Star Wars: The Clone Wars/Tetris Worlds (Microsoft Xbox, 2003) DISC ONLY TESTED!
DISC IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION WITH VERY LITTLE WEAR / XBOX TESTED (AS SHOWN)
*DETAILED PICTURES PROVIDED - WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT U GET
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a video game set in the Star Wars universe developed by Pandemic Studios and published by LucasArts for GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It consists mostly of vehicular combat using clone warships, starfighters, speeder bikes and tanks, as well as missions where players can control Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, or Mace Windu on foot. The game is set in the Star Wars prequel trilogy era, with the first level encompassing the Battle for Geonosis from Episode II: Attack of the Clones. The game also features multiplayer modes for up to four players in splitscreen, or online via Xbox Live for the Xbox. It holds aggregate scores of 73 out of 100, 72 out of 100 and 71 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, respectively.
Clone Wars primarily features vehicle-based combat.
The game is split up into two segments: vehicles and third-person Jedi fighting. The single-player campaign is played from the perspective of Jedi Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Mace Windu, who pilot vehicles and ride animal mounts. The vehicle segments involve most vehicles from the Star Wars universe: STAPs, tanks, AATs, AT-XTs, and Republic gunships. The controls used involve primary and secondary fire, acceleration and a special ability that changes from vehicle to vehicle. The Jedi segments use basic lightsaber slashing and two force powers, which rely on a force power bar, lightsaber throw and force push. In all instances it is played from a third-person perspective.[2]
Multiplayer can be played for up to four players via splitscreen. Multiple game modes and levels are included. Duel allows two to four players to compete in free-for-all combat. Conquest is a team-based mode where players must capture and defend the most zones to win, which would be used in Pandemic Studios' later Star Wars: Battlefront titles. Control zone is a King of the hill-type mode where a single zone must be held for the longest amount of time to win. The game also featured a survival mode known as Academy. A vehicle-based version is played on the planet Thule, while an on-foot version is played in Geonosis' Petranaki Arena from Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Here up to four players control their choice of jedi or blaster-carrying characters and defend against waves of enemies. After the completion of a set of three rounds, players duel against each other. The final player standing receives bonus points, all players are respawned, and then gameplay resumes for another three rounds. Xbox Live online play was also available for the Xbox console, and featured additional levels.[3]
The game begins with the Battle of Geonosis from Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Jedi Masters Mace Windu and Luminara Unduli lead a strike force of Jedi to weaken Separatist defenses and rescue Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. As Anakin and Obi-Wan are rescued, an army of Clone troopers arrive and battle the Separatist droid armies as Windu takes part in taking down key Separatist ships. Later on in the story, Anakin and Obi-Wan organize an evacuation of a Republic outpost on Rhen Var, leading the escape only minutes before the Separatist Army captures the planet.
One month after the Battle of Geonosis, the Republic detects unusual activity on Raxus Prime, and sends a strike force led by Anakin and Obi-Wan to investigate. On arrival, they find Separatist forces at an excavation site. They send for reinforcements to take the planet. The Republic captures Raxus Prime, but during the battle, Anakin is captured by Sith Lord Count Dooku and bounty hunter Cydon Prax.
Anakin is sent to Alaris Prime, a moon in the Kashyyyk system, to be executed. Anakin and the other prisoners are doomed to be killed by the Force Harvester, an ancient Sith weapon that drains the Force from all living things within its range. Anakin is able to escape his cell and uses a speeder to escape the Force Harvester's range. Anakin, with help from a female smuggler named Bera Kazan, infiltrates a Separatist communications outpost to contact the Republic for help. Then Anakin, Bera and the local Wookiee population hold off the Separatist forces until Republic reinforcements led by Obi-Wan arrive. Anakin and Obi-Wan then lead a counterattack against the Separatists and successfully liberate Alaris Prime.
