the Xbox 360 will be limited to the 9GB storage available on a dual-layer DVD as compared to the 54GB available on the [[Sony]] [[PlayStation 3]]'s BD-ROM. Should the Sony backed Blu-Ray format become the dominant standard, Xbox 360 users will have to suffer the consequences of incompatibility as they will not be able to play any Blu-Ray media at all. Further, it is very unlikely that users will be able to purchase a BD-ROM drive for their Xbox 360 later on, considering that Sony has helped create the format.
+
{{NonSegaConsoles}}
−
 
 
−
===Physical characteristics===
 
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* Weight 3.5 kg (7.7 lb)
 
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* 309 x 83 x 258 mm (12.15 x 3.27 x 10.15 in)
 
−
 
 
−
===Miscellaneous===
 
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* Support for WMV HD and progressive or interlaced DVD video playback.
 
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* Media Center Extender capability
 
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* All games must support a 16:9 aspect ratio, and a minimum of 720p HD resolution with 2x full-scene [[anti-aliasing]] enabled. The embedded Microsoft WebTV chip can downsample 720p to lower display resolutions (including 480i SDTV and 480p) and dynamically crop or scale 16:9 to fit 4:3 screens. Some games will optionally support native 1080i and 480p video resolutions as well.
 
−
* 3 USB 2.0 ports
 
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* All games support custom soundtracks.
 
−
 
 
−
== Components and accessories ==
 
−
The console will ship in two configurations (SKUs) in the US and Europe, an ''Xbox 360 Core System'' and an ''Xbox 360'' "premium edition". The Core System will not be available in Japan, instead Microsoft will offer a package identical to the Xbox 360 premium edition at a [[MSRP]] of ¥37,900 ($343.20). This move is frequently criticized, as customers in Japan can buy the Xbox 360 for a lower price than people in other countries. Japanese developers are also free to fully utilize the hard drive since it is part of the default system configuration. However, because the U.S. and Europe offer a Core System edition, Microsoft has required that all developers who are producing games for those markets must ensure that their games do not require a hard drive.  It should be noted that the Xbox 360 uses an abstracted storage layer, and therefore views memory cards, hard drives, and other read/write storage media as a single read/writeable data storage device with consistent functionality regardless of the actual physical medium.
 
−
 
 
−
===Xbox 360===
 
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This premium edition has metallic silver detailing and includes the following components and accessories:
 
−
* Xbox 360 console
 
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* Detachable 20 GB hard drive
 
−
* 2.4 GHz Wireless controller
 
−
* Xbox-Live Headset
 
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* Component HD-AV cable
 
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* Xbox Live Silver membership
 
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* One month limited trial membership for Xbox Live Gold
 
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* Ethernet cable
 
−
* Bonus Media Remote (a limited time offer for the initial [[Holiday season]] shipment)
 
−
 
 
−
===Xbox 360 Core System===
 
−
This basic edition includes the following components and accessories:
 
−
* Xbox 360 console
 
−
 
 
−
* Wired controller
 
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* Standard AV cables
 
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* Xbox Live Silver membership
 
−
* One month limited trial membership for Xbox Live Gold
 
−
 
 
−
===Controller===
 
−
The Xbox 360 has the ability to support four wireless controllers.  Additionally it can support two wired controllers through the use of its USB ports at the front but the third USB port will not support a controller.  The wired controller is compatible with Windows XP USB-equipped PCs and has a nine foot (2.74 m) long cord with a breakaway feature. This version of the controller has a MSRP of $39.99/€34.99/£24.99/C$49.99/¥3,675. The wireless controller has a battery life of up to 25 hours on the Li-ion rechargeable battery pack (optional) and a range of up to 30 feet (9.14 m).  The wireless controller has a MSRP of $49.99/€44.99/£32.99/C$59.99/¥4,725.
 
−
 
 
−
The controller for the Xbox 360 is a similar version of the Type-S gamepad for the original Xbox. The Xbox 360 controller adds a Xbox guide button, which has the appearance of the Xbox 360 emblem and is surrounded by a ring of neon green light.  Pressing the Xbox guide button will bring the Xbox 360 out of sleep mode or bring up the "Xbox Guide" for access to digital movies, music and games libraries. The ring of light lights up to designate what controller "port" the gamepad is currently using and which console (if more than one) the controller is connected to. The black and white buttons have been redesigned as shoulder buttons, now referred to as bumper buttons, located above the left and right triggers. The rear of the controller includes a port where the player can connect a headset. This port replaces the two non-standard USB connectors on the front of the Xbox controller.
 
