Microsoft Ends Xbox 360 Production

Very interesting timing. I finally bought a new Xbox 360, YESTERDAY. I had still been using a Core model from launch, didn't have Wi-fi nor true HD. My Arcade model gave me 7 good years before biting the dust. The Core model is my step-Dads, and works ok. It is super loud and hot however. I've been wanting to update for a while, and finally did so yesterday. And today this happens. Pretty crazy. Great console, and I look forward to having a lot of fun times with it in the future.

It was inevitable this day would come... I ended up with 3 XB360's during its life - the original core model which I traded in for a 'Black' Elite - mainly because I didn't like the colour. When MS launched the slim with Kinect I bought that model and sold my Elite. I still have my 360 (and my Crystal original Xbox) although haven't used it for around a year or so. Its connected up of course...

I wonder how long it will continue to get online support? I would imagine for quite a few years because of the BC on XB1...

Oh man,the 360 will never truly die if the servers are still gonna be up.

It was a hell of a system once the Elite models came out. That first design was a clusterf#ck. I bought one of the small 4GB models last Black Friday for $129 & put in my old 500 GB HDD. I still play it all the time. Out of the three consoles they've released this one will be remembered the most fondly by far.

(Raises hand to sky)......"NO!!!!!!"

(Goes and hugs his 360 E console while offering it words of encouragement.....)......"it'll be ok. I'll never get rid of you. PlayStation fans are still jealous of your awesomeness. Microsoft will never turn off your servers....."

Awkward.

Sad news, but understandable since the new consoles have been out a few years now. I still use and love mine and will likely buy 1-2 spares to keep for years to come.

Oh no that's a shame had many a great time on my 360! I did pick up a halo 4 edition a few months back! My old elite wasn't work well any more and I saw it going cheap and thought May as well!

@KelticDevil Don't worry Keltic, I'llalways be your friend even when your game console is fading away! 👋
@Tasuki
Not distancing the 360 gamers at all, just go buy a used one of you want to play 360 games

I'm still outraged at the fact that I can no longer buy a brand new Ford Capri...

It just so happens that in anticipation of this I was in Best Buy 2 weeks ago and grabbed a black 500G 360 for $199! Not bad...it's my fourth one too! My launch day console ended up with the red rings but GameStop tells me they'll take it. That'll leave me with 3! Nice to have a back up console I feel! I did the same thing with the PS3. Picked up a white 500G model as well. Let's just hope the store stays up for a few more years and this is why and when buying digital Is bad which is why I always choose a retail copy whenever possible!! I would say thanks for the memories but it's not like I won't be using my 360's for years to come....too many great games!!

@Tasuki

What are you talking about?!! "Way to distance your customers......"? The 360 has been out since 2005! Hilarious.

Was a great console. Condemned 1 was probably my favorite launch window game. Very underrated.

@SuperKMx

Arguing with @Tasuki is like p@#%ing into the wind. Pointless. I am an avid 360 user & even I understand this move by Microsoft. And like you said, there are millions of 360's out there if people still want to buy one & it's not like Microsoft is going to stop supporting 360 games because of BC. No idea why someone would be shocked by this news. Lol.

@A_BabyRed_Yoshi

Awwww.....how nice. Hopefully my 360 is a stubborn s.o.b. There are still tons of games I want to play on it! Lol.

@Gamer83

You are so right. Condemned is one of my favorite 360 games. Microsoft needs to go snatch up that license & re-boot that series!

A great console, played most of my fighting games on here with my favorites being Persona 4 Arena, Street Fighter 4(and its upgrades) and playing a lot of SNK games. Other great games I played are Red Dead Redemption, Bayonetta, Dead Rising and a bunch of classic games on Xbox Live. I did get hit with the red rings of death though(twice).

Think someone had their rose tinted glasses on when they said PDZ was the pick of the initial line up I thought that game was a... massive disappointment... to put it politely!

Call of Duty, PGR, Condemned (anyone know why did that game only had 970 achievement points???) @SuperKMx, RR6 and Kameo were my pick of the crop. Superb console, probably the best I've ever owned to be honest. I burned through 3 of the white ones as they all succumbed to the dreaded RROD. MS fixed them all FOC but after the 3rd one I decided I'd had enough and bought a black Elite that stood the test of time until I sold it after getting my One.

