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==Sales== <!-- It's sold, NOT shipped, per government signed document, see talk page-->
==Sales== <!-- It's sold, NOT shipped, per government signed document, see talk page-->
'''Total:''' 5.0 million consoles sold, as of [[June 30]], [[2006]]<ref name="5 million" />
'''Total:''' 2.0 million consoles sold, as of [[June 30]], [[2006]]<ref name="5 million" />
*Quarterly data
*Quarterly data
**Q4 2005, 1.5 million units <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/01/26/microsoftq2_2006/ |title=Microsoft ships 1.5 million Xbox 360 units in Q4 |accessdate=2006-09-30 |last=Gruener |first=Wolfgang |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2006-01-26 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=TGDaily |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref>
**Q4 2005, 0.5 million units <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/01/26/microsoftq2_2006/ |title=Microsoft ships 1.5 million Xbox 360 units in Q4 |accessdate=2006-09-30 |last=Gruener |first=Wolfgang |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2006-01-26 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=TGDaily |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref>
**Q1 2006, 1.7 million units <ref>{{cite web |url=http://money.cnn.com/2006/04/27/technology/microsoft_earnings/index.htm |title=Xbox Marks The Spot |accessdate=2006-09-30 |last=Cantrell |first=Amanda |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2006-04-28 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=CNN |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref>
**Q1 2006, 0.7 million units <ref>{{cite web |url=http://money.cnn.com/2006/04/27/technology/microsoft_earnings/index.htm |title=Xbox Marks The Spot |accessdate=2006-09-30 |last=Cantrell |first=Amanda |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2006-04-28 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=CNN |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref>
**Q2 2006, 1.8 million units <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/msft/download/fy06/Q4-FY06ERSlides.ppt#15 |title=Fourth Quarter & fiscal Year 2006 Results |accessdate=2006-09-30 |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2006-06-20 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Microsoft |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref>
**Q2 2006, 0.8 million units <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/msft/download/fy06/Q4-FY06ERSlides.ppt#15 |title=Fourth Quarter & fiscal Year 2006 Results |accessdate=2006-09-30 |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2006-06-20 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Microsoft |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref>


*Microsoft's forecasted cumulative estimates:
*Microsoft's forecasted cumulative estimates:

Revision as of 19:59, 12 October 2006

Xbox 360
Xbox 360 logo
Xbox 360 system and controller
Xbox 360 system and controller
ManufacturerMicrosoft
TypeVideo game console
GenerationSeventh generation era
LifespanUnited States November 22, 2005
Canada November 22, 2005
Europe December 2, 2005
Japan December 10,2005
Australia March 23, 2006
India September 25, 2006
Units sold5 million as of June 30, 2006[1][2][3]
MediaDVD, CD, (Add-On: HD DVD)
CPU3.2 GHz PPC Tri-Core "Xenon" (codename)
StorageHard Drive, Memory Cards
Controller input4 wired or wireless
Connectivity3 × USB 2.0
Online servicesXbox Live
Best-selling gameCall of Duty 2
Backward
compatibility
267 Xbox games (requires hard drive)
PredecessorXbox

The Xbox 360 is the successor to Microsoft's Xbox video game console, developed in co-operation with IBM, ATI, Samsung Electronics and SiS. Information on the console first came through viral marketing campaigns and it was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information divulged later that month at the prominent Electronic Entertainment Expo. Upon its release the Xbox 360 became the first console to have a simultaneous launch across the three major regions, as well as the first console to provide wireless controllers as a standard. It also serves as the first entrant in a new generation of game consoles and will compete against Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii. Microsoft believes that its push towards high-definition gaming, year-early head start and its Xbox Live online gaming service will help the console be successful.