−
 
 
−
====Play & charge kit====
 
−
This kit will allow the controller to be recharged while playing. A warning will be provided when the end arse of battery life is nearing, allowing the gamer to connect the cable for recharging. The Play and Charge Kit also includes the rechargeable battery pack. This kit has a MSRP of $19.99/€19.99/£14.99/C$29.99/¥2,100.
 
−
 
 
−
====Rechargeable battery pack====
 
−
This Li-ion battery pack provides up to 25 hours of continuous gaming for the wireless controller.  It is recommended in place of disposable AA batteries (which differ slightly in voltage) and has a MSRP of $11.99/€14.99/£9.99/C$14.99/¥1,365.
 
−
 
 
−
===Detachable hard drive===
 
−
A detachable 20 gigabyte hard drive is used for the storage of games, music, downloaded trailers, levels, demos, player preferences, and community-created content from Xbox Live Marketplace; it may also be used to transfer such content between Xbox 360 units. A hard drive is also required for the user be able to play backward compatible Xbox games. The individual drives will come pre-loaded with a promotional video about the making of the Xbox 360, additional Dashboard skins, songs, additonal Xbox Live Gamertag images, and ''Hexic'', an Xbox Live Arcade game. This content will be included on both the bundled hard drive and the stand alone product. The detachable 20 gigabyte hard drive has a MSRP of $99.99/€99.99/£69.99/C$129.99. This drive will not be sold seperately in Japan at launch and will not be included in the Core System bundle.
 
−
 
 
−
According to J Allard, the chief of Microsoft's Xbox division, Microsoft may sell larger capacity detachable hard drives for the Xbox 360 in the future, and territories outside of North America may have a differently sized hard drive in the retail unit.
 
−
 
 
−
===Memory Units===]
 
−
The memory unit is a portable device which allows the transfer of saved games, in-game achievements and unique gamer profiles to other XBox 360 consoles. The 64 MB version has a MSRP $39.99/€34.99/£22.99/C$49.99/¥3,360.
 
−
 
 
−
===Wireless Networking Adapter===
 
−
The [[Wi-Fi]] (802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g) adapter is sold separately and has a MSRP of $99.99/€79.99/£59.99/C$129.99/¥8,925. Using an official or third-party wireless bridge the console will automatically detect and link up with other Xbox 360 consoles that are within range and form a mesh network.
 
−
 
 
−
===Headset===
 
−
The headset allows gamers to talk to ea
 
−
ch other when connected to Xbox Live, and has an in-line volume control.  It has a MSRP of $19.99/€19.99/£14.99/C$29.99/¥2,625.
 
−
 
 
−
===Universal Media Remote===
 
−
This remote allows the user to play DVD movies and music, and offers controls for a TV or Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based PC. It has a MSRP $29.99/€29.99/£19.99/C$39.99/¥2,625. (The universal media remote is a bigger version of the bonus media remote that will initially be shipped with the premium edition.)
 
−
 
 
−
===AV connection cables===
 
−
* Xbox 360 Component HD-AV Cable
 
−
:This set provides component RCA cables for both high and standard definition output to TVs.
 
−
 
 
−
* [[S-Video]] AV Cable (U.S., Japan, and Canada only) or Xbox 360 [[SCART]] AV Cable (Europe only)
 
−
:This set of cables connects to high-definition as well as standard-definition TVs that have S-Video or composite video inputs. It has a MSRP of $29.99/€24.99/£17.99/C$39.99/¥2,625.
 
−
 
 
−
* [[VGA]] HD AV Cable
 
−
:This set of cables allows for high-definition on flat-panel TV or computer monitors that have a VGA connector. It has a MSRP of $39.99/€29.99/£19.99/C$49.99/¥3,675.
 
