R.I.P. Xbox 360.
Microsoft’s second foray into the gaming console market, the Xbox 360, will now cease production. The console debuted on November 22, 2005, signalling the new generation of gaming consoles and in fact, one of the longest ones we have ever seen. Today Microsoft’s Head of Xbox Phil Spencer announced via Xbox Wire that there will be no new Xbox 360 being produced, while promises to remain supporting the active consoles with online servers, online help, and sell any remaining Xbox 360 and its accessories in stock.
After 10 years, and many revised versions of the console, the 360 was the dominant console of last generation. Thier Xbox Live online service was setting the standards of online play, and that era have ushered many strong 1st party IPs, such as Gears of War. It has also sold exceptionally well, with over 84 million units (as of June 2014), despite not having a strong presence on our side of the world.
While Microsoft continues to struggle with the Xbox One this generation, they are really working hard to push forward. Having backwards-compatibility for 360 games on the One is one such example.
360 owners can look forward to migrating their library to the One in the future, should you own one, just in case the 360 went faulty. Older 360 models suffer from “Red-Ring-Of Death” issues while some have problems supporting the latest games due to not having a hard drive.
That said, the Xbox 360 has made a lasting impact in the gaming world, and hopefully the One can continue its legacy moving forward.