Overview

Development

Known during development as Xenon, Xbox 2, Xbox Next or NextBox, the Xbox 360 was conceived in early 2003. In February of 2003 planning for Xenon software platform began. That month Microsoft held an event for 400 developers in Bellevue, Washington to recruit support for the system. Also that month Peter Moore, former president of Sega of America, joined Microsoft.[4] On August 12, 2003 ATI signed on to produce the graphic processing unit for the new console, a deal which was publicly announced two days later.[5] The following month IBM signed on to develop the Triple-Core CPU for the console. Before the launch of the Xbox 360, several alpha development kits were spotted using Apple Power Mac G5 hardware. Games running on these were reported to be using 25-30 % of the actual systems power.[6] Microsoft chose to use these systems for their PowerPC architecture, which is similar to that of the Xenon CPU used in the system. On October 24, 2005 Microsoft shut down Xbox Live for a day to upgrade it for the Xbox 360.[7]

Launch

The Xbox 360 was released on November 22, 2005 in the United States and Canada; December 2, 2005 in Europe; December 10, 2005 in Japan; February 2, 2006 in Mexico and Colombia; February 24, 2006 in South Korea; March 16, 2006 in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan; and March 23, 2006 in Australia and New Zealand after a 3-week delay. At E3 2006, Microsoft announced that the console will be officially launched in eight new countries: South Africa, Chile, India, Brazil, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.[8] An official launch for the Philippines has been announced.[9] Due to its early launch, the Xbox 360 has a jump start on both of its competitors -- Sony's PlayStation 3, which is set to release in North America November 17, 2006 and in Europe in March of 2007; and Nintendo's Wii, which, in the US, is scheduled for release on November 19, 2006.

Because of a manufacturing bottleneck for having started the massive manufacturing only 69 days before launching,[10] Microsoft was not able to supply enough systems to meet consumer demand in Europe or North America.[11] Many potential customers were not able to procure a console at launch and the lack of availability led to Xbox 360 bundles selling on eBay at grossly inflated prices, with some auctions exceeding US$2000. By year's end Microsoft had sold 1.5 million units; including 900,000 in North America, 500,000 in Europe, and 100,000 in Japan.[12]

Retail configurations

Microsoft's retail strategy involves two different configurations of the Xbox 360 in most countries: the Xbox 360 SKU, frequently referred to as the Xbox 360 Premium Package and an Xbox 360 Core System SKU. At launch, the Xbox 360 was priced at USD $399 and the Core System was priced at USD $299. The Core System is not currently available in Japan, but will be released on November 2, 2006[13]. Additionally in Australia and New Zealand the Xbox Live headset in the Xbox 360 Package was not included.

BusinessWeek magazine compiled a report[14] that estimates the total cost of components in the "premium" bundle at $525 USD, sans manufacturing costs, meaning that Microsoft is losing money on every Xbox 360 system sold (in the United States, at least). It should be noted that the strategy of selling a console at a loss or near-loss is common in the console games industry, as console makers expect to make up the loss through game licensing. Furthermore, since Microsoft owns the intellectual property rights to the hardware used in the Xbox 360, they can easily switch to new fabrication processes or change suppliers in the future in order to reduce manufacturing costs. This flexibility stands in contrast to the situation faced with the original Xbox, which Microsoft was never able to reduce manufacturing costs below the break-even point.[citation needed] Microsoft is predicting[citation needed] that with the Xbox 360, a greater market share, yearly revenue through their Xbox Live service, and falling hardware costs will eventually make system sales profitable.