−
 
 
−
===Faceplates===
 
−
The default white (or as Microsoft describes it, “chill”) faceplate can be replaced with a range of custom designs, each to be sold seperately. Microsoft announced that a "chrome" faceplate will accompany the premium edition of the console. Microsoft had also created two promotional faceplates, one which was distributed at E3 2005 and another which was handed out to the VIP X05 attendees.
 
−
 
 
−
==Software development==
 
−
===Procedural synthesis===
 
−
For the Xbox 360, Microsoft has drawn on recent research in computer graphics to enable a new method for game programming. In traditional games, all content is statically stored and generally immutable; that is, textures, meshes, and other game content is stored on a storage medium. As complexity in each rises, the demand for storage rises as well. A newer approach to generating content is utilised for Xbox 360 titles, a method referred to by Microsoft as ''procedural synthesis''. Procedural synthesis, better known as procedural texturing, is an approach to generating game content via algorithms. For example, trees are one of the most complicated objects to render in a game, due to their organic complexity. A game with only one model for a tree will appear odd, as nature is far more random; the game loses some of its immersion as a result. Instead, a general recursive algorithm will generate the tree's model and textures, so that each tree looks different from the next, and do so with high efficiency. The Xbox 360's architecture was designed with this approach in mind.[http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/cpu/xbox360-1.ars] When running procedural texturing algorithms, one of the Xenon CPU's cores may "lock" a portion of the 1 MB shared L2 cache. When locked, a segment of cache no longer contains any prefetched instructions or data for the CPU, but is instead used as ''output'' space for the procedural texturing thread. The Xenos GPU can then read directly from this locked cache space and render the procedurally generated objects. The rationale behind this design is that procedurally textured game content can be streamed directly from CPU to GPU, without incurring additional latency by being stored in system RAM as an intermediary step. The downside to this approach is that when part of the L2 cache is locked, there is even less data immediately available to keep the 3 symmetric cores in the Xenon CPU running at full efficiency (1 MB of shared L2 is already a rather small amount of cache for 3 symmetric cores to share, especially considering that the Xenon CPU does not even support out-of-order execution to more efficiently use available clock cycles).
 
−
 
 
−
Procedural texturing is also found outside of the Xbox 360 in the advanced freeware FPS game .kkrieger, where such techniques have reduced the size of the visually stunning game to a mere 96 kilobytes.  Other interesting examples of procedural synthesis are shown in old and new code demos.
 
−
 
 
−
===XNA===
 
−
In March 2004, Microsoft announce
 
−
d a new game development software strategy dubbed "XNA", which Microsoft claims will enable game studios to cut development times by a third if developing across multiple Microsoft platforms, by means of tools created with the increasing difficulty of programming for a machine with three processor cores in mind.
 
−
The Xbox 360 game development will be centered around the XNA Studio game development platform. XNA Studio covers three synergistic areas: Content Creation, Production Processes and Game Technologies. XNA Studio will enable collaboration between content creators, programmers, management and QA staff to speed the game production process. Based on Microsoft's Visual Studio 2005 Team System, the XNA Studio is the Visual Studio for game development; an integrated, team-based development environment tailored for game production. XNA Studio will provide versions of key production tools such as asset management, defect tracking, project automation and work lists. These tools are designed to work together to automate common development tasks and present interfaces tailored to the different functions within the team. XNA Studio will allow team members to collaborate using familiar techniques and tools, even when elements of the team are distributed geographically, an increasing trend in game development. Microsoft believes that this will give developers more time to generate unique content and reduce time running the content process. It is debatable whether the XNA studio development platform will be on par to development tools that are be available for PS3 and Nintendo's Revolution. Although, to date, some prominent developers have endorsed XNA Studio. For example, John Carmack stated at QuakeCon 2005 that the Xbox 360 had "the best development environment" he has seen for a console.
 
−
 
 
−
===Backward compatibility===
 
−
During Microsoft's E3 Press Conference, Robbie Bach, Microsoft senior vice president and chief Xbox officer, said that the "Xbox 360 will be backward compatible with top-selling Xbox games." Steve Ballmer in an [http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000597043723/ interview with Engadget] has confirmed this and clarified that while Microsoft is making sure that best-selling first-generation Xbox titles are compatible, universal backward compatibily is unlikely.
 