Anakin returns to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and informs Jedi Master Yoda and Windu of the Harvester. Windu then tells Anakin and Obi-Wan of the Dark Reaper, an ancient Sith weapon built during the Great Sith War that was so powerful that none could withstand it. It required large amounts of energy to operate, which the Harvester could provide. Windu then mentions that the Reaper was destroyed by a fallen Jedi Knight named Ulic Qel-Droma, and the remains of the Sith weapon were scattered by the Jedi across the galaxy. To learn more about the Dark Reaper, Anakin and Obi-Wan lead Republic forces to Rhen Var, Qel-Droma's final resting place, to retake the planet from the Separatists. After a long battle, Anakin is led to an ancient tomb, where he meets Qel-Droma as a Force ghost, who agrees to teach Anakin how to defeat the Dark Reaper and reveal the location of the Sith weapon. Qel-Droma at the same time warns Anakin that this knowledge and power could lead him on the path to the Dark Side. With the Dark Reaper located on the ancient Sith world Thule, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Windu lead Republic forces to Thule to prevent the Sith weapon from being rebuilt.
Before the Republic can invade Thule, Anakin leads a strike force on the planet's moon to take out the planetary shield generator. Once on Thule, Obi-Wan and Windu lead Republic forces in eliminating Separatist defenses guarding the planet capital Kessiak, where the Sith Temple that holds the Dark Reaper is located. As the defenses fall, Republic forces enter Kessiak. While the Jedi and Republic forces battle the Separatists, Anakin enters the Sith Temple to destroy the Dark Reaper. Inside the temple, Anakin kills Cydon Prax and confronts the Dark Reaper, now operational. With guidance from Qel-Droma, Anakin is able to destroy the Dark Reaper and claim victory for the Republic on Thule. Obi-Wan acknowledges Anakin's growing power, but warns him to not let it consume him. As Republic forces are leaving Thule after the battle, Windu believes that the battle may have turned the tide of the war, but Yoda reminds him the war is far from over.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars was announced on May 16, 2002 for GameCube and PlayStation 2.[4] The Xbox version was announced on January 30, 2003.[5] The game was developed by Pandemic Studios and published by LucasArts. It was shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2002 in Los Angeles, California a short time later.[6] The GameCube version was released October 2002.[7] The PlayStation 2 release followed in December of that year. On February 5, 2003 LucasArts announced that the Xbox version would feature online multiplayer through Xbox Live. It was slated to be released March 2003, and released a month later.[8] The Xbox version would later be bundled with Tetris Worlds in an Xbox console package.[9]
The game is powered by Pandemic Studios Zero engine, which was also used for the first two Star Wars: Battlefront games.[10] Pandemic was assisted by two other studios, Creat Studios in Saint Petersburg, Russia, which worked on the game's pre-rendered cutscenes, and Studio Mythos in Torrance, California, who assisted with character models. LucasArts also assisted with development. In total 50-60 people worked on the game.[10] While some of the game's characters, locations and vehicles were taken directly from the films, others were newly created for the game. Additionally, models and textures from Industrial Light & Magic were provided to the Pandemic team for reference. Josh Resnick, President of Pandemic Studios said that Lucasfilm was "very easy to work with." He stated that while they did not receive final designs for many things, Lucasfilm game Pandemic "a lot of flexibility on creating new assets, new artwork [and] new characters."[10] Greg Borrud, Director for the game wanted to provide a strong vehicle combat game. In speaking of the core of the gameplay, noted "More or less what Rogue Leader had done for flying combat, we wanted to do for ground combat."[10]
The game is voiced by several actors who have lent their voices multiple times in the Star Wars universe. Anakin Skywalker is voiced by Mat Lucas, who also voiced the character in the 2003 Clone Wars TV series and several video games. Grey Griffin voices Padme Amidala, and would later voice Asajj Ventress in the 2003 series and also provided voices for other games and series. Count Dooku is voiced by Corey Burton, who has portrayed Dooku since that time. Jedi Masters Mace Windu and Yoda are voiced by Star Wars veteran voice actors T.C. Carson and Tom Kane, respectively.[11] Music is taken from the Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones's soundtrack, composed by John Williams.[12]
The game received mixed or average reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. It holds aggregate scores of 73 out of 100, 72 out of 100 and 71 out of 100 for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, respectively.[13][14][15]
In Japan, where the GameCube version was ported and published by Electronic Arts on March 20, 2003, Famitsu gave it a score of 27 out of 40.[20]
The platform-specific versions of Tetris Worlds were developed by three different companies. Blue Planet Software developed the PC and PlayStation 2 versions, Radical Entertainment developed the GameCube and Xbox versions, and 3d6 Games developed the Game Boy Advance version. All versions were published by THQ under license from The Tetris Company. Tetris Worlds was THQ's first Tetris game. The company later published Tetris Advance also for the Game Boy Advance, Tetris Elements for the PC and Mac, and Tetris Evolution for the Xbox 360. Every version except for Game Boy Advance features a distinctly whispering female voice (Kimberly Unger, credited as eKim) as the announcer. She returns for Tetris Splash. The game has been translated into French, German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese.
