Xbox Video Game System
From LoveToKnow VideoGames
Microsoft Xbox
Microsoft first entered the video game console market in the fall of 2001. Early rumors that the software giant was creating a console system first surfaced early in 2000 and in March of 2000, Bill Gates unveiled the first Xbox demo unit. In January of 2001, Microsoft showed the first pre-production units. Since Playstation 2 was released in 2000, the competition was formidable and game publishers and consumers all wondered which console system would reign in the market.
Hardware Specs of the Xbox
So, what is inside the Xbox's cool black box? As might be expected in a console from Microsoft, the Xbox is based on PC technology. The Xbox contains an Intel Pentium III processor that runs at a raging 733 megahertz, faster than either the Playstation 2 or the Nintendo Gamecube.
The Xbox also has a very fast custom 3-D processor for handling video display, an audio system that supports 256 channels and Dolby AC3 encoding and a built-in 8 gig hard drive.
The Xbox can support up to four players with four separate hand controllers.
Some other features on the Xbox include a 5x DVD drive that allows movie playback, support for broadband connectivity, an 8 megabyte removable memory card and HDTV support.
Xbox Console Sales
Between the Xbox's mid-November 2001 launch and January 1, 2002, consumers bought one and a half million units of the game system in the United States. Microsoft followed the U.S. release with rollouts in Japan, Europe and Australia.
Initial consumers each purchased an average of three games with their Xbox systems, making it one of the most successful video game system launches in history. Much of this success may be attributed to the great games that were available at the Xbox's release. Microsoft secured exclusives with the following Xbox games for the system's introduction: Halo, Dead of Alive 3, Fuzion Frenzy, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, NFL Fever 2002 and Project Gotham Racing. Additional titles that were not exclusive, but were available at the systems release included: Madden NFL 2002, NASCAR Thunder 2002, Shrek, Dark Summit, Cel Damage, NHL Hitz 2002, NASCAR Heat 2002, TransWorld Surf, Test Drive Off Road Wide Open, Mad Dash Racing, 4x4 Evo 2" and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2x.
By the end of 2004, the Xbox had an installed base of approximately 20 million units. While that number is small compared to Playstation 2's installed base of around 80 million units for the same date, Xbox's numbers are quite respectable, especially considering it was Microsoft's first entry into the video game console market. Sales of Xbox hardware, accessories and games continue strong into 2005.
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