It's spirit lives on every time I play a BC title on my One and see that boot-up animation and hear that distinctive whooshing sound.

@stylon

I agree. Perfect Dark Zero was like a shiny turd. It may look nice, but in the end......it's still a turd.

The campaign in that game was so horrible it brought me to fits of rage few other games had done at the time. But to Rare's credit, I thought Kameo was underrated & Viva Pinata was fantastic.

It's funny that you bring up Condemned's weird 970 gamer score. Another strange one was LOTR: Battle For Middle Earth II (the RTS game). It only had 705 points. And many of the sports games at launch were a RICULOUSLY easy 1000 gs. Like in NHL 2K6 - Score A Goal - 100 pts.

It was a time before developers cared about the achievement system or figured out how to implement it correctly. Even Call Of Duty 2 gave you a measly amount of points for just beating the game on normal difficulty. It seems like either games were way too easy (cough......King Kong) or way too hard (cough.....Geometry Wars).

Good times.

I do not own a 360 but I know it is a great console with a good online service and lots of multiplatform and exclusive games. It has sold around the same units than PS3 and it is still supported, and you can play 360 games on Xbox One. All of this means that Microsoft did a great job and so I bought an Xbox One.

Ah the inevitable announcement. The 360 was the console that switched me from 'the other brand' so will always have a special meaning for me. My first console was an Elite. It did me proud for several years before I upgraded to a 'slim'..mainly because it had direct connection for Kinect instead of the extra cables. Still have the slim sat in the spare room, waiting patiently for me to fire up something and play.
It's a shame it's looking like Xb1 wont last anything like as long. <hmm>

@Gamer83 Totally agree Condemned was amazing. Those bloody Mannequins.
7 Xbox 360's later its still an amazing machine.

@Captain_Chao5 Given it looks like the Neo is coming out before the end of this year I guess Microsoft doesn't really have much choice now as it was already a little behind in the specs department.

Personally I think it stinks but it would be a big gamble for them to do nothing whilst their main rival brings out a significantly more powerful console.

@stylon Yeah. I (reluctantly) agree. Xbox One was on the back foot from the start and has been playing second fiddle in terms of power. It would be seriously bad for MS if Sony brought out an even more powerful console and they did nothing. I just hope it's a properly built system and not another short term project.
One thing is for sure. I'll not be getting one day one.

@Captain_Chao5 With hindsight, just think how much more powerful the Xbox One could have been if the £100 that went on the now defunct Kinect had gone into the console itself... probably would have stomped all over the PS4 given it's current spec advantage is slim.

We'll never know...

@stylon This is true. Maybe they'd have fitted a 1Tb drive too, which is the minimum it needed. I'm just a bit sore spending 400+ quid on a console that will be superceded within a few years. Given the way the price fell within months of release, I'll be waiting for the next upgrade.

@RustyBullet @SuperKMx @KelticDevil

It's too bad Condemned 2 bombed so bad commercially, and to be frank, wasn't really that great a game anyway. Like a lot of companies I think they saw that people loved their action shooters and that's the route they went and it hurt more than helped. I'd love a reboot that is very much in line with the first but highly doubt it will happen, especially in the current gaming environment.

@Captain_Chao5 @stylon

Let's not assume Microsoft will just copy what Sony's doing. Sony has no choice because they have VR coming & they always worry about what Nintendo is doing. Pissing off most of your fanbase doesn't seem like a very strong idea, however.

It'll be very interesting to see how Microsoft plays this. They have lots of options and have more $ than any of them. This will be the most important E3 in many years.

@Gamer83

Yea Condemned 2 wasn't nearly as good as the first. Except for the cabin scene with the grizzly. That is beyond amazing.

It's funny you bring this up. Because after I finish my play-through of Mass Effect, Condemned 2 is the next game I have lined up. So I'll get to see how it holds up over time.