The goal is to evacuate the homeworld of the Minos before their solar system's sun Hadar goes supernova.
The player can send their Mino Tetrinaut to six different worlds, then play the Tetris variant of that world. When the player plays enough of that world, more Minos are rescued. The better the player does, the more Minos rescued. They will then work to create the world into a home for Minos.
This mode is where the player plays two-minute Tetris games of any variant. This is also where multiplayer games are played. The Arcade mode variants are listed as follows:
Tetris: "Go for a Tetris". A normal Tetris game, where the player plays until they lose. Losses occur when the Tetriminos reach the top.
Square Tetris: While the player plays Tetris, they must also try to combine Tetriminos into squares. Lines cleared containing 4x4 Tetriminos cause large bonuses. This variant originated from The New Tetris.
Cascade Tetris: "Go for a Cascade". The player must try to clear lines that cause Cascades. Cascades occur when a cleared line cause other Blocks to fall and clear another line.
Sticky Tetris: "Clear the Bottom Line". Players must try to clear the bottom line of "Garbage Blocks". Same-colored Blocks stick together in this mode, hence the name. If 25 same-colored blocks connect, a Critical Mass is formed and are cleared from the Matrix. This variant originated from "The Next Tetris".
Hot-Line Tetris: "Go for a Hot-Line". In this mode, there are six "Hot-Lines" in the Matrix. The player must try to clear lines that are on the Hot-Line. Lines cleared anywhere else earn no points.
Fusion Tetris: "Activate the Atom Blocks". In this mode, there is a "Fusion Block" at the bottom of the Matrix. Players must try to connect falling "Atom Blocks" to the Fusion Blocks. Atom and Fusion Blocks are not cleared in line clears, and clearing a line containing an Atom or Fusion Block causes a Cascade.
Popular Tetris (GBA Version Only): In this hidden mode the game is set up like the original Tetris game. The player clears lines to score points and after every 10 lines the level goes up. Scoring increases on higher levels and there is no time limit; however, this mode stops keeping score once a player reaches 1 million (which is more than 999999, the maximum score on the Game Boy version).
The Game Boy Advance and Xbox versions received "mixed" reviews, while the GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions received "generally unfavorable reviews", according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[37][38][39][40] In Japan, where the GBA version was ported and published by Success on April 26, 2002,[citation needed] followed by the Xbox version on November 14,[13] and the GameCube version on December 20,[41]Famitsu gave it a score of one six, one four, and two sixes for a total of 22 out of 40 for the GBA version,[12] and 24 out of 40 for the Xbox version.[13]Tetris Worlds' Game Boy Advance version was a runner-up for GameSpot's annual "Worst Game" award among console games, which went to Kabuki Warriors.[42]
In the PS2, PC, and GBA versions, gameplay contained one major difference from a normal Tetris game. In classic Tetris, when a Tetrimino touches the bottom of the screen, it locks in place. However, in these versions, Tetriminos do not lock until players make them lock (e.g., by using Hard Drop to lock them immediately), allowing players to rotate and move the pieces indefinitely until they are satisfied. Critics said that this made the game too easy (although the countdown clock still runs while the player is using unlimited move and rotate) and GameSpot said that it "broke Tetris".[15][18] However, the GBA version features a hidden version of classic Tetris (titled "Popular" Tetris) that plays without this feature.[citation needed] It is accessed by holding the L button and pressing select on the "Marathon" game select menu.[citation needed] However, since it is not part of the "Default" presentation, many reviews did not factor in this mode.[citation needed]
In the GameCube and Xbox versions, the "Easy Spin" feature was made optional. However, they still received mostly mixed reviews.[16][19]
In the United States, Tetris Worlds'Game Boy Advance version sold 960,000 copies and earned $26 million by August 2006. During the period between January 2000 and August 2006, it was the 20th highest-selling game launched for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS or PlayStation Portable in that country.[43]
By July 2006, the PlayStation 2 version of Tetris Worlds had sold 850,000 copies and earned $18 million in the United States. Next Generation ranked it as the 71st highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country.[44]
The brand was first introduced in the United States in November 2001, with the launch of the original Xbox console. The Xbox branding was formerly, from 2012 to 2015, used as Microsoft's digital media entertainment brand replacing Zune.[1][2] In 2022, Microsoft expanded its gaming business and reorganized Xbox to become part of its newly formed Microsoft Gaming division. Under Microsoft Gaming, Xbox's first-party publishers are Xbox Game Studios, ZeniMax Media (Bethesda Softworks), and Activision Blizzard (Activision, Blizzard Entertainment, and King), who own numerous studios and successful franchises.
