History

The Xbox conveniently has an X in it's design.

The Xbox was released in the United States on November 15, 2001. It came out in Japan three months later on February 22, 2002, and then in Europe about a month after that, on March 14, 2002. It was the first video-game console that was actually manufactured and released by a company outside of "the big three" (Nintendo, Sega, Sony) since the 3DO in the '90s. Historically, companies that try to make new consoles for the first time tend to quickly fade into obscurity. However, thanks to Microsoft's practically unlimited supply of resources and its insatiable appetite to monopolize every market they enter into, you can be sure that Xbox will be around for a long time. Interestingly, while the Xbox is doing well in the United States, its popularity in Japan is abysmal.

Hardware

Specifications

• CPU: Pentium III, 733 MHz
• GPU: NV2X, 250 MHz
• RAM: 64 MB

The Xbox is the heaviest and most powerful video-game console ever made. The sheer brute strength of the hardware far surpasses that of the PlayStation 2 or the GameCube. Although this sounds great, it does not automatically mean that all Xbox games are better than games on other consoles, or even that all Xbox games look better than games on other consoles. However, if a game is released for multiple consoles, generally you'll find that the better-looking one tends to be on Xbox.

One of the reasons Microsoft has been able to create such a powerful console that costs about as much as its competitors is the fact that in essence, the Xbox is a streamlined PC that has been optimized for use as a console. You might say that the Xbox utilizes more so-called "off-the-shelf" pieces of hardware and software than the other guys.

If you own an HDTV, the Xbox is capable of outputting video in high-resolution modes like 720p and 1080i. However, it's important to remember that each game that is made has to be specifically programmed to output in a particular mode. Many games these days support widescreen modes for example, but very few actually support the high resolution modes. The stats on the back of each Xbox game box usually list the HDTV modes that are supported, if any.

Media

Your Xbox will play Xbox games, music CDs, and DVD movies (if you purchase the DVD Movie Playback Kit). Another video-game first is the 8 GB hard drive that is included inside every Xbox. This hard drive is used for storing your save files, music tracks, and special game updates. A few Xbox games actually stream data from the hard drive in order to speed up loading times. Needless to say, there is enough space in there that gamers won't need to worry about it -- especially since no games are allowed to write anything but save data to the drive permanently.

Input/Output

On the front of the console, there are four controller ports, a power button, and a reset button. On the back, we have an A/V port, an Ethernet port for online gaming, and a standard AC power input. Each controller also sports two Xbox Memory Unit (memory card) inputs, like on the Dreamcast. Because most save files are put on the hard drive, you won't have much use for a Memory Unit unless you want to transfer save files between machines.

Bundles

Xbox Video Game System

$179.99 MSRP

Buy It Now

Currently, there aren't any official bundle packages for the Xbox. In the current package that is for sale, you'll get the console itself along with composite A/V cables, a power cable, and one Controller S.

Quirks

Prevention of falling consoles can be done with the "Inline Release" technology.

There's one feature of the Xbox that seems to be a complete and utter mystery. No, I'm not talking about the embarrassingly large "Xbox" emblems gracing the console and controllers. If you look carefully, you'll notice that every controller made for the system has a superfluous connector near the end of its cord that splits it into two parts. This is known as the "Inline Release." According to your Xbox manual, "This is a safety device designed to reduce the chance of the Xbox console falling when the cord is pulled." If you have trouble balancing consoles on flat surfaces such as tabletops, you'll really appreciate the Inline Release.

Another unique feature on Xbox allows you to copy tracks from your favorite audio CD onto the hard drive. Certain games will allow you to select your own tracks on the hard drive as background music instead of what normally comes with the game.

Finally, the Ethernet connector can also be used for connecting two or more consoles together directly for local network play. Of course, the game has to be specifically programmed for this feature. In games like Halo, you can directly connect two consoles together with an Xbox System Link Cable (a generic Ethernet crossover cable will work just as well). With the use of a hub, you can connect up to four consoles.