Xbox 360 System Xbox 360 Core System
Detachable 20 GB hard drive Yes No
Ethernet cable Yes No
Chrome finish Yes No
Xbox Live headset Yes (Most regions) No
Xbox Live Silver membership Yes Yes
One month trial of Xbox Live Gold Yes Yes
Gamepad 2.4 GHz wireless Wired, with 3 m breakaway cord
AV Cables Component HD-AV cable Composite AV cable


Xbox Live

Silver and Gold

With the launch of the Xbox 360, Microsoft's online gaming service, Xbox Live went through a major upgrade, adding a basic non-subscription service, Silver, to its already established premium subscription-based service, Gold. Xbox Live Silver is free of charge and allows users to create a user profile, join on message boards, access Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade and Marketplace and talk to other members.[15] An Xbox Live Silver account does not generally support multiplayer gaming; however, some games that feature their own subscription service (such as Final Fantasy XI) can be played with a Silver account. Xbox Live supports voice communication along with video communication, a feature possible with the Xbox Live Vision Camera.[16]

Xbox Live Gold has the same features as Silver, plus online game playing capabilities. Microsoft has allowed for previous Xbox Live subscribers to maintain their profile information, friends list, and games history when they make the transition to Xbox Live Gold. To transfer an Xbox Live account to the new system, users need to link a Windows Live ID to their gamertag on Xbox.com.[17] When users go to add a Xbox Live enabled profile to their console, they need to provide the console with their passport account information and the last four digits of their credit card number, which is used for verification purposes and billing. An Xbox Live Gold account generally costs $49.99 USD,[18] $59.99 CDN,[18] £39.99 Pounds Sterling, €59.99 per year.

Marketplace

File:Xboxlivemarketplace.jpg
Marketplace main menu

The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live subscribers to download purchased or promotional content. The service offers movie and game trailers, game demos, Xbox Live Arcade games, gamer tag images, and Xbox 360 Dashboard themes. These features are available to both silver and gold members on Xbox live. To purchase the products off market place a hard drive is needed to store the products.[19] In order to download priced content, users are required to purchase Microsoft Points for use as scrip.[20] Not all products have a price, as some are free to download.

Arcade

File:Xladb.jpg
Xbox Live arcade menu

Xbox Live Arcade is an online service operated by Microsoft that is used to distribute arcade video games to Xbox and Xbox 360 owners. In addition to classic arcade games, the service offers some new original games. As well as games from other consoles, such as the Genesis title, Sonic the Hedgehog or the PlayStation's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. The service was first launched in late 2004[21] and offers games for about $5 to $15 USD in Microsoft Points. In late 2005, Xbox Live Arcade was re-launched with the release of the Xbox 360 in which new games and features were offered. The games are generally aimed toward more casual gamers, examples of some of the more popular among them are Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved,[22] Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting[23] and UNO.[24]

Software

Interface

File:Xbox360DashboardLive.jpg
The Xbox 360 dashboard
File:Xbox360Guide.jpg
The Xbox 360 Guide

The console's graphical user interface is the Xbox 360 Dashboard; a tabbed interface that features four "Blades". It can be launched automatically when the console boots up without a disc, or when the disc tray is ejected; or the user may choose to launch a game automatically if a disc is inserted. A simplified version of it can also be accessed at any time via the Xbox Guide button on the gamepad. This simplified version shows the user's gamercard, Xbox Live messages and friends list. It also allows for personal and music settings, in addition to voice or video chats.

The Xbox 360's dashboard uses 15MB out of 512MB of system memory during gameplay.

Dashboard Version Information:

  • Base Kernel Version (Retail): 2.0.1888
  • Current Dashboard Version: 2.0.2858 Release date: June 13, 2006
    • Upgrades in current version[25] include:
      • New slideshow options have been added for Photo Viewing, which can save folder layout between sessions.
      • DVD playback can resume playing from where it was stopped last time.
      • Concurrent downloading (allows multiple downloads as background tasks)
      • Reorganized Xbox Live Marketplace
      • The option to boot to either disc or dashboard in the settings menu

Microsoft XNA

Microsoft XNA is a set of tools and technologies which include XNA Studio which provides versions of key production tools such as asset management, defect tracking, project automation and work lists. These tools are designed to work together to automate common development tasks and present interfaces tailored to the different functions within the team. John Carmack stated at QuakeCon 2005 that the Xbox 360 has "the best development environment I've seen on a console".[26] Microsoft XNA also includes other components such as the XNA Framework and XNA Build. Anyone can develop a game using XNA Game Studio Express, an IDE for homebrew developers that will be fully available free of charge during the 2006 holiday period[27] with a beta released on August 30, 2006. It will target the XNA Framework only to provide managed content and for a $99 USD yearly subscription fee users can join a "creators club" which lets them share their content with others.