The original device was the first video game console offered by an American company after the Atari Jaguar stopped sales in 1996. It reached over 24 million units sold by May 2006.[3] Microsoft's second console, the Xbox 360, was released in 2005 and has sold 86 million units as of October 2021. The third console, the Xbox One, was released in November 2013 and has sold 58 million units.[4] The fourth line of Xbox consoles, the Xbox Series X and Series S, were released in November 2020. The head of Xbox is Phil Spencer, who succeeded former head Marc Whitten in late March 2014.[5][6]
History
When Sony Computer Entertainment first announced the PlayStation 2 in 1999, the company had positioned the console as a centerpiece for home entertainment, as it not only would play video games, but also could play audio CDs and video DVDs. Microsoft, whose business had been primarily in supporting the personal computer (PC) business with its Windows operating system, software, and games, saw the PlayStation 2 as a threat to the personal computer.[7]
Four engineers from Microsoft's DirectX team—Kevin Bachus, Seamus Blackley, Ted Hase and DirectX team leader Otto Berkes, began to envision what a Microsoft console to compete against the PlayStation 2 would be like. They designed a system that would use many hardware components in common with PCs, effectively running a version of Windows and DirectX to power the games on the console.[8][7] This approach would make it easy for developers on Windows to build games for their new system, differentiating itself from the custom hardware solutions of most consoles.[9][10] Numerous names were suggested for this console, including "Direct X Box",[11] and the "Windows Entertainment Project".[12] Microsoft's marketing team conducted consumer surveys of the name, using the name "Xbox" as a control believing this would be least desirable, but found that this had the highest preference from their tests, and was selected as the name of the console.[13]
While the original Xbox had modest sales, Microsoft took a large financial loss to support it. However, its performance was sufficient to convince the company to continue to produce the line. Since its release, there have been four generations of Xbox, with the most recent being the Xbox Series X and Series S units. The Xbox has become a direct competitor to Sony's PlayStation brand, both offering high performance gaming systems at roughly similar specifications.
Future
Microsoft has been recently working to leverage the branding of "Xbox" beyond the console hardware but as a general video game brand, reflected in the renaming of Microsoft Studios to Xbox Game Studios in 2019.[14][15] Phil Spencer stated in June 2019 that for Microsoft, "The business isn't how many consoles you sell. The business is how many players are playing the games that they buy, how they play." which journalists have taken as a route to de-emphasize console hardware and prioritize games, subscriptions and services for players.[16][17] Later in February 2020, Spencer said that moving forward, the company does not see "traditional gaming companies" like Nintendo and Sony as their competitors but instead those that offer cloud computing services such as Amazon and Google. Spencer identified that Microsoft Azure is a major component of their plans going forward, which powers its Xbox Cloud Gaming game streaming service.[18] Spencer also cited mobile gaming as a potential area, and where Microsoft was trying to position itself with its services should this become the more preferred form for gaming. Spencer said "I don't think it's "hardware agnostic" as much as it's 'where you want to play'", in describing how Microsoft was strategizing the Xbox branding for the future.[19]
The original Xbox was released on November 15, 2001, in North America, February 22, 2002, in Japan, and March 14, 2002, in Australia and Europe. It was Microsoft's first foray 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 American sales before the Xbox went on sale), and Nintendo's GameCube. The Xbox was built around a 733 MHz 32-bit Intel Pentium III CPU and a 233 MHz Nvidia GeForce 3-based NV2A GPU with 64 MB of memory. The Xbox was the first console offered by an American company after the Atari Jaguar stopped sales in 1996. The name Xbox was derived from a contraction of DirectX Box, a reference to Microsoft's graphics API, DirectX.[20][21]
The integrated Xbox Live service launched in November 2002 allowed players to play games online with a broadband connection.[22] It first competed with Dreamcast's online service but later primarily competed with PlayStation 2's online service. Although the two competing services were free, while Xbox Live required a subscription – as well as broadband-only connection, which was not completely adopted yet – Xbox Live was a success due to it having better servers, features such as a buddy list, and milestone titles such as Halo 2 (released in November 2004), which became the best-selling Xbox video game and was by far the most popular online game for the original Xbox system.
