It had a number of advantages over other sixth-gen consoles at the time it was the only console to include a hard disk, meaning it was the first to be able to rip CDs, and it was the first and only console of the lineup to include a unified online service called Xbox Live, prompting Sony to create the PlayStation Network the next generation.Įarly in its lifespan, the Xbox had an unusually active modding scene compared to the other consoles (often vindicated by the incredibly short warranty).
The Xbox was a modest seller, and helped create a brand for Microsoft that would give its successor a stronger market share in the west despite Microsoft's best efforts the original Xbox and succeeding consoles from the company have never gained a foothold in Japan for various reasons. The Xbox was often said to be the most powerful console from the sixth generation, and Sega later designed the Chihiro arcade system with the same components. It had a custom Pentium III CPU at 733 MHz with 64 MB of RAM, and a custom Nvidia GPU codenamed NV2A at 233 MHz. Known as the DirectXbox during development, it is notable for the specs having similarities to a PC, namely as a result of using familiar components around the x86 architecture. The Xbox is a sixth-generation console released by Microsoft on November 15, 2001.