@KelticDevil "Let's not assume Microsoft will just copy what Sony's doing."
The track record is not great XB1 was rushed out before the Kinect games were (or should that be game was) ready, to keep up with Sony.
If Sony have a new, higher spec console coming, I'd bet a few quid that MS will have something to keep up. I don't see how they can not try to keep on par with their main rival. I really wish they would hold on and release something later just to stop the ridiculous (and very boring) debates about which one has the best this, that and the other. Yes frame rate argument, I'm looking at you!
I'd not realised Sony have VR that close to production. Now I'm really hoping MS don't rush their equivalent (whatever it will be) to once again keep up with Sony.

@stylon Yeah, Kinect kind of harmed Xbox One. I only hope next Xbox console uses the Xbox One controllers and is backwards compatible using the same interface.

@Captain_Chao5

You are right. The track record is not good. But that was with the horrid Mattrick in charge. I'm not saying Phil isn't capable of making the same mistake, but I would hope they learned their lesson from last time.

If they are truely going to build a system that is only slightly upgraded, then I hope they figure out a way for current Xbox One owners to upgrade for like $50-60 by using some sort of add-on or something.

But Sony being arrogant again (cough......PS3 for $599) and possibly trying to change the console lifecycle is really ticking off a lot of PS4 owners and probably some developers. I hope Microsoft can come up with a more creative way to do this without making people pay $400 again.

Is "cloud processing" still a thing? Lol.

@KelticDevil
If MS is coming up with a plan to keep up with Sony (and I think it is) there's no way the system will be much cheaper than $300-$350, if it comes in at under $400. There will definitely be retail 'trade up' programs, how much you'd be able to net is anyone's guess, but neither Sony or MS can give these consoles away for free. We also don't know what's going on behind the scenes which is what makes everything all the more interesting. With Sony cruising like it was, commonsense would dictate to stay the course and wait until 2018 to deliver the PS5. But I think it's possible NX has Sony freaked out (there's too many rumors about it being a powerful console for that rumor not to be true) and because Sony is a reactionary company, well, it's going to react. By extension, this effects MS, its backed into a corner and has to keep up. I'm looking forward to E3. I can see a lot of p*ssed of consumers or a lot of people ok with the way things are going. NX has to be given a proper reveal and at this point with all the leaks, Sony has to talk. If both those companies are making waves, there's no way MS can sit back and do nothing. All the big 3 better have their best PR teams prepared.

@Gamer83

I completely agree that Sony is worried about Nintendo & the NX. Those two companies are Japanese rivals and it goes back to the PS1/N64 days.

I'll use a baseball analogy here......With their consoles since the legendary SNES, Nintendo has looked like a big all-or-nothing home run hitter at the plate. Sure, most of the time Nintendo can look like a blind guy swatting at gnats while hitting (Gamecube, Wii U). But every once in awhile, they'll get ahold of one & crush it (N64 somewhat & Wii). I hated the Wii, but it sold like crazy. This scares other companies because Nintendo is hard to predict. I could see them coming out at E3 and only showing a couple mobile games with no mention of NX & piss everyone off. Or I could see them revealing some bad-@%! new console. You just never know with them.

Like you said, Sony is a re-actionary company. So, in my opinion, this PS4K thing is definitely in response to something that hasn't been revealed yet. Plus, they have PSVR coming. But even that has had it's bumps in the road PR wise. Sony says, "It's $399." But it really isn't because you need the camera. Oh and you need Move controllers to play most of the games. And the casual gamer isn't going to own those things, so it's really $500.

I do think it's hilarious that Sony wants you to buy two of their recent, failed add-ons (that are currently collecting dust) to even use their new add-on & the Sony sheep are just lapping that up like it's no biggie. What's next? You have to use Wonderbook to even turn PSVR on?

So I can see why Sony is doing a PS4K because of their flat-out arrogance whenever they are #1 and they are worried about Nintendo. This puts Microsoft in an interesting position. Being the underdog has benefited Xbox in the past. The original Xbox was a great console. And the 360 was amazing until they themselves got arrogant while dominating the PS3 & changed their focus to Kinect. They could go several different ways here, but like you said, they have to do SOMETHING.

I think if they go with a new console, it will be something big while still being BC with Xbox One & 360 titles. I also think it'll be compatible with Occulus Rift or Vive, so that will take care of the VR situation.

