The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information announced later that month at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo.
Xbox 360 Xbox 360 full logo.svg Left: Xbox 360 Elite, Center: Xbox 360 S and new-style controller, Right: Xbox 360 E and new-style controllerLeft: Xbox 360 Elite, Center: Xbox 360 S and new-style controller, Right: Xbox 360 E and new-style controllerLeft: Xbox 360 Elite, Center: Xbox 360 S and new-style controller, Right: Xbox 360 E and new-style controller Left: Original model Xbox 360 Premium (2005) Center: Redesigned slim model Xbox 360 S (2010) Right: Latest model Xbox 360 E (2013) Developer Microsoft Manufacturer Flextronics, Wistron, Celestica, Foxconn[1][2] Product family Xbox Type Home video game console Generation Seventh generation Release date November 22, 2005[5] Original Xbox 360 NA: November 22, 2005 EU: December 2, 2005 JP: December 10, 2005 CO|MX: February 2, 2006 KR: February 24, 2006 HK|SG|TW: March 16, 2006 AU: March 23, 2006 CL: July 7, 2006 IN: September 25, 2006 ZA: September 29, 2006 CZ|PL: November 3, 2006 BR: December 1, 2006 RU: February 11, 2007 PE: February 25, 2008 UAE: October 28, 2008 NG|TR: 2009 SC: Spring 2010 Xbox 360 S NA: June 18, 2010 AU: July 1, 2010 NZ: July 8, 2010 EU: July 16, 2010 Xbox 360 E NA: June 10, 2013[4] EU: June 20, 2013[3] Lifespan 2005–2016 Discontinued WW: April 20, 2016[6] Units sold Worldwide: 84 million (as of June 9, 2014)[7] (details) Media DVD, CD, digital distribution Add-on: HD DVD (discontinued) Operating system Xbox 360 system software CPU 3.2 GHz PowerPC Tri-Core Xenon Memory 512 MB of GDDR3 RAM clocked at 700 MHz Storage Storage media Detachable Hard Drives 20, 60, 120 or 250 GB (older models); 250 or 320 GB (Xbox 360 S models) Memory Cards (Removable) (Original design only) 64 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB On-board storage chip Arcade Consoles (later models) 256 MB, 512 MB Budget level "Xbox 360 S" consoles: 4 GB USB storage device (requires system software update) 1 GB to 32 GB Cloud storage (requires Xbox LIVE Gold Membership) 2 GB [8] Display Video output formats Composite video 480i, 576i (PAL) S-Video 480i, 576i (PAL) RGB SCART 480i, 576i (PAL) Component (YPBPR) 480i, 576i, 480p, 720p, 1080i D-Terminal (YPBPR) 480i (D1), 480p (D2), 720p (D4), 1080i (D3), 1080p (D5)[9] VGA 640×480, 848×480, 1024×768, 1280×720 (720p), 1280×768, 1280×1024, 1360×768, 1440×900, 1680×1050, 1920×1080 (1080p) HDMI (later models) 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p Note: 1080p video playback is limited to content from the Zune marketplace[10] Graphics 500 MHz ATI Xenos Sound Analog stereo Stereo LPCM (TOSLINK and HDMI) Dolby Digital 5.1 (TOSLINK and HDMI) Dolby Digital with WMA pro (TOSLINK and HDMI) Controller input Controllers 4 maximum* (any combination): Xbox 360 Controller (USB wired, 2.4 GHz wireless) Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel Rhythm game controllers Big Button Pads* Xbox 360 Arcade sticks Ace Combat 6 Flight Stick Kinect *4 Big button pads may be used in addition to other controllers. Connectivity Original models 2.4 GHz wireless, 3 × USB 2.0, IR receiver, 100 Mbit/s Ethernet Add-on: Wifi 802.11 a/b/g, Wifi 802.11a/b/g/n[11] Revised "S" models 2.4 GHz wireless, 5 × USB 2.0, Digital Optical audio out, IR receiver, 100 Mbit/s Ethernet, Wifi 802.11b/g/n, AUX port, HDMI port Revised "E" models
2.4 GHz wireless, 4 × USB 2.0, IR receiver, 100 Mbit/s Ethernet, Wifi 802.11b/g/n, AUX port, HDMI port Online services Xbox Live Best-selling game Kinect Adventures! (24 million as pack-in game for Kinect)[12][13] Backward compatibility 461 original Xbox games[14][15] (requires hard drive and the latest update) Predecessor Xbox Successor Xbox One Website xbox.com/en-US/xbox-360/ The Xbox 360 features an online service, Xbox Live, which was expanded from its previous iteration on the original Xbox and received regular updates during the console's lifetime. Available in free and subscription-based varieties, Xbox Live allows users to: play games online; download games (through Xbox Live Arcade) and game demos; purchase and stream music, television programs, and films through the Xbox Music and Xbox Video portals; and access third-party content services through media streaming applications. In addition to online multimedia features, it allows users to stream media from local PCs. Several peripherals have been released, including wireless controllers, expanded hard drive storage, and the Kinect motion sensing camera. The release of these additional services and peripherals helped the Xbox brand grow from gaming-only to encompassing all multimedia, turning it into a hub for living-room computing entertainment.[16][17][18][19][20]
Launched worldwide across 2005–2006, the Xbox 360 was initially in short supply in many regions, including North America and Europe. The earliest versions of the console suffered from a high failure rate, indicated by the so-called "Red Ring of Death", necessitating an extension of the device's warranty period. Microsoft released two redesigned models of the console: the Xbox 360 S in 2010,[21] and the Xbox 360 E in 2013.[22] As of June 2014, 84 million Xbox 360 consoles have been sold worldwide, making it the sixth-highest-selling home video game console in history, and the highest-selling console made by an American company. Although not the best-selling console of its generation, the Xbox 360 was deemed by TechRadar to be the most influential through its emphasis on digital media distribution and multiplayer gaming on Xbox Live.[20][23]
The Xbox 360's successor, the Xbox One, was released on November 22, 2013.[24] On April 20, 2016, Microsoft announced that it would end the production of new Xbox 360 hardware, although the company will continue to support the platform.[6]
