Most of us have played on the original Xbox (and if not, at least the 360), and even though the console is 13 years old there are a few facts out there you may not know about.
Seeing as knowledge is power, here are some of the more interesting facts about the original Xbox, its successors, and the games that came with them.
Halo was unveiled as a Mac exclusive
Microsoft’s popular first person shooter franchise was actually first unveiled as an exclusive for the company’s competitors – Apple.
Steve Jobs revealed Halo as one of the “coolest games” he had ever seen.
A year later, Microsoft bought Bungie and swiped Halo for the Microsoft team – the game is now a leading Xbox exclusive.
The Rock was there
When the Xbox was unveiled in 2001, people not only got to see the new console, but also smell what the Rock was cooking.
The wrestler-turned-actor was there when Bill Gates officially lifted satin sheet off the Microsoft console, and even gave a bit of commentary.
DirectX-Box
The Xbox was originally going to be called the DirectX-Box, due to the use of DirectX on the console when it was first designed.
After careful consideration, Microsoft decided to drop the “Direct” bit. Good choice guys.
One Million Gamerscore
Stallion83 has the highest Gamerscore in the world, currently sitting at over 1,000,000 points. To reward this performance, Microsoft gave him a free Xbox Live membership for life.
An example of Stallion’s dedication is that he would play a US and EU version of the same game, so he could get double the gamerscore.
Stallion83 – Twitter
23.7% Failure Rate
During its first year on the market, the Xbox 360 had a 23.7% failure rate. The “Red Ring of Death” became the bane of Xbox gamers worldwide, and the Xbox 360 was branded the least reliable console at the time.
According to SquareTrade, the Nintendo Wii was nine time more reliable than Microsoft’s console – how embarrassing.
Red Ring of Death
Halo 4 Ghost sells the most
The best-selling Xbox Avatar items are the Halo 4 Ghost vehicle, the Modern Warfare 2 Night Vision Goggles, and the Halo Master Chief Spartan Armour. This is according to the Xbox Avatar store.
Epic wanted more RAM
Most people who got their Xbox 360 during the first 12 months after the launch, played Gears of War – it was one of the the first true “next-gen” games and it was the beginning of an incredible journey.
The game could have been a complete flop, though, if it wasn’t for Epic persuading Microsoft to increase the console’s RAM.
The Xbox 360 shipped with 512MB, double that of its initial offering.
Madden was the last Xbox game to ship
Madden NFL 09 was the last game to release on the original Xbox on 12 August 2008.
Care to share any additional Xbox facts? Do so in the comments and forum.
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Lekker ge-NFL op daai outjie. Console just has that party element where a PC is more of a personal experience. Making turns on the couch with friends is one of my fondest memories.