Microsoft Ceases Production Of The Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 has been around for quite some time. Last November, Microsoft celebrated the console’s 10-year anniversary. But all good things must come to an end, and the company announced today that it’s ceasing production of the venerable console.
Obviously, this doesn’t mean that you’ll stop seeing Xbox 360 on physical (or digital) shelves anytime soon. The company will continue to sell its remaining inventory of Xbox 360 consoles. In addition, Microsoft will continue to support Xbox 360 players in various ways. Xbox Live services are still available to players for online multiplayer, parties and apps. In addition, subscribers will still receive free games through the Games With Gold program and discounts through Deals With Gold. For any troubleshooting issues, Microsoft will also continue to add support for the hardware on its Support page.
However, the company is still pushing customers to get the Xbox One with backwards compatibility, which was announced at E3 last year. Many popular titles are already available through the program, and more games are added every month.
In the end, the legacy of the Xbox 360 will endure for quite some time. The successor to the original Xbox, it launched on November 22, 2005. It continued the Halo franchise with multiple installments, most notably the ever-popular Halo 2, and the series continued to the Xbox One with Halo 5: Guardians. Forza Motorsport also made its debut on the Xbox, but over the years it became Microsoft’s answer to Sony’s Gran Turismo series.
Until recently, the Call of Duty franchise had a longtime partnership with Microsoft, which increased the popularity of the game on the Xbox 360. The Gears of War franchise was introduced in the Xbox 360, too; four titles came out under the franchise name, and just like the Halo series, Gears of War will continue on the Xbox One when Gears of War 4 arrives in October.
The Kinect peripheral also made its debut on the Xbox 360 (Project Natal, anyone?). The device allowed users to play games with body gestures and speech. Six years after its 2010 release, it’s still available as an add-on for the current Xbox One console.
Microsoft entered the console gaming business with the first Xbox, but it was the Xbox 360 that cemented the company’s place in the industry. Now, Microsoft’s plans continue as it attempts to link its PC and console gaming divisions together for what it hopes will be an improved experience.
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Rexly Peñaflorida is a freelance writer for Tom's Hardware covering topics such as computer hardware, video games, and general technology news.
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alidan ReplyThe real news is HOLY CRAP, they were still manufacturing these????????????
someone had to make replacements till emulation catches up and these things die so often. -
10tacle Well when you think about it, Sony made the PS2 for 12 years, and they stopped production of the PS3 last year after 9 years. So it's not out of the norm of console production life that MS made the 360 for 10 years.Reply -
artk2219 I will say that is one of the very nice things about consoles, the long support life. Hell people were making atari 2600's from 1977 until like 1991 or 92. You can still find and buy tons of new famicom clones that will play original games. You can also buy new Genesis and SNES based system including games for them since sega and nintendo had very generous licensing agreements for those systems. Really 9 and 10 years would be considered a bit short for support if you go by past historical trends. Speaking of all this reminds me i need to buy an NES or clone, thanks guys!Reply -
lazymangaka "most notably the ever-popular Halo 2"Reply
Not only is this a little incorrect, but Halo 2 is literally the only Halo game besides 5 NOT released for the Xbox 360 at any point. -
clonazepam Reply"most notably the ever-popular Halo 2"
Not only is this a little incorrect, but Halo 2 is literally the only Halo game besides 5 NOT released for the Xbox 360 at any point.
It's accurate as written. If you bought a 360 at release, you'd be playing Halo 2 on it with the compatibility patch until 3 released.
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alextheblue Replysomeone had to make replacements till emulation catches up and these things die so often.
Actually anything with Jasper or later is pretty solid. I've even had good luck with Falcon and Opus as long as you don't let the heatsinks plug up with dust and give them room to breath. I've got a functional Opus unit (my old Xenon unit was upgraded to this for repair) that I still use from time to time. No HDMI output - hooked up via VGA!
Anyway I hope devs and publishers continue to work with MS to enable backwards compatibility for more titles. Many publishers would rather sell you new titles, of course. -
rantoc Of corse they keep producing them - After all most of the time the console players are screwed of their library when their console dies and only the "newer" is available. This is just one reason why my ps4 & xbo is just serving as a good dust collectors atmReply -
brisa117 ReplyIn addition, subscribers will still receive free games through the Games With Gold program...
*Waits patiently for someone to point out that when you pay a subscription fee to receive "free" games ... they're not free.*