Backward compatibility

Backward compatibility is achieved through software emulation of the original Xbox. Emulated games offer graphical enhancements because they are rendered in 720p, 1080i, or 1080p (available via Xbox live update)[28] resolution with anti-aliasing enabled rather than the Xbox standard of 480p. Some games also benefit from an improvement in the rendered draw distance, possibly due to the system's greater memory bandwidth. However there are also games that do not perform well in emulation; these often exhibit a lower framerate on the Xbox 360.[29] A hard drive is required to enable backward compatibility, due to the original Xbox needing a hard drive to run. The downloading of an emulation profile is needed in order to play original Xbox games. Updated emulation profiles can be obtained through Xbox Live, by burning a CD with profiles downloaded from Xbox.com, or by ordering an update disc from Microsoft.[30] The full list of backward-compatible games is maintained at Xbox.com. Although the current U.S. list includes nearly 300 games, fewer titles are backward compatible in European and Japanese markets.[31] Microsoft has stated that they intend to release more emulation profiles as they become available, with a goal of making the entire Xbox library playable on the Xbox 360. They have since made multiple statements indicating that this may never be complete, and the rate of updates to the backwards compatibility list is in line with this stated attitude.[32]

Game library

{{List of Xbox 360 titles}} The Xbox 360 launched with a number of games. One such, Call of Duty 2 was the consoles best selling game for 2005, selling over a million copies. Only two other games have sold this amount, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Perfect Dark Zero, which was Rare's first major commercial success after Microsoft's acquisition of them and was believed by some to be the console's flagship launch title. Kameo: Elements of Power, was also released by Rare during launch. Only six games were initially offered in Japan and eagerly anticipated titles like Dead or Alive 4 and [eM] -eNCHANT arM- were not released until several weeks after launch. Games more suitable to the region are planned or have since been release, such as Chromehounds, Ninety-Nine Nights, or Phantasy Star Universe. Microsoft backed Mistwalker currently has three Japanese style games in development, Lost Odyssey , Blue Dragon and Cry On.

E3 2006 was the first large scale show after the console's launch and had the first trailer for Halo 3, the sequel to the original Xbox's best selling game. Fable 2, a sequel to the Xbox's best selling RPG was also shown along with Alan Wake, Mass Effect and Too Human. Bill Gates spoke of plans to integrate several Microsoft services into one entity with Live Anywhere. This service will allow multiplayer games and communication possible between Xbox 360 and the upcoming Windows Vista operating system for the PC. Shadowrun was the first game announced to be compatible with Live Anywhere. Several games originally released on PC have also been released on the Xbox 360, such as F.E.A.R. or Quake 4. Grand Theft Auto IV was shown and will be the first title in the series to be released for the Xbox 360 the same day as its PlayStation counterpart. At X06 Microsoft announced new titles, along with information of future releasing titles. Splinter Cell Conviction, set to release after Splinter Cell Double Agent was announced to be exclusive to the Xbox 360, as were Bioshock and Banjo-Kazooie 3. At the event Halo Wars was also announced, along with an Untitled Halo Project. Microsoft is publishing sequels to some of its more successful franchises that were released on the original Xbox, such as Forza Motorsport 2, Project Gotham Racing 3 & 4, and Fuzion Frenzy 2. In addition to sequels, they have published original games based off of new IPs such as Viva Piñata or Gears of War.

