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The Xbox 360Bryan Haynsworth

1. Introduction to the Xbox

2. Hardware, Software, and Accessories

3. Xbox Live

4. Technical Problems 

5. Sales and Competitors

1. Introduction to the Xbox 

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 The Xbox 360 is the second video game console made by Microsoft,

and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's

PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of 

video game consoles.

A prominent feature of the Xbox 360 is its integrated Xbox Live 

service that allows players to compete online and download content

such as arcade games, game demos, trailers, TV shows, and movies.

Major features of the console include its Windows Media Center 

multimedia capabilities, mandatory support of high definition in all

games, and movie rentals and game downloads from its online

marketplace.

 The Xbox 360 was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with

detailed launch and game information divulged later that month at E3.

 The console sold out once it released in all regions except in Japan,

and, as of August 2009, over 31 million units have been sold

worldwide. The Xbox 360 is currently available in two configurations,

the Arcade and the Elite, and each has its own selection of accessories.

2. Hardware, Software, and Accessories

 The main unit of the Xbox 360 itself has slight double concavity

in matte white or black. The official color of the white model is Arctic

Chill. It features a port on the top when vertical (left side when

horizontal) to which a custom-housed hard drive unit can be attached

in sizes of either 20, 60 or 120 GB. Inside, the Xbox 360 uses the triple-

core IBM designed Xenon as its CPU, with each core which is able to

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simultaneously process two threads, and can therefore operate on up

to six threads at once. Graphics processing is handled by the ATI 

Xenos, which has 10 MB of eDRAM. Its main memory pool is 512 MB in

size.

Many accessories are available for the console, including both

wired and wireless controllers, faceplates for customization, headsets

for chatting, a webcam for video chatting, dance mats and Gamercize 

for exercise, three sizes of memory cards, and three sizes of hard

drives (120 GB, 60 GB, and 20 GB), among other items, all of which are

styled to match the console.

 The Xbox 360's original graphical user interface was the Xbox

360 Dashboard; a tabbed interface that featured five "Blades"

(formerly four blades), and was designed by AKQA. It could be

launched automatically when the console booted without a disc in it, or

when the disc tray was ejected, but the user had the option to select

what the console does if a game is in the tray on start up, or if inserted

when already on. A simplified version of it was also accessible at any

time via the Xbox Guide button on the gamepad. This simplified

version showed the user's gamercard, Xbox Live messages and friends

list. It also allowed for personal and music settings, in addition to voice

or video chats, or returning to the Xbox Dashboard from the game.

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On November 19, 2008, the Xbox 360's dashboard was changed

from the "Blade" interface, to a dashboard reminiscent of that present

on the Zune and Windows Media Center, known as the "New Xbox

Experience" or NXE.

Since the console's release, Microsoft has released several updates for

the Dashboard software. These updates have included adding new

features to the console, enhancing Xbox Live functionality and

multimedia playback capabilities, adding compatibility for new

accessories, and fixing bugs in the software. The latest Dashboard

update was made available on November 17, 2009.

3. Xbox Live

When the Xbox 360 was released, Microsoft's online gaming service

Xbox Live was shut down for 24 hours and underwent a major upgrade,

adding a basic non-subscription service (Silver) to its already

established premium subscription-based service (which was renamed

Gold). Xbox Live Silver is free of charge and is included with all SKUs of 

the console. It allows users to create a user profile, join on message

boards, and access Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade and Marketplace and

talk to other members A Live Silver account does not generally support

multiplayer gaming; however, some games that have rather limited

online functions already, (such as Viva Piñata) or games that feature

their own subscription service (eg. EA Sports games) can be played

with a Silver account. Xbox Live also supports voice and video

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1.5 million units, including 900,000 in North America, 500,000 in

Europe, and 100,000 in Japan. At E3 in May 2006, Bill Gates announced

that Microsoft would have a head start of 10 million units by the time

Sony and Nintendo entered the market. Microsoft later specified that

goal and estimated shipments of 10 million units by the end of 2006.

Cumulative sales from the system's launch until June 30, 2007 were

predicted to reach 12 million units, down from 13 to 15 million units

estimated earlier. Being released one year ahead of its competitors,

the Xbox 360 was the market leader throughout the first half of 2007;

however, on September 12, 2007, it was reported by the Financial

 Times that the Xbox 360 had been surpassed by the Wii in terms of 

worldwide home console sales.