Left: Xbox 360 Elite Right: Xbox 360 S and new-style controllerXbox 360 E Model with controller
The Xbox 360 was released as the successor of the original Xbox in November 2005, competing with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles. It featured a custom triple-core 64-bit PowerPC-based processor design by IBM with 512 MB of RAM memory. As of June 2014, 84 million Xbox 360 consoles have been sold worldwide.[23] The Xbox 360 was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information divulged later that month at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). The console sold out completely upon release in all regions except in Japan.[24][25][26] Several retail configurations of the core Xbox 360 model were offered over its lifetime, varying the amount of RAM and internal storage offered.
The Xbox 360 showed an expanded Xbox Live service (which now included a limited "Free" tier called Silver), the ability to stream multimedia content from PCs, while later updates added the ability to purchase and stream music, television programs, and films through the Xbox Music and Xbox Video services, along with access to third-party content services through third-party media streaming applications. Microsoft also released Kinect, a motion control system for the Xbox 360 which uses an advanced sensor system.
Two major revisions of the Xbox 360 were released following the initial launch. The Xbox 360 S (typically considered as "Slim"), launched in 2010, featured the same core hardware but with a redesigned, slimmer form factor with a smaller-sized 250 GB hard drive. It also added integrated 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, TOSLINKS/PDIF optical audio output, five USB 2.0 ports (compared to the three from older versions) and a special port designed for the Kinect peripheral. The Xbox 360 S replaced the base Xbox 360 unit, which was discontinued, and sold at the same price.[27][28][29] A cheaper Xbox 360 S unit, removing the 250 GB drive while adding 4 GB of internal storage, was released later in 2010; the unit allowed users to hook up an external storage solution or purchase a 250 GB internal add-on.
The second major revision of the Xbox 360 was the Xbox 360 E, released in 2013. It featured a case style similar to the upcoming Xbox One, and eliminated one USB port and the S/PDIF, YPbPr component and S-video connections, but otherwise shared the same specifications as the Xbox 360 S.
The Xbox One with the redesigned Kinect and controller
The Xbox One was released on November 22, 2013, in North America, as the successor to the Xbox 360. The Xbox One competes with Sony's PlayStation 4 and Nintendo's Wii U and Switch as part of the eighth generation of video game consoles. It features an AMDAccelerated Processing Unit (APU) built around the 64-bit x86-64instruction set and can come with up to 12 GB of memory.
Announced on May 21, 2013,[30] the Xbox One has an emphasis on internet-based features, including the ability to record and stream gameplay, and the ability to integrate with a set-top box to watch cable or satellite TV through the console with an enhanced guide interface and Kinect-based voice control.[31][32][33][34]
Following its unveiling, the Xbox One proved controversial for its original digital rights management and privacy practices; while Microsoft touted the ability for users to access their library of games (regardless of whether they were purchased physically or digitally) on any Xbox One console without needing their discs, and the ability to share their entire library with 10 designated "family" members, all games would have to be tied to the user's Xbox Live account and their Xbox One console, and the console would be required to connect to the Internet on a periodic basis (at least once every 24 hours) to synchronize the library, or else the console would be unable to play any games at all.[35][36] After an overwhelmingly negative response from critics and consumers (who also showed concerns that the system could prevent or hinder the resale of used games), Microsoft announced that these restrictions would be dropped.[37] Microsoft was also criticized for requiring the Xbox One to have its updated Kinect peripheral plugged in to function, which critics and privacy advocates believed could be used as a surveillance device. As a gesture toward showing a commitment to user privacy, Microsoft decided to allow the console to function without Kinect.[38][39][40]
On June 13, 2016, Microsoft announced the Xbox One S at E3 2016, which featured a smaller form factor, as well as support for 4K video (including streaming and Ultra HD Blu-ray) and HDR.[41] At E3 2017, Microsoft unveiled Xbox One X, a high-end model with improved hardware designed to facilitate the playing of games at 4K resolution.[42]