I would actually love to see them just do an affordable add-on that upgrades the Xbox One without pissing off the user-base. I'm no tech guy, so I don't even know if it's possible to have some plug-and-play type of device that will add enough power to compete with Sony & Nintendo's upgraded specs. But if it's possible, that would be be cool.

My gut feeling here is Microsoft is not going to do with Xbox what Sony is doing with PS4K. I think they will do something different. Sony has pissed off a lot of their customers with this leaked info & Phil Spencer is obviously watching. But like you said, they have to do something. It'll be interesting to see what they come up with. This will be the most compelling E3 to watch in a very long time.

@KelticDevil
If I'm 100% honest, the reaction to PS4K has been ridiculous. We still don't know for sure what this is but if the rumors are true that current PS4 owner still get to play every new release, I have no issue with an upgraded revision. Revisions have always existed and that's the price you pay as an early adopter. As a day-one buyer as long as I can play all new releases going forward, I'm fine as long as the versions for the original model are still playable. I don't remember the millions of 3DS owners losing their sh*t over New 3DS, which actually has an exclusive game, and this isn't much different, but as usual people p*ss and moan. What's hilarious to me is I get called 'entitled' when I b*tch about halfa$$sed $60 games with missing content but people who are still getting access to all future releases have every right to be p*ssed because somebody may have a 'better' PS4 but still get access to all future games? Sorry, but those people can f**k off. Now, if the PS4K starts getting exclusive games, then I'll be right there with them but that's not the case yet. I still think VR is a big factor in this too. Maybe not as big as NX but a factor for sure. But I actually think VR is a worse idea than PS4K because it truly fractures the fanbase. With PS4K there will be some games that may look better but we don't know by how much, my guess is with 40 mil current users out there, Sony and third parties aren't going to be crazy enough to make versions for vanilla PS4 look like sh*t because that model will still be sold. But I need to see full details before I react one way or another. MS is definitely doing something too and if it's a new system, I will be disappointed. People are b*tching about 4K but a brand new Xbox 3 years after Xbox One? To me that would be ridiculous but I've also come to terms with the fact that the console market is changing. People can learn to accept it or go back to Nintendo, which might be the only company that is going to stick to the old-school ways. I'd go back but I need to first see a serious effort on Nintendo's part to get and keep real third party support and that means stuff like GTA in addition to the family friendly games and quirky Japanese stuff like Bayonetta and Devil's Third. Until then I'll rock with PlayStation and Xbox but at this point it's time to start thinking about these brands less as 'home consoles' and more as welfare PCs.

@Gamer83

It has been a bit ridiculous. Most Sony fans make excuses for when they screw up like sheep, but every once in awhile they overreact & FREAK out when Sony does something to piss them off. Is there a pill for that condition? Lol.

It would suck if Microsoft just moved on from Xbox One to a new, more powerful console. But I am not sure what else they can do if they don't want to do a partial upgrade. Maybe they will just sit back & survey the landscape after Sony & Nintendo reveal their plans and react accordingly? But I am with you. I think they have to do something. Can "cloud processing" be involved in this? Is that even still a thing? If it is, maybe that could be something. Rumors are they are "working on prototypes", whatever that means.

I'm just glad I took the Monday of E3 off work to watch live. This will be very interesting.

@KelticDevil
People don't like to hear it and want to pretend it's not option, but I think a steambox direction is entirely possible for the future of the Xbox. I could see in Nov. 2017 MS just re-starting the Xbox line. It would strictly be called Xbox and obviously there will be differing skus and the ability to upgrade. It's pretty obvious MS is heading that direction anyway with the integration of all its products. If done well, it can work, if not, it'll fail. Just like with PS4K, aside from rumors we have no hard facts on it, it could still end up not being as terrible as people are making it out to be. The problem is the market as well all knew it is changing at a rapid rate and these companies are trying to keep up. That means sometimes things need to be done differently but people hate what they don't know. We'll just have to see what the next few years brings. All I know is it can't stay the same. If this gen proved anything it's that the traditional home console cycle doesn't work anymore. No gen ever had hardware as underpowered from day one as this one did. The Wii U, the PS4, the Xbox One... All pitiful from a tech stand point.