As a company, Microsoft is now 36 years old and experienced in the world of technology. However, their step into the gaming world began today 10 years ago in North America. The Xbox was released at midnight around the continent at 10,000 stores; priced at $299. It was a sixth-generation console, directly competing with the Playstation 2 and the Gamecube which were released in 2000 and 2001 respectively. Sony and Nintendo  had more experience than new rival Microsoft in the world of video games and yet, the hype surrounding the Xbox’s release pushed it through to be a worthy competitor.

The first games released for the console were Halo: Combat Evolved, Dead or Alive 3, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, Project Gotham Racing and many others. The release of the Xbox was celebrated at the Toys R Us in Times Square, NY and featured an appearance from Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

Today, the company celebrates the enormous success the console had and the on-going success of the Xbox 360, which has sold 57.6 million consoles worldwide. One of Xbox’s main influential figures, Chris Lewis, spoke about the feelings surrounding the 10^th anniversary of the gaming platform. He admits that the company could not have foreseen the popularity of the Xbox, but they are “were in for a long term.”
Exciting new developments for the Xbox 360 were also discussed and include new cloud features, new aims for the Kinect and there are also rumours circulating about an upcoming announcement about the third Xbox console.

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