−
 
 
−
Richard Harris of ATI has since revealed that the backwards compatibility will be accomplished "purely through [[emulation]] (at the CPU level)". The enigmatic "best-selling titles" statements are further elaborated upon, revealing that the system will likely ship with a certain number of "emulation profiles" for games, with new profiles being made available as auto-updates over the Xbox Live network. [http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/8492/Xbox-360-Backward-Compatibility-Details/]  Peter Moore stated in a [http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200510/N05.1005.1820.37210.htm recent interview] that an official list of backward compatible games will soon be released (within the next few weeks) and that Microsoft will continually add support for specific titles "until consumers show [a] lack of interest."
 
−
 
 
−
==Xbox Live on the Xbox 360==
 
−
With the launch of the Xbox 360, Microsoft's online gaming service, Xbox Live will go through a major upgrade adding a basic non-subscription service (Silver) to its already established premium subscription-based service (Gold). The Silver status is inherently available to all Xbox 360 owners with high-speed internet, and allows for the downloading of new content. The subscription-based Gold status builds upon new content downloads by allowing multiplayer gaming among users. Microsoft has allowed for previous Xbox Live subscribers to maintain their profile information, buddy lists, and games history when they make the transition to the Xbox 360.
 
−
Microsoft has announced that each Xbox 360 system will come with Microsoft's Xbox Live service. The optional Hard Disk accessory or Memory Card is required to connect to the Xbox Live service. There will be two different types of the service to choose from.  The first, Xbox Live Silver, is fr
 
−
ee of charge and allows users to create a profile, join on message boards, access to Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade, and talk to other members but not to play any games online (with the exception of MMORPGs).  The second, Xbox Live Gold, will have the same features as Silver plus online game playing capabilities and video conferencing. However, video conferencing will not be availible when the console is first released.  The price for an Xbox Live Gold account will run $49.99 USD per year.
 
−
 
 
−
===Xbox Gamer Guide===
 
−
The Xbox Game Guide is a tabbed user interface that can be accessed instantly by pressing the Guide Button on any Xbox 360 controller.  It offers the following selections:
 
−
* Xbox Live
 
−
* Marketplace
 
−
* Favorites List
 
−
* Custom Playlists
 
−
* Friends Lists
 
−
* and others
 
−
 
 
−
==Marketing==
 
−
The marketing for Xbox 360 began on March 14, 2005, with the opening of an Alternate reality game and viral marketing website called Ourcolony.net. Through March and April, the website gave challenges to its community and if they were solved would give out a reward, usually a picture of the system or an obscure screenshot from a launch game.
 
−
 
 
−
The official unveiling of the system occurred on Thursday, May 12, 2005, on MTV in a program called ''MTV Presents: The Next Generation Xbox Revealed'' hosted by actor Elijah Wood with a musical performance by the band The Killers.  The Xbox 360 was also featured on the cover of ''Time'' magazine's May 23, 2005, issue with Microsoft chairman Bill Gates holding up one of the units (see left). In the article he says  "It's perfect...The day Sony launches [the new PlayStation], and they walk right into Halo 3." [http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1061433,00.html]
 
−
 
 
−
The system, along with some playable games, were shown off at E3 2005, the demos were running on Xbox 360 Alpha Development-Kits, which turned out customized and optimized Apple PowerMac G5s. Microsoft claims that most of the games were running at 25-30% of full capacity because they were not running on actual systems.
 
−
 
 
−
[http://www.origenxbox360.com OrigenXbox360.com] is a new viral marketing campaign from Microsoft. Until recently, the website displayed a flash animation of a Bonsai tree, with a countdown to 12:00 PM GMT on September 27, 2005. Now it appears that this is a European-only marketing campaign, to the chagrin of many who have followed this site's development. Different European flags now hang from the tree, representing the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Portugal and Greece. Clicking on the appropriate flag presents the user with two rabbits, who discuss 'Origen', which is speculated to be the name of a pre-launch Xbox 360 event. Then the user is able to click on one orange bundle of fruit, with three remaining green and unclickable, presumably temporarily. One of the rabbits then eats the chosen fruit and has a psychedelic vision. Then one can enter personal information and answer three basic trivia questions about Xbox 360's features and launch, as well as answer the open ended question, "Xbox 360 is the best thing since..." This website appears to be a type of raffle, where winners from each of the countries supposedly win a chance to play the Xbox 360 before it launches.
 
