When most people think of consoles, some of the first names that pop up are PlayStation and Xbox. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo have taken the console gaming scene by storm for multiple console generations now, yet Microsoft has been in the console scene for much less time than its competition.
Microsoft’s original Xbox was their attempt to compete with the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. It would ultimately change console gaming with Xbox Live and online features. That doesn’t mean it was an easy process, however. The original Xbox’s development is rather messy and succeeded mostly by luck. Here are ten crazy things no one knew about the original Xbox’s development.
10 The Dashboard Uses Audio From NASA
One of the most iconic aspects of the original Xbox is how strange it is. The main menu of the Xbox is the best example of this with its strange green glow and the background noises that kept many younger gamers up at night.
What might sound surprising is that those sounds in the Xbox dashboard weren’t custom made by Microsoft. Those noises are taken from public domain NASA audio that has been distorted. This was done to make the Xbox feel as alien as possible, helping to sell the idea that this console is leagues above its competition.
9 Microsoft Originally Wanted To Develop Software For The PlayStation 2
Before Microsoft decided to make a home console of their own, they first dabbled with the idea of just developing software for video game consoles. Microsoft originally had a partnership with Sega and their Dreamcast console that would allow developers to leverage Windows software when developing games on the device. Only 50 games would use this feature during the console’s entire lifespan.
When that deal led nowhere, Microsoft’s CEO Bill Gates decided to ask Sony’s CEO Nobuyuki Idei if they could develop software for their upcoming game console. Nobuyuki declined the offer, giving Microsoft the ins for developing software for the next generation of consoles. They knew they needed to compete with Sony and stay relevant with the rise of video games, so that is when Microsoft decided to focus on developing a console of their own.
8 Named The DirectX Box Internally
Microsoft’s console was going to need to differentiate itself from the pack if it was going to survive. One team of engineers—comprised of Seamus Blackley, Ted Hase, Kevin Bachus, and Otto Berkes—pitched the idea that the new console would use Microsoft’s DirectX architecture to allow for impressive 3D titles that no console could compete with.
Names for the console were focused around acronyms and the Windows brand at first. Ideas such as “Windows Entertainment Project” or WEP and “Microsoft Interactive Network Device” or MIND. Since the machine used DirectX, the team called it the DirectX Box internally. The name was frequently shortened to Xbox when referenced through emails, a name that Microsoft would pitch to focus groups. The name was favored over everything else, hence why the console is named the Xbox.
7 Xbox Live Almost Didn’t Make The Cut
In addition to using DirectX, the engineers tied to the DirectX team also wanted the Xbox to use a hard disk drive to allow for online play. However, a startup Microsoft recently purchased named WebX was also trying to develop a game console using a modified version of Windows CE and cheaper computer parts. After the two teams took the issue up to Bill Gates himself, it was eventually decided that the DirectX team’s idea was best. If Bill Gates decided that WebX had the better pitch, Xbox Live would not have been possible on the original Xbox.
6 Original Xbox Design
Just as the Duke controller is different from the standard “S” controller, so too was the original Xbox’s design different from the finished product. Microsoft wanted the Xbox to draw as few comparisons to a PC as possible. Their strategy was to advertise and create a console that was seen as “cool” and unlike anything on the market.
When Bill Gates unveiled the original Xbox at the Games Developers Conference (or GDC) in 2000, it had the appearance of a giant, chrome “X” with a jewel in the center. The design changed soon afterward and would be revealed to gamers across the world at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2001.
5 Revealed Less Than A Year Before It Was Greenlit
Likely the reason the Xbox was originally a giant “X” was because of how little time it had in development. Plans for a home console date back to 1998 for Microsoft, yet the actual greenlight for the Xbox wasn’t given until May of 1999. Since the GDC reveal was in March of 2000, that means the console had ten months of development time under its belt. It’s impressive they had a working console to show at all.
4 Halo Wasn’t An Xbox Exclusive Originally
If it wasn’t for the major success of Halo: Combat Evolved, it is safe to say that the Xbox wouldn’t have been as large of a hit in North America. That was almost Microsoft’s reality, however, as Halo was originally a third-person shooter being developed for Mac and Windows computers.
To help bolster the Xbox’s catalog of launch titles, Microsoft approached Bungie and gave them a deal: if they could turn Halo into an Xbox exclusive launch title, Microsoft would buy their studio and allow them to work with a cutting-edge video game console. Bungie agreed, selling their studio and Halo IP with it. Shortly after Halo 3 released, Bungie was able to gain their independence back by splitting off from the company and becoming Bungie LLC.
3 Why Is The Duke So Large?
Many consider the Duke controller as one of the worst controllers of all time. Microsoft wasn’t intentionally making an oversized controller, however. Original concepts were created by Xbox creative director Horace Luke and given to a manufacturer to develop circuit boards for.
The issue is that the circuit boards were massive. Microsoft tried to reach out to Sony’s supplier, Mitsumi Electric, to obtain new circuit boards similar to Sony’s Dualshock controllers. Mitsumi Electric refused. What resulted was a team of developers trying to create a controller around its hardware instead of the other way around.
2 Microsoft And Nvidia Entered Arbitration
Microsoft and Nvidia entered arbitration in 2002 due to the Xbox’s chipsets. Nvidia filed that Microsoft wanted a large discount from shipped chipsets in 2002. After a few allegations from Microsoft about Nvidia violating certain terms, the matter was privately resolved in 2003.
1 Manufactured At A Loss
Despite the overwhelming success of Halo: Combat Evolved and Xbox Live, the Xbox was manufactured at a loss. Each Xbox costs $425 to manufacture while it was only sold for $300, a price that would fall to $200 in 2002. Financially, the Xbox was a failure.
It would take until the end of 2004 for the console to turn a profit, which was mainly due to the spike of Xbox Live subscriptions after Halo 2’s release.
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