Microsoft’s foray in the gaming business has been a turbulent one, to say the least, filled with plenty of ups and downs. Still, while they got off to something of a rocky start with their originalXbox, theydidmanage to secure a nice foothold in the industry. This is especially true with their Xbox 360, which went toe-to-toe with Sony’s PS3 and became a great choice for many third party games, particularly shooters.
This roller coaster ride of successes and blemishes has continued over the past decade, which has seen the cementing success ofthe 360through its improved “S” model, as well as the solid launch of the Xbox One and its enhanced counterpart, the Xbox One X. It’s also seen a shift towards digital content and streaming with services like Gamepass.
Related:Project Scarlett: 10 Games Rumored To Be Coming To The Next Xbox
With this list, we’ll cover a decade of event-filled Xbox history as we highlight a variety of high and low points for Microsoft and their Xbox brand.
10Worst: Kinect
It’s difficult to discount the Kinecttoomuch given the success of a handful of titles that utilized this unique motion camera device. Still, ultimately the peripheral itself would prove to be unsuccessful for Microsoft in the long haul, dropping off drastically in sales only a couple short years after its initial launch in late 2010.
Consumers were mixed on the device, with many citing concerns regarding privacy, the somewhat spotty method of controlling games, and the cost, which contributed to driving up the price of the early Xbox One bundles that included it. Microsoftdidmanage to move roughly 35 million Kinects, but consumer interest collapsed, causing the company to deemphasize the product and ditch the Xbox One Kinect bundle in mid-2014.
9Best: The US Market
Basically, it’s the North American market - specifically the US - which has provided the crux of the revenue for Xbox brand products. This was particularly the case for the more successful Xbox 360, which managed to maintain a firm grip on the US market and even nudge out a slim sales victory over the phenomenon that was the Wii in North America. With nearly 50 million sales in this region, the console brought in more hardware sales there than all other regionscombined.
While the Xbox One has fallen behind as compared to the PS4 and (more recently) the Switch, its still wracked up close to 30 million sales, and a number of its third-party titles still perform admirably in this area.
Franchises likeGTAandCall of Dutyhave performed particularly well, some of them even exceeding sales of 10 million - and this is largely thanks to the US market.
8Worst: The DRM Backlash
It wasn’t long after the Xbox one announcement that the exciting prospect of flashy new hardware and games was greatly tempered by a growing backlash over the company’s questionable DRM (digital-rights management) policies and features. These restrictive policies included things like always requiring the user to be online, 24-hour console “check-ins,” limits on trading or playing used media, and region locks. Many fans tended to disapprove of what seemed to be an even more restrictive version of Steam.
Related:10 Things You Didn’t Know Xbox One Could Do
While Microsoftdidtake heed of this feedback and greatly dialed back the DRM restrictions, the initial backlash no-doubt left a bad taste in the mouth of many gamers.
7Best: Xbox 360 S
If you’re even casually aware of Xbox products, you’ve no doubt heard of the controversy around the notorious technical problems for the original Xbox 360 model; particularly its infamous “Red Ring of Death.” This was a dreaded error message that many early adopters experienced in rates whose estimates range from 24% to a whopping54%. Thankfully, Microsoft answered, namely by cranking out the superior and slicker “S,” model, otherwise known as the “Slim.”
This machine was quieter, more reliable, featured built-in WiFi, and a larger built-in HDD of 250 Gig. This helped to reestablish faith in the company in the eyes of many gamers, as well as reinvigorate sales of the 360 when it launched in 2010.
6Worst: Shift To Windows/PC
Ironically, one of the biggest detriments to the Xbox consoles is Microsoft themselves; specifically their pivot towards streaming and their coming “full circle” back to Windows support, as it were. Of course, the Xbox One still is receiving plenty of backing, in addition to quality games.
Yet, as companies are shifting in the direction of digital content, cloud services, and streaming (including Microsoft themselves with Gamepass), there’s an increasing number of ways to play Xbox games without using the machine itself. You could technically utilize aGamepassmembership and an average PC that supports Windows 10 and now have access to many Xbox One titles through streaming.
5Best: Online Support And Gamepass
Still, Microsoft has definitely revved up its support of online services - punctuated with the enticing Gamepass which serves as a Netflix-like app that provides dozens of great games, old and new.
In addition, you’ve got the ongoing strength of their online service, Xbox Live, which only seems to get better and more fleshed out each year. You’ve also got Microsoft’s all-encompassing Game Pass Ultimate, which provides you with memberships to XBL, Gamepass, and the “Play Anywhere” feature which allows you to access games across various Windows 10-supported devices.
Related:Xbox Game Pass: 10 Best Multiplayer Games On The Service
While this increasing unification of MS' gaming ecosystem might sap some value from Xbox machines directly, it can certainly act as a source of enticement for buyers. After all, you can now own an Xbox One and get plenty of value from it without ever buying a physical retail game.
4Worst: Struggles With The Japanese Market
If there’s an area that tends to hold Microsoft and their Xbox brand back from truly contending with Sony machines, it’s the Japanese market. None of the 3 major Xbox consoles have managed to crack this market since the tepid launch of the original Xbox there back in early 2002.
Even their most successful console, the 360, has barely cracked 1 million sales, while their current console is basically a non-entity in this region. This hasn’t just affected their sales directly, but also through 2nd and 3rd party support, as the company has struggled to entice major Japanese 3rd parties to develop for the platform, aside from the rare exception likeTales of Vesperia.
3Best: Gears of War
While Bungie’s FPS phenomenonHalowas the coup de gras software selling point for the Xbox brand in its early days, theGears of Warfranchise has taken the reigns and continued to dominate in the current era.
The flashyGears 5has served as a major selling point for both the Xbox One X and Gamepass, providing the main attraction for Microsoft’s 2019 E3 showing. Meanwhile, the stellar Epic-developedGears 2and3have brought in well over 6 million sales apiece over the past decade-plus, helping to carry the 360 to success. Basically, aside from theHaloseries, this isthefranchise gamers tend to gun for when picking up Xbox consoles.
2Worst: Sony
Ultimately, it’s Sony which has tended to be the biggest thorn in the side of the Xbox brand for most of its nearly 2 decade existence. Yet, this has particularly been the case when it comes to the past decade, as Sony has reestablished much of its former dominance, some of which had slipped during the early years of the Xbox 360.
Not only has the PS3 managed to edge past the 360 intotal salesafter a rocky start, but thePS4currently towers over the Xbox One, selling overtwicethe number of units as of December 2019.
1Best: Developer Support
One area where Microsoft has impressed, especially lately, is its strong and diverse library, crafted by an ever-increasing number of developers that fall under the umbrella of Microsoft Studios. Not only have they had a track record of releasing some solid 3rd party offerings, but they’ve also built up their arsenal in recent years with the acquisition of great developers like Playground Games, Compulsion Games, Obsidian Entertainment, and Double Fine Productions.
It’s this strong lineup of developers that will ultimately create the games that will push the Xbox brand forward and give gamers an incentive to keep playing on their high-powered machines.
