This week, we've heard Microsoft talking about this whole idea of every gaming device being an Xbox, which in some ways marks the end of an era that began with the original Xbox in 2001 - the era of the console being the core focus of Microsoft's gaming division. Realistically it's been that way for some time, but we're now seeing the company making a big effort to convey this message to the public as part of an expensive and in-depth marketing campaign.
Don't worry, Xbox consoles are still here to stay - but even if they weren't, we're willing to bet the OG Xbox would remain relevant for decades to come. Today marks that console's 23rd birthday, having originally launched on November 15th, 2001, and whether you're still using one or not, its legacy lives on in the modern world of gaming.
Let's start with Halo, shall we? The franchise that was so essential to the original Xbox's success remains extremely important to Xbox in 2024, and we've even heard about major plans for its future in recent weeks. Halo is absolutely still a cornerstone of the Xbox brand 23 years later, and even if Microsoft decided to ditch consoles for the next generation (which won't happen, don't worry!), there's no doubt that Halo would be sticking around for the long haul. Halo is just one example, of course - Fable and Forza Motorsport come to mind too!
How about Xbox Live as well? It might not technically be called Xbox Live anymore, but we're still using it in the same ways to play games online, chat with our friends and download things off the Xbox Store. It's obviously evolved over the past couple decades in important ways, but the foundations were laid back in the original Xbox era.
Backwards compatibility even means that 63 original Xbox titles are still playable today on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, and you can actually play a lot more on Xbox 360 as part of that console's backwards compatibility feature. We wish there were more, but at least we've got some great ones!
And hey, some people are still playing their original Xbox consoles regularly, with online support provided by the (unofficial) Xbox Live replacement service known as Insignia. Those who don't have access to the original console anymore are requesting that Microsoft creates a "classic" mini version as well... although don't hold your breath on that.
Xbox controllers that we use today were also essentially prototyped in that era, and the idea of integrating a hard drive was a foreign concept back then - but Microsoft still did it. In many ways, it was a system that was ahead of its time.
The point is, that even though the OG Xbox is now old enough to be a responsible adult, it still manages to remain very relevant in today's world - even despite the significant changes that are going on at Microsoft Gaming right now. As long as Xbox exists, we'll be feeling the effects of those decisions that were made two decades ago, and therefore the original console will always give us a lot to be thankful for. What an amazing system this truly was!