−
 
 
−
Hex168 was the name given to the October 2005 viral marketing campaign by Microsoft for its upcoming console, the Xbox 360. The [http://hex168.com/] campaign focused on perpetuating a number of images of crop circles over popular Xbox websites which culminated in a link to the afore mentioned site. The page itself was filled with a number of references to '360', from locations with postal codes "360" to the anagram near the top of the page "Hex alert: e-seer prefers yetis" which translates to "Free pre-release Three-Sixtys".
 
−
 
 
−
To boost marketing and Xbox 360 awareness in Japan, an "Xbox 360 Lounge" has been constructed for $410,000 and will officially open on November 2, 2005[http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-15016-2576-4-6-x]. It is situated in the A
 
−
oyama district in Tokyo, not far away from Omotesando (a popular shopping region). The lounge has three main areas: a 256 square meter event space that offers five large display screens, an area containing Xbox 360 game kiosks, and a 70-seat café. Doors will be open daily from 10:00am to 11:00pm.
 
−
 
 
−
==Further reading==
 
−
*[http://www.xbox360.com Official Xbox 360 site]
 
−
*[http://www.xbox.com/en-US/press/gdc05/default.htm Video of J Allard presentation at the GDC 2005]
 
−
*[http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/617/617951p1.html Comparison of PS3 and Xbox 360 - IGN]
 
−
*[http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.06/xbox.html?tw=wn_tophead_3 The Xbox Reloaded - Wired Magazine]
 
−
*[http://gameinformer.com/News/Story/200505/N05.0512.1953.02122.htm GameInformer information on Xbox 360]
 
−
*[http://features.teamxbox.com/xbox/1143/Taking-a-Spin-with-the-Xbox-360/p1/ Taking a spin with the Xbox 360 - Team Xbox]
 
−
*[http://www.gamespot.com/features/6124293/index.html Xbox 360 Inside & Out - Gamespot]
 
−
*[http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/608/608394p1.html Xbox 360 FAQ - IGN]
 
−
*[http://download.uol.com.br/jogos/videos/thecolony.wmv OurColony Xbox 360 Video]
 
−
*[http://www.beyond3d.com/articles/xenos/ ATI Xenos: XBOX 360 Graphics Demystified]
 
−
*[http://www.bigkid.com.au/2005/05/17/xbox-360-vs-ps3 A side-by-side comparison between Xbox 360 and PS3]
 
−
*[http://www.winsupersite.com/xbox/ Paul Thurrott's WinSuperSite - Information and images]
 
−
*[http://www.qbrundage.com/michaelb/pubs/essays/xbox360.html Michael Brundage on backward compatibility]
 
−
 
 
−
==External links==
 
−
* [http://xbox360.com Xbox 360 Home Page]
 
−
* [http://www.erscheinungstermine.de/release-dates/games/10-xbox360/releases.html XBOX 360 game releases]
 
−
* [http://www.mtv.com/games/video_games/xbox MTV Official Launch]
 
−
* [http://xbox360.ign.com/ Xbox 360 - IGN]
 
−
* [http://www.xbox.com/en-US/e32005/videos.htm Xbox 360 High-Definition Videos]
 
−
* [http://www.origenxbox360.com Viral Marketing Campaign]
 
−
* [http://www.oxm.co.uk Official Xbox360 Magazine]
 
−
* [http://www.microsoft.com MS homepage]
 
−
 
 
−
[[Category:Hardware]]
 

Latest revision as of 07:23, 31 July 2024

Xbox 360 logo.png
Xbox360.jpgXbox360S.jpg
Xbox 360
Manufacturer: Microsoft
Variants: Xbox 360 S, Xbox 360 Elite, Xbox 360 E
Release Date RRP Code
Xbox 360
JP
Xbox 360
US
Xbox 360
EU

The Xbox 360 is a video game console created by Microsoft as the successor to the Xbox. It was referred to during development as "Project Xenon," "Xbox 2," and "Xbox Next", before being released in late 2005 to start the seventh generation of video game consoles. The Xbox 360 found itself competing with the PlayStation 3 and Wii for the next several years. It was succeeded by the Xbox One in 2013.

