Happy 15th Anniversary Xbox

[scotland]

Happy 15th Birthday to the Microsoft/Flextronics Xbox. The Original Xbox! The One before the One.

The return of American manufactured video game consoles after about a decade of absence, software giant Microsoft worked with giant American electronics manufacturer Flextronics to build the big giant box of a console. In an already crowded field, Microsoft came in with deep pockets.

The console had a 32 bit Pentium III CPU inside, with a built in hard drive accounting for its larger size. Graphically competitive, and with an online ecosystem in the new Xbox Live, it became best known as "the Halo machine" and the "fatty" controller.



So, let's hear it for the Original Xbox. Any great memories? Favorite games? What's its legacy?

[scotland]

I notice the Gamecube thread getting a lot of love, but not the Original Xbox.

I feel like a pastor at a funeral looking for someone to come up and say a few nice things about the dearly departed. Anyone?

[matmico399]

Lol you are to funny Scotland. Never had one, I was a PS2 guy.

[Rookie1]

I notice the Gamecube thread getting a lot of love, but not the Original Xbox.

I feel like a pastor at a funeral looking for someone to come up and say a few nice things about the dearly departed. Anyone?

The xbox had some really cool exclusive star wars titles.

[scotland]

The issue is that the Star Wars games may have been console exclusives, but were very popular on PC as well. At least KOTOR and Battlefront were on PC. Actually, was Battlefront was on PS2, wasn't it?

[Stalvern]

I didn't have one and didn't know anyone who did, except for my relatives up in New Hampshire. My entire XBOX experience consisted of store demos (I remember having fun with Metal Arms, despite the difficulty of playing it through a Big Mac) and Project Gotham at my cousin's (thankfully with the updated controller). Missouri must have really liked the GameCube compared to the rest of the country, because my friends' systems were pretty much 50/50 GameCubes and PS2s, without an XBOX in sight.

From my scant interaction with the XBOX, I thought it was pretty cool, but in the vague, trivial way that something so removed from my frame of reference could only be. I wish that I had more definite thoughts about it to contribute, but they just aren't there.

[Steve]

While I did own a PlayStation and a couple of games, I would consider the Xbox my first 'modern' generation system since it was the first console since my Colecovision that I played routinely - almost every day. I have many fond memories of it including my first experience playing online and games I played for hours as opposed to just minutes. I did slow down playing it when the Xbox 360 came out but I still have it hooked up with about 100 games. If I had to pick some of my favorite memories, it would be Burnout 2/3, Halo/Halo 2, Mechassualt, Metal Arms, Battlefront, Rallisport Challenge, and Crimson Skies. Literally, ever year at E3, when there are rumors of a reboot, I always pray it is Crimson Skies. It remains to this day one of my favorite games of all time and I used to have a blast online, including playing with strangers......something I find increasingly difficult to do now.

[Rookie1]

The issue is that the Star Wars games may have been console exclusives, but were very popular on PC as well. At least KOTOR and Battlefront were on PC. Actually, was Battlefront was on PS2, wasn't it?

Im not a PC gamer, so thats a dead platform to me. As a Sony loyalist, I was jealous Xbox had KOTOR 1 & 2 as well as Republic Commando.

Battlefront was always blah to me. Never really got in to that.

[scotland]

I have many fond memories of it including my first experience playing online and games I played for hours as opposed to just minutes. If I had to pick some of my favorite memories, it would be Burnout 2/3, Halo/Halo 2, Mechassualt, Metal Arms, Battlefront, Rallisport Challenge, and Crimson Skies. Literally, ever year at E3, when there are rumors of a reboot, I always pray it is Crimson Skies. It remains to this day one of my favorite games of all time and I used to have a blast online, including playing with strangers......something I find increasingly difficult to do now.

Now we're talking! Crimson Skies sounds fantastic, and I hope you get your reboot. I missed out on Mech Assault, but I have enjoyed many Mech games over the years. I read they stripped out some of the management issues to focus on the action compared to earlier PC games, but I can see why, especially on a console. I liked the tactical challenges of picking the right mech and mods for a mission, though, or that certain combos fit your style. (I never got the hang of jump jets)

Battlefront hooked me, but it had flaws, even if you like genre. I also game on PCs, and guess I always will do some of my gaming there.

[Atariboy]

I'd happily just take Xbox backwards compatibility, with original discs supported, HD rendering, and no title by title approval process.

And while I can't imagine online multiplayer being available (Especially when the centerpiece of the original Xbox Live is already on the XB1 in remastered form), ideally, those titles with patches and DLC could still be updated on the Xbox One where possible.