Since November 2014, Microsoft has stated it will not release sales numbers for the Xbox One line.[43] Xbox head Phil Spencer said that while they do internally track sales figures, they do not want their developers to be focused on these numbers as to affect their products, and thus have opted not to report further sales of Xbox hardware going forward.[44] In July 2023, Microsoft revealed that the Xbox One line has sold over 58 million units.[4]
The Xbox Series X and the controllerThe Xbox Series S and the controller
The fourth generation of Xbox models, simply named Xbox,[45] includes the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S that launched on November 10, 2020. Both are considered members of the ninth generation of video game consoles alongside the PlayStation 5, also released that month. Like the Xbox One, the consoles 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 comparable to the Xbox One X and Xbox One S models, respectively, with all games designed for this model family playable on both systems. The Xbox Series X is estimated to be four times as powerful as Xbox One X, with support for 8K resolution and up to 120 frames-per-second rendering, with a nominal target of 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. The Xbox Series S is a digital-only unit with less graphic processing power, but can still render at a nominal 1440p resolution at 60 frames per second with support for 4K upscaling. Both consoles features support for new graphics rendering systems including real-time ray-tracing, and the new Xbox Velocity Architecture that works with the internal SSD drive to maximize the rate of texture streaming to the graphics processor, among other features. Besides games for this new console family, both consoles are fully compatible with all Xbox One games and most hardware, as well as all backward compatible games that were playable on the Xbox One from the Xbox 360 and original Xbox console.[46]
To help transition consumers, Microsoft introduced its Smart Delivery system which most of its first-party games and several third-party games will use to offer free updates to Xbox One versions of games to the Xbox Series X/S version over the first few years of the consoles' launch.[47][48]
Comparison
The following table is a comparison of the four generations of Xbox hardware.
Various monitor resolutions available via VGA and HDMI/DVI (640×480, 848×480, 1024×768, 1280×720, 1280×768, 1280×1024, 1360×768, 1440×900, 1680×1050 & 1920×1080)
Amid rumors that Microsoft may drop the Xbox hardware product line to focus on multiplatform software releases, Spencer stated in February 2024 that Microsoft remains committed to the Xbox console, with its first party studios through Microsoft Gaming supporting day-one releases on the Xbox first and foremost. He further said that Microsoft plans to publicly discuss its next generation of hardware in late 2024.[63][64]
Games
Xbox Game Studios logo, one of three publishing arms of parent company Microsoft Gaming
Each console has a variety of games. Most games released on the original Xbox are backwards compatible and can be played directly on its successor, Xbox 360. Backward compatibility with Xbox 360 titles was added to Xbox One a year-and-a-half after its launch in June 2015, with specific titles requiring Kinect or USB peripherals not being supported. The Xbox Series X/S supports backward compatibility with all Xbox One titles (except for Kinect-required games), as well as all the Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles that were made available for Xbox One.
Microsoft has used the razor and blades model to sell the family of Xbox consoles, selling the console at or below the price of its manufacturing costs, while earning revenue from licensing fees it collects from publishers and developers and from its services offered to players.[65]
Xbox network (formerly known as Xbox Live) is an online service with over 65 million users worldwide (as of July 2019).[66] It comprises an online virtual market, the Xbox Games Store, which allows the purchase and download of games and various forms of multimedia. Online gaming on the Xbox first started on November 15, 2002, worldwide. The service is still active and continues to be played by gamers.
Microsoft Store is an online marketplace made for Microsoft's Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles. The marketplace is where you can buy games, apps, movies, etc. through digital download.
The Xbox app is a companion application available for Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11, iOS, Android (version 4.0 and above),[67] and Windows Server 2012. It was announced by Microsoft during E3 2012 and released on October 26, 2012, coinciding with the release of Windows 8.[68] It can connect with the console and allows more interactive entertainment, allowing mobile devices to potentially serve as second screens and remote controller.
Xbox Game Pass Cloud Gaming[69] (codenamed xCloud during development) is the Microsoft's Xbox cloud gaming streaming service.