Overview

The Xbox 360 stands as a traditional upgrade over its predecessor, the Xbox, with vastly superior technical specifications, a more online-orientated focus and a multitude of new features straight out of the box from wireless controllers to (later) cloud hard drive storage for downloads. Though initially plagued by severe hardware issues, the Xbox 360 frequently led its generation in terms of sales, and a strong (and extended) line of first and third-party games eclipsed the prior successes of the original Xbox.

The Xbox 360 ran unopposed for roughly a year, when it was inevitably joined by the Wii and PlayStation 3, the former opting for radical changes in gameplay, and the latter trying to dethrone the Xbox 360 from a hardware perspective and repeat the success of the PlayStation 2. In the end, the Wii outclassed its rivals in terms of sales, but its shift in marketing strategy led to the perception that it was competing in an entirely different market (one Microsoft would try to capitalise on with its "Kinect" Xbox 360 peripheral), with the Xbox 360 instead competing directly with the PlayStation 3.

Although from a technical perspective the story is meant to be very different, sales of the Xbox 360 remained roughly on-par with the PlayStation 3 throughout the generation. Like the Xbox before it, Microsoft largely failed to make an impact in Japan, but its success in other markets, particularly North America, kept it in the race. This was also fueled in part by the generation's top games coming from western publishers - Electronic Arts, Activision and Ubisoft, causing Japan to have less of an impact in the video game market.

Sega support

Like other third-party publishers, Sega chose to back the Xbox 360 in roughly equal measure to the PlayStation 3, with very few "big" Sega titles opting for one console over the other (the only major example of this being the Yakuza series and other Japanese-centric games). This fell in line with Sega's late sixth-generation strategy which was to focus on multi-platform releases.

Many Sega Mega Drive conversions were brought to the 360's Xbox Live Arcade service fairly early on in the console's lifespan (mostly handled by Backbone Entertainment) with no PlayStation 3 counterparts, though many of these games have since been removed in favour of superior "Sega Ages Online" versions (which have also seen PlayStation 3 releases). Much suggests that Sega, among others, prioritised the 360 when dealing with the western markets during 2007 and 2008, although the playing field was leveled in the months which followed. In the second half of the generation, almost all games intended for a worldwide release were given to both platforms.

Sega also released two games as part of the "Xbox Originals" programme between December 2007 and 2009, allowing for the digital download of select games from the original Xbox. Microsoft rebranded the initiative as "Games on Demand" and offered digital downloads for Xbox 360 games while discontinuing the effort of putting out more Xbox games for the service (the Xbox Originals available prior to the change still being available to purchase/download).

The introduction of Microsoft's motion-controlled Kinect system in 2010 also attracted support from Sega for two games.

List of Sega games for the Xbox 360

Xbox Live Arcade

XboxLiveArcadeLogo.svg

Xbox Originals

Kinect

Kinect logo.svg

Backward compatible Sega games

By region

Gallery

  • Xbox Originals

  • Kinect

Promotional images

  • XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Xbox 360 Contr.seitlich oben.jpg
  • XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 console straight Hi Res.jpg
  • XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 console straight Hi Res1.jpg
  • XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 console tilt view1 hi res.jpg
  • XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 console tilt view2.jpg
  • XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Xbox 360 sideview light background.jpg
  • XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Xbox 360 console and controler light background.jpg
  • XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Xbox 360 Flat light background.jpg
  • XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Xbox 360.jpg
  • XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Xbox 360 front view black background.jpg
  • XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Xbox 360 Flat black background.jpg
  • XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Xbox 360 Controller black background.jpg
  • XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Console Angle Control.jpg
  • XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Console Angle.jpg
  • XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 Console Front Tilt Fi.jpg
  • XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 black pro dvd drive.png
  • XboxWindowsGamesConvention2007 black wrlss controller copy.jpg

References


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) | Intellivision (1979) | ColecoVision (1982) | Atari 5200 (1982) | PC Engine (1987) | CD-ROM² (1988) | Super CD-ROM² (1991) | R-Zone (1995) | Game.com (1997) | WonderSwan (1999) | Neo Geo Pocket Color (1999) | N-Gage (2003) | LeapFrog Didj (2008) | Stadia (2019)
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