Seven years ago today, Microsoft publicly unveiled the Xbox One for the first time at the Xbox Campus in Redmond, Washington. And let's just say the reception wasn't great.
The event was an hour-long demonstration of what the Xbox One could do, but centred heavily around its entertainment features such as TV integration, Snap mode and the Kinect V2, which ultimately didn't go down well with gamers. In fact, the show was almost thirty minutes old before a gameplay trailer was even teased.
The questions that followed the event didn't go down well either, with confusion surrounding used game policies and the system's requirement for regular online check-ins. Infamously, former Xbox Head Don Mattrick responded to a question about the internet requirement by suggesting those without a connection should stick with the Xbox 360.
Fortunately, Microsoft took a U-turn on some of its policies later in the year, ensuring both offline connections and used games would be fully supported on Xbox One. And of course, the system would transform into something entirely different in years to come, realising its potential through new avenues such as backwards compatibility, Xbox Game Pass, various new models and a wide array of quality titles.
There's little doubt that Xbox as a brand has come a long way since that initial Xbox One reveal back on May 21, 2013. But even so, the event (and what immediately followed) caused lasting damage that Microsoft has been working to repair ever since. For the next generation, the Xbox Series X is a chance to put things right.
Do you remember the Xbox One reveal event? Share your memories of it in the comments below.
Comments 15
I know we can’t swear in the comments, so I’ll say this as best I can without using obscenities.....
?!$&. Don. Mattrick.
I remember watching that presentation live at a friends apartment, being severely underwhelmed by everything from the million different TV functions, to kinect. From arm hair and smart fish in that year’s Call of Duty game to some exclusive game mode for that year’s FIFA game.
Xbone has come a really long way from then, and today Xbox One X is my favourite console of all time.
Even now, seven years later. Xbox is still affected by the disaster that was the Xbox One reveal. It's amazing to see just how much damage can be done with one presentation.
At the time, I remember swearing I'd never buy an Xbox console again. After the release, with Kinect removed and a clear consistent reversal of these decisions did I buy mine.
I totally see how even now, people will be sceptical of the new Series X.
I'm getting annoyed now just remembering the used games limit and the daily internet sign ins... Never has a console been designed in such an echo chamber, and hopefully never again!
It was with that presentation and Don Mattrick's arrogance that MS lost this gen.
@Tasuki
Yep. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
7 years!!! The Xbox One is ancient!!
Bye bye Don Mattrick, please close the door and don't come back!
@JoakimZ Same here. I got the original Xbox One when backwards compatibility was announced and then I got the Xbox One X which has become my favourite console of all time.
I think that was the moment I decided to get a ps4. Such a world of difference compared to the current situation though, which will make my new decision a lot harder for sure.
@ShaiHulud
That was when most gamers went from the 360 to the PS4. I actually bought a PS3 years earlier when they announced that Kinect would be the “future of Xbox”. 🙄
Mattrick was an arrogant prick that almost ruined Xbox completely. Like most here, I was an OG Xbox gamer (and loved my 360), but I couldn’t put up with Mattrick’s vision or nonsense.
I never got a PS4 though. Other than a few PS3 years during the Mattrick era, I have been an Xbox only guy, 100%, since the OG Xbox launched.
But thankfully, Phil & his team have worked hard to bring the console back from the dead.
One of the three most disastrous press conferences of all-time. The other two are PlayStation E3 2006 and the Wii U portion of Nintendo's E3 2011.
TV TV TV TV!! Was such a awful presentation, but the changes theyve made under Phil Spencer is nothing short of miraculous. We're a long ways away from that time and seems they really have the right leadership in place to make sure something like that doesnt happen again!
@ShaiHulud That was when I decided. For the most part of my gaming life I have been a multi console guy. I always had a Nintendo console cause I loved their exclusives, Mario, Zelda, Metroid and then I would have another console either a Sega, or Sony or MS.
I had a 360 because of the f ups Sony did during the PS3 era. I almost bought an Xbox One then Mattrick took the stage and said always online, Kinect included blah blah blah and I though who's this ***. Once I saw Sony's presentation I pre-ordered a PS4. I only got an Xbox One a few years ago when the One X came out and I bought the original Xbox One from a co-worker of mine who upgraded to the One X.
I had little to no interest in Xbox then. I'd had a 360 previously but even with that 95% of my gaming was on PS3 toward the end of that gen just purely for the amount of exclusives Sony had that I preferred to the Xbox games
That reveal did a lot of damage to the Xbox brand for a while. I remember even after launch, one of my coworkers thought X1 didn't play used games. That goes to show you, if you make a negative first impression, it can last for a while.
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