Hardware

File:IBMxenon.jpg
Xbox 360 CPU with some thermal paste left on it

The Xbox 360 is similar in form factor to its predecessor. It is slightly slimmer in every dimension, and the industrial design helps reinforce this impression; the Xbox 360 is white and slightly concave, whereas the original Xbox was black and noticeably convex. Its outer plastic case is also much thinner. The Xbox 360 is also about 350 grams lighter than the original Xbox. Much of this savings in size and weight was achieved by moving the power supply out of the console proper; the power supply by itself displaces 1300 cubic centimeters.[33]

Central Processing Unit

The Xbox 360 takes a very different and new approach to hardware compared to its predecessor. The CPU, named Xenon, is a custom triple-core PowerPC-based design by IBM. The CPU emphasizes high floating point performance through multiple FPU and SIMD vector processing units in each core. It has a theoretical peak performance of 115.2 gigaflops and is capable of 9.6 billion dot products per second. Each core of the CPU is simultaneous multithreading capable and clocked at 3.2 gigahertz. However, to reduce CPU die size, complexity, cost, and power demands, the processor uses in-order execution in contrast to the Intel Coppermine128-based Mobile Celeron used in Xbox which used more robust out-of-order execution. The chip currently uses a 90 nm process, although a 65 nm process SOI revision is planned for 2007.[34] A 21.6 GB/s front side bus (aggregated 10.8 GB/s upstream and downstream) connects Xenon with the graphics processor/northbridge. Xenon is equipped with a 1 megabyte Level 2 cache on-die running at half CPU clock speed. This cache is shared amongst the three CPU cores.[35] The CPU also contains ROM storing Microsoft private encrypted keys, used to decrypt game data. Heat sinks are implemented to cool the CPU, the heat sink is composed of aluminum fins with a copper base heat pipes. The heat sink is cooled by two 60 millimeter fans at the back of the console.

Graphics Processing Unit

File:R500gpu.jpg
Xbox 360 GPU; note the smaller eDRAM die to the left of the main Xenos die

While the first Xbox's graphics processing unit (GPU) was produced by NVIDIA, the Xbox 360 uses a chip designed by ATI called Xenos (Developed under the name "C1" or "R500").[36] Xenos contains 48 unified shader units, which are capable of both vertex and pixel shading operations. This is in contrast to older graphics processor designs which utilize separate specialized units for these tasks. The GPU package contains two separate silicon dies, each on a 90nm chip with a clock speed of 500Mhz. The GPU proper, manufactured by TSMC and a daughter-die, manufactured by NEC, containing 10Mb eDRAM. Thanks to the daughter die, the Xenos can do 4x FSAA, z-buffering, and alpha blending with no appreciable performance penalty on the GPU[37]. The GPU also houses additional capabilities typically separated into a motherboard chipset in PC systems. A heat sink is also implemented to cool the CPU, The GPU heat sink, made of aluminum, is wider and shorter than the CPU heat sink.[38]

Memory and system bandwidth

Xbox 360 Bandwidth Diagram

The console features 512 megabytes of 700 megahertz GDDR3 RAM on a 128-bit bus. The memory is shared by the CPU and the GPU via the unified memory architecture. This memory is produced by either Samsung, or Infineon Technologies.

The eDram internal logic to its internal memory bandwidth is 256 GB/s. The high bandwidth is used primarily for z-buffering, alpha blending, and antialiasing; it saves time and space on the GPU die. Between the eDram die and the GPU data is transferred at 32 GB/s. [39] The memory interface bus has a bandwidth of 22.4 GB/s and the southbridge a bandwidth of 1 GB/s.

