Xbox 360 was revealed 20 years ago today and it is one of the most important days in gaming history. Video games have been around for many, many years now, but it’s largely still in its infancy as a medium as creators continue to push it to new boundaries. We’ve come a long way from crudely animated 2D side scrollers and every generation feels like it creates a dramatic leap forward. Simply look at how much Rockstar Games has evolved in just 20 years with GTA 3 bringing in the era of 3D open-world games and now, GTA 6 looks absolutely unbelievable. It’s hard to imagine where we could go next, but the geniuses at these studios keep showing us there’s more to do.
With that said, it feels like this era of gaming really began with the Xbox 360. While seeds were certainly planted back on the original Xbox and PS2, it feels like Xbox 360 really realized the full potential of things like online gaming. With that said, it was a lot of fun to look back at the original Xbox 360 reveal and see how Microsoft was preparing everyone for the future.
Looking Back on Xbox 360’s Reveal 20 Years Later
The Xbox 360 reveal was hosted on May 12th, 2005 on MTV and it was roughly 20 minutes long. While there was a proper E3 reveal that summer, this was the first time anyone got to see what the console looked like and what features and games it would have. The reveal is pretty hilarious in hindsight given its short length and the fact that it barely focuses on the games. There’s a concert from The Killers, an extended Pimp My Ride segment where West Coast Customs is putting original Xbox consoles in peoples’ cars, and a bunch of era-specific music along with all kinds of quirky camera angles and excessive editing. It certainly feels like a throwback to a different era.
However, it does highlight how forward thinking the Xbox 360 was in some ways too. Former Xbox executive J Allard highlighted the Xbox 360’s online marketplace that would be used for buying things like DLC and even full games. Xbox 360 embraced the digital and online era in a massive way, even becoming the first console to let you stream Netflix in 2008. While Xbox One was marketed as the “all-in-one entertainment system”, a lot of that was already present on Xbox 360.
Xbox was building a machine that didn’t just play the latest and greatest games, it was a hub for everything entertainment. It was a Roku before a Roku, an Amazon Fire Stick before Amazon Fire Stick, and it was truly innovative. While PlayStation would up the ante toward the end of the generation by figuring out day one digital games that could be pre-loaded, Xbox 360 was giving gamers new ways to engage with their games.
On top of that, Xbox 360 had the brilliant achievement system which rewarded players for accomplishing certain tasks in a game. Pretty much every competitor besides Nintendo has adopted some version of the achievement system and it totally revolutionized not only how some people play games, but how games are made thanks to added challenges, modes, and Easter eggs added for the sake of achievement hunting.
Although Xbox Live existed on the original Xbox, it wasn’t until the Xbox 360 that it really became what it is today. Xbox Live expanded in a major way with things like Xbox Live Party Chat, allowing a group of friends to speak to each other regardless of if they were playing the same game or not. They also could have their own custom avatars, profiles, and more.
Ultimately, Xbox 360 changed the industry forever. It was a platform where some of the biggest franchises like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto thrived, but also one where the industry evolved in massive ways. Xbox made gaming even more of a social hobby than before with Xbox 360 and brought everything further into the digital age, cementing a structure that is still being used today. It’s quite an achievement and proves that Xbox 360 is one of the most influential pieces of gaming hardware ever made.
The post Xbox 360 Was Revealed 20 Years Ago Today, Here’s How it Changed Everything appeared first on ComicBook.com.
