The Xbox 360 sold out despite starting production 69 days before launch
Microsoft began building the Xbox 360 only 69 days before its November 2005 debut. Stock vanished at once everywhere except Japan, and 40,000 units, a tenth of the supply, turned up on eBay in the first week. It went on to become the best-selling console ever made by an American company.
Planning began in early 2003 under names such as Xenon and NextBox, led by vice president J Allard. Early developer kits were spotted running on Apple Power Mac G5 computers, because their processors shared the PowerPC design of the console's eventual IBM chip. Oddly, that chip's cores were adapted from work IBM was doing on the PlayStation 3's Cell processor, and IBM engineers reportedly hid the project from their Sony and Toshiba partners.
Launch was rushed and rocky. In its first year the console reached 36 countries, more than any console before it, but early machines failed so often, signalled by the notorious Red Ring of Death, that Microsoft had to extend the warranty. Japan never warmed to it, with lifetime sales there of around 1.6 million, though still far above the original Xbox.
Elsewhere it thrived. Critics credited it with proving that online communities could flourish on consoles, and with popularising achievement awards. Its Xbox Live service let players buy downloadable games, stream films and chat across titles. The Kinect camera, released five years in, became the fastest-selling consumer electronics device ever recorded. In the US it was the top-selling console for 32 straight months from 2011, and lifetime American sales reached 42.7 million.
The Xbox One replaced it in November 2013, and production of new 360 hardware ended in 2016. Its online store stopped taking new purchases in July 2024, although earlier purchases can still be downloaded.
Source: Xbox 360