Audio and video

All games made for the Xbox 360 are required to support at least six channel Dolby Digital surround sound. Over 256 audio channels and 320 independent decompression channels using 32 bit processing are used for audio. Sound files for games are encoded using Microsoft's XMA audio format. An MPEG-2 decoder is included for DVD video playback. VC-1 or WMV is used for streaming video and other video is compressed using VC-1 at non-HD NTSC and PAL resolutions or WMV HD. Unlike the original Xbox, voice communication is handled by the console, not by the game code, allowing for cross-game communication. There is no voice echo to game players on the same console; voice goes only to remote consoles. Additionally, a wide array of standard and HDTV resolutions, up to 1920×1080 in progressive mode (after fall software upgrade)[40], are supported by the console hardware.[41]

Storage

The Xbox 360 is equipped with a 12x DVD drive, capable of a maximum read rate of 16.0 MB/s. Games are stored on standard Dual-layered-DVD-ROMs with 7GB of usable space available for game content. The option to apply a regional lockout to games is available to publishers although DVD region codes are always enforced. Microsoft has implemented methods to prevent hacking through the drive. Later drive models have the external debug triggering removed and black hard glue added to cover all the chip and controller pins.[42] The drive is able to read both DVD±R and DVD±RW in addition to being able to play DVD-Video out of the box, unlike its predecessor which required the purchase of an add-on remote. The system is also capable of playing standard CDs along with CD-R/RW, CD-DA, CD-ROM XA, CD-Extra, WMA-CD, MP3-CD, and JPEG Photo CD.[43]

Announced at CES 2006 and first publicly shown at E3 2006, an external HD DVD drive it set to release in North America in Mid-November for $199.99.[44] It will be released November 17, 2006 in Japan[45] for ¥19,800. In Europe, the HD DVD drive will be released for €199.99/£129.99 in the U.K., France, and Germany.[46] For a limited time, the HD DVD drive will be bundled with an Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote, as well as an HD DVD copy of Peter Jackson's King Kong.[46] The drive will play HD-DVD Movies, although all Xbox 360 games will remain on the DVD format[47]. Microsoft has no plans to include an internal HD DVD player in future Xbox 360 designs.[48] The external drive connects to the Xbox 360 via USB and contains two integrated USB ports on the rear.

The Premium configuration of the system comes with an external Hard drive and it is optional to separately purchase one for the Core. The detachable hard drive has a storage capacity of 20 GBs and is not required for standard games. The 2.5" drive is connected through a SATA interface and the drive spins at 5400 rpm.

Components and accessories

File:360controller.jpg
An Xbox 360 Wireless Controller

Xbox 360 also has a built-in 100BASE-TX RJ45 ethernet port, suitable for connecting to Xbox Live, and three USB ports.[43]

Up to four controllers are supported by the Xbox 360, in either wired or wireless forms. An optional wireless force feedback racing wheel for racing games will be available on November 1, 2006.

The Xbox 360 can connect to Xbox Live through an optional wireless network adapter on a home network through a wireless router. The Universal Media Remote can be used to control several functions of the console including the Windows Media Center functions if connected to the network. Various other components for the console exist, such as decorative faceplates to change the physical appears of the console, wired or wireless headsets for communication over Xbox Live, and an Xbox 360 branded webcam called Xbox Live Vision Camera.

Technical issues

Much like modern operating systems, the Xbox 360 displays a "Screen of Death" if it encounters a serious error. One way this may be encountered is through console overheating. Some users also report problems with disc scratching, as when a user changes the consoles orientation, the inserted disc may brush against the drive's pickup-assembly and incur scratches to it. The Xbox 360 owner's manual specifically mentions both issues and gives users information on how to prevent them. [49] In September 2006, Microsoft released a statement saying that they will waive the cost for repairs on all Xbox 360 consoles made before January 1 2006, and refund any fees already paid. [50]

Sales

Total: 2.0 million consoles sold, as of June 30, 2006[3]

  • Quarterly data
    • Q4 2005, 0.5 million units [51]
    • Q1 2006, 0.7 million units [52]
    • Q2 2006, 0.8 million units [53]
  • Microsoft's forecasted cumulative estimates:
    • Q4 2006, 10 million units sold [54]
    • Q2 2007, 13-15 million units sold[55]

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