Content filter
In 2019, Microsoft released a content filtering to stop swearing and toxicity in online gaming. The service enables players to report messages, Gamertags, photos, and any other toxic content on its platform.[70]
Xbox Game Pass is a subscription service from Microsoft for use with the Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows 10 and Windows 11. The Xbox Game Pass grants users access to a catalog of games from a range of publishers for a single monthly subscription price. The service was launched on June 1, 2017.
Xbox Wire
Xbox Wire is Xbox's news blog, launched by Microsoft in May 2013 in preparation for the announcement of the Xbox One.[71] It was Microsoft's first Xbox-focused blog since it shut down Gamerscore in early 2009.[72] In March 2022, a Japanese-language version of the site was published as part of Microsoft's focus on the Japanese gaming market.[73]
The main interface for all four generations of Xbox has been the Xbox Dashboard, which allows users to manage games stored on the console, play media, and access system settings. Since 2002, the Dashboard has been integrated with the Xbox network which provides online functionality and storefront options. The operating systems for all Xbox platforms are heavily modified versions of the Windows NT operating system; the original Xbox and the Xbox 360 system software are based on Windows 2000, and the latest system software for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S is based on Windows 11, with support for Universal Windows Platform (UWP) applications.
Xbox Family Settings App
In May 2020, Xbox presented a preview version of an app that allows parents and guardians to set daily limits for their children's playing time, provides weekly activity reports, filters out age-restricted games, and places limits on online communication. This is the attempt of Microsoft, Xbox's owner, to promote a message of responsible gaming.[74]
Released in 2001, the Xbox control pad was the first controller made for the original Xbox. The Xbox controller features two analog sticks, 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).[75] The original Xbox controller (nicknamed the "Fatty"[76] and later the "Duke"[77]) was the controller initially bundled with Xbox systems for all territories except Japan, which received a more compact controller called the Controller S. The Controller S was later made the standard included controller in all territories.
Released in 2005, the Xbox 360 controller for the Xbox 360 succeeded its predecessor. A standard Xbox 360 controller features eleven digital buttons, two analog triggers, two analog sticks and a digital D-pad. The right face of the controller features four digital action buttons; a green "A" button, red "B" button, blue "X" button and yellow "Y" button. The lower right houses the right analog stick, in the lower left is a digital D-pad and on the left face is the left analog stick. Both analog sticks can also be "clicked in" to activate a digital button beneath. In the center of the controller face are digital "Start", "Back" and "Guide" buttons. The "Guide" button is labelled with the Xbox logo, and is used to turn on the console/controller and to access the guide menu. It is also surrounded by the "ring of light", which indicates the controller number, as well as flashing when connecting and to provide notifications. The left and right "shoulders" each feature 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 built to work with Kinect. The Start and Back buttons are replaced with Menu and View buttons. It has impulse triggers that replace the regular triggers. The Xbox button still brings up the mini-guide as of recent dashboard versions, though in earlier iterations it brought up the main dashboard menu while leaving the game uninterrupted.
Xbox Series X/S Controller
The fourth generation Xbox Controller doesn't change much from the Xbox One controller, but the new wireless Xbox Controller does add a capture and share button, a hybrid d-pad, and better gripping on the bumpers and triggers.[78] The controller is also promised to be cross compatible with certain PC's and mobile devices.[79]
The Xbox Adaptive Controller is a special controller designed for accessibility features for players. Besides being physically larger than typical controllers, it includes additional ports to allow other devices to be connected and mapped to other controller functions. The controller is not limited to just Xbox and Windows platforms but also is compatible with the PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.
Kinect was launched in North America on November 4, 2010,[83] in Europe on November 10, 2010,[84] in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore on November 18, 2010,[85][86][87] and in Japan on November 20, 2010.[88] Purchase options for the sensor peripheral include a bundle with the game Kinect Adventures and console bundles with either a 4 GB[89][90][91] or 250 GB[92] Xbox 360 console and Kinect Adventures.[89][90][91][92]
The Kinect claimed the Guinness World Record of being the "fastest selling consumer electronics device" after selling a total of 8 million units in its first 60 days.[93][94][95] 24 million units of the Kinect sensor had been shipped as of January 2012.[52]
Additional information on the Xbox One Kinect was released on June 6, 2013, including information on how to turn off the "always on" feature.[101]
The Xbox One Kinect sensor
Although featuring improved performance over the original Xbox 360 Kinect, its successor the Xbox One Kinect was subject to mixed responses. It was praised for its wide-angle, its fast response time and high-quality camera. However, the Kinect's inability to understand some accents in English was criticized. Furthermore, controversies surround Microsoft's intentional tying of the sensor with the Xbox One console despite the initial requirements for the sensor being plugged in at all times having been revised since its initial announcement. There have also been a number of concerns regarding privacy.
