Our 20-part Xbox20 feature series is finally complete. Here, you can enjoy all of our articles that tackle pretty much every major beat in the Xbox story so far… here’s to another 20 years!#1 — The Xbox revealVenture back to where it all began — with a massive X-shaped metal prototype console, celebrity endorsements, and grand ideas about taking over the gaming world. #2 — Halo: The perfect launch titleJust having powerful hardware wouldn’t be enough to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Nintendo and Sony — MS would need killer games, too. Fortunately, it had one of the best of the generation as an Xbox exclusive from day one…#3 — Rare joins the Xbox familyMicrosoft looks to fill the blanks in its gaming history by picking up one of the UK’s most celebrated developers, Rare. Things got off to a somewhat choppy start, but the studio has since risen back up to prove itself as the world-class team so many know and love.#4 — Xbox LiveLooking to continue the online aspirations of the sadly-defunct Dreamcast, Xbox’s online infrastructure was born and console gaming would never be the same again… once people got broadband, anyway.#5 — AchievementsXbox 360 brought with it lots of improvements, one of which has proven to be especially popular around these parts. With achievements, Microsoft introduced a neat new way for players to get even more out of their games, and as you can tell by the fact that this site exists, it worked.#6 — Red Ring of DeathHardware issues aren’t uncommon with new devices, but the Xbox 360’s failure rate seemed… well, quite a bit higher than you would hope. Here’s a little story about three seemingly innocuous lights that could spell doom for your Xbox.#7 — The New Xbox ExperienceA lot had changed in the online gaming world since Xbox Live was first unleashed, and it was time to update. NXE would offer sweeping console-level changes that made the 360 feel like a brand new console again, and it brought some neat new features and improvements along for the ride, too.#8 — The rise of KinectConsole add-ons have a history of being failures, but with Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s EyeToy camera proving smash hits, Microsoft saw an opening to take a punt on the next generation of motion control tech. Again the expectations of many, the gamble paid off.#9 — Committing to JapanIn the face of multiple failures to break into the eastern market, Microsoft would have been forgiven for giving up and focussing its efforts closer to home. Commendably, it did not, and while still a growth sector, that persistence is starting to pay off at last.#10 — The Xbox One U-turnThe early days of revealing Xbox One to the world were dark days indeed for Microsoft, with original plans for the console to be an always-online entertainment hub scrapped after outcry from fans and media alike. But was it too late to save the One?#11 — Games with GoldIt’s always nice to get more for your money, and as it tried to win back a little good faith, MS saw fit to include monthly games with Gold subscriptions as a bonus. Remember: don’t call them ‘free’ unless you want to get dragged into a ten-page argument in the comments.#12 — The fall of Kinect The surprise success of Kinect led to Microsoft doubling down on the device… with almost catastrophic results. Making it mandatory with Xbox One was another misstep in a long line, and another U-turn would be needed to get XB1 back in the race with the cheaper, more powerful PS4.#13 — The Mojang acquisitionIf you’re going to buy a studio, plumping for the one that makes the biggest game in the world isn’t a terrible shout. With one of gaming’s biggest IPs at their fingertips, the future is looking bright for both Mojang and Microsoft…#14 — Backwards compatibilityPlaying old games on new hardware had fallen out of favour somewhat with console creators, but Microsoft’s decision to bring the feature back certainly helped XB1 claw back a little ground, and MS win back some of the support it had been losing from that string of questionable decisions.#15 — Xbox Elite Wireless ControllerTop-tier gaming accessories are nothing particularly new, but it’s incredibly rare to see a platform holder get in on the action itself. That’s precisely what MS did with the Elite controller, although it’s a tale that ended up having more problems than positives…#16 — Xbox Game PassLet’s be honest, there was no way this feature series wasn’t going to cover The Best Deal In Gaming™ so here it is. #17 — Championing accessibilityAnother controller? Yes, but this one is so much more — it’s a symbol of Microsoft’s ongoing push for accessibility, making Xbox one of the most inclusive places to play, and still getting better.#18 — Xbox Cloud GamingWhere we’re going, we don’t need consoles. Streaming may be the future of gaming, but we’ve seen failures in the space time and again simply because the tech hasn’t quite been there yet. Would Microsoft’s effort fare any better? Yes and no…#19 — Xbox Series X|S2020’s new hardware launches proved to be gamechangers for those who could get them, unlocking 4K120 gaming on consoles for the first time and making load times pretty much a thing of the past. Gotta love that new console smell.#20 — Bethesda joins XboxAnnounced in 2020 and implemented in 2021, Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda represented the biggest external investment in growing the Xbox brand to date. While the deal is still too young to have borne fruit just yet, there’s more to it than meets the eye, and this power play from MS shows just how seriously it takes the long game in terms of making Xbox bigger and better than ever.And that’s a wrap! Any topics you wre surprised to see left on the editing room floor? What are the standout moments here for you? Is this type of content something you’d like to see more of here on TA? Let us know below…
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