Headsets
When the Xbox Live online service was launched in 2002, the Xbox Communicatorheadset was included with the Live Starter Kit.[102] The Communicator, which enabled in-game voice chat, consisted of a wired headset and an interface module. The module plugged into the controller's top expansion slot, and the headset plugged into the module; the interface module was equipped with a dial to control volume and a button to mute the microphone.[103] The headset socket on the module was a standard 2.5mm TRS audio jack with monaural input and output, compatible with cellular phone headsets.
Xbox 360 controllers featured a built-in monaural 2.5mm TRS jack also compatible with standard cellular phone headsets, allowing players to reuse the Xbox Communicator headset and chat on Xbox Live without a separate interface module.[104] The premium console bundle included a wired Xbox 360 Live Communicator headset with grey and white cosmetics matching the console, which also was available separately;[105] the wired headset connected to the audio jack on the bottom of the controller through a wide plug that included mute and volume controls. An updated Xbox 360 Headset was released in 2010 with black cosmetics, bundled with the Xbox 360 S; for the revised wired headset, the mute/volume controls were moved to a position inline along the cable.
Microsoft also announced the Xbox 360 Wireless Headset, a first-party single-ear headset accessory designed for and released with the Xbox 360 console in November 2005. Special editions of the wireless headset were released with colors themed for Halo 3 (green/orange, September 2007),[106] the Xbox 360 S (black, 2010), and Halo: Reach (silver, September 2010).[107] It was replaced by the Xbox 360 Wireless Headset with Bluetooth in 2011, which could be used with the console (using the Xbox wireless protocol) or a phone (using Bluetooth).[108]
The initial revision of the Xbox One Wireless Controller (Model 1537) also included a 2.5mm monaural jack compatible with standard cellular phone headsets. Microsoft bundled the Xbox One Chat Headset with each console starting from launch in 2013; the headset was permanently wired to an interface module that plugged into the controller's expansion port and provided microphone mute and volume controls.[109] In addition, Microsoft released the Xbox One Stereo Headset in early March 2014, bundled with a Stereo Headset Adapter, which allowed players to listen to in-game audio blended with chat simultaneously. The Adapter connected to the controller's expansion port and headset jack, and the Headset connected to the Adapter through a 3.5mm plug. Prior headsets released with the Xbox and Xbox 360 were limited to voice chat only.[110] A white-colored special edition was released in fall 2016.[111] The next revision of the controller (Model 1697) replaced with 2.5mm jack with a 3.5mm jack.[112]
A new Xbox Wireless Headset was introduced in February 2021, targeted for use on the Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows computers. The outer surface of each earcup is a rotary control; the right earcup controls overall volume, and the left earcup controls game/chat mix level.[113] It is equipped with both proprietary Xbox Wireless and Bluetooth radios, and could be connected to both simultaneously.[114] A corresponding Xbox Stereo Headset, which omits the wireless connections in favor of a standard 3.5mm plug and also omits the game/chat mix control dial, was introduced in August 2021 with a reduced price.[115]
Marketing
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2016)
In 2016, Microsoft announced that it would hold its own Xbox FanFest instead of a press conference at the Gamescom annual European video game convention.[116] Microsoft held an Xbox FanFest in Sydney in September 2016.[117]
Microsoft held a 20th anniversary celebration stream for the Xbox on November 15, 2021. During it, they announced that a documentary behind the history of the Xbox, titled Power On: The Story of Xbox. The documentary was released in six parts starting on December 13, 2021.[118] The documentary won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Camera Editing.[119]
Notes
^Starting with the Xbox One, Microsoft does not release detailed sales figures of its Xbox hardware sales, so all figures provided are based on industry analysis estimates. Xbox's head Phil Spenser said that they do not want their teams to be focused on sales numbers so have opted not to report them and do not plan to for the foreseeable future.[43][44]
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