Goodbye Xbox: Xbox Review

Added June 10th, 2005 by Kisano

Welcome to the first installment of the Goodbye Xbox editorial series. Over the next few weeks we will discuss the original Xbox’s past, future, and the next-gen Xbox 360. We realize that the Xbox 360 is far from release, but we feel that it is time to start saying goodbye.

We will start off by providing a hardware review of the original Xbox. The big and somewhat bulky Xbox was the console of the current-gen containing the most powerful hardware. It is now reaching the end of its reign, and its capabilities seem to be very insignificant compared to the Xbox 360.


Microsoft’s first gaming console featured a custom 733 MHz Intel Pentium III, 64 MB DDR SDRAM, and the custom XGPU graphics processor designed by nVIDIA (250 MHz). These parts made the Xbox capable of much more than its competitors, and until recently, this hardware was never used to its full potential. Another addition propelled the Xbox beyond the PS2 and Game Cube (as far as specs go), because the other consoles didn’t even have one. The Xbox featured an 8 GB hard drive. This was a monster feature allowing gamers to keep their game saves, custom soundtracks and more on their console without the annoying and costly memory cards. The hardware wasn’t perfect. Many Xbox owners had to deal with the frustrating Thomson drives that wouldn’t read disks after a few years. Luckily, Microsoft dealt with most of these issues by having gamers send their consoles in for replacement or repairs. Another problem that hit was a power cord defect. Again, Microsoft received reports about this issue and then offered free replacement cords. Although the console had a few hardware troubles, it seemed to have all the right parts in its generation.


However, powerful hardware is never enough, and Microsoft knew this. Microsoft implemented many new and innovative features and capabilities in its console. For instance, the V-Chip permits parents to block certain ratings. This allows more control over the games and movies that are being played in the Xbox. Possibly the biggest of these capabilities was support for broadband right out of the box. This paved the way for Xbox Live, a first in console gaming. The addition of this well planned multiplayer solution allowed gamers to connect with other gamers and play their favorite games head to head with both strangers and friends alike. Looking ahead, Xbox 360 will build on what Xbox has already started. Microsoft is determined to make console gaming a great experience for both the casual and the serious gamer. While other next-gen consoles seem to be including online play as a side feature, Xbox 360’s online capabilities will build on an already established foundation.

The Xbox was also capable of providing other means of entertainment besides video games. With the purchase of the DVD remote, DVDs could be watched. While I was disappointed that I had to spend $30 on a remote, I was pleased that I could watch all of my favorite movies without having to use a separate DVD player. Also, the Xbox allowed gamers to store music onto the system’s hard drive. This was a great feature for music enthusiasts, because some games even allowed you to play your favorite music during gameplay. Xbox 360 will take this music feature to the next level via supported peripherals such as MP3 players and possibly even allowing users to download music from online stores such as Napster.

All this means nothing without quality games, and yet again, Microsoft delivered. Halo, a launch title, is considered by many to be the best console shooter of all time. This was not all. Other great titles such as Ninja Gaiden and Jade Empire gave gamers a reason to purchase Xbox. Xbox Live’s popularity soared when Halo 2 was launched. Halo 2 allowed gamers to take the multiplayer madness they loved onto the internet, without the need for the somewhat choppy and faulty Xbox Connect. For more about Xbox’s games, just keep up with our Goodbye Xbox Series.


The Xbox was by no means perfect, but it did lay the ground work for the upcoming Xbox 360. Multiplayer gaming on consoles was revolutionized by the Xbox, and now Microsoft will continue to perfect it. The score below reflects a console that is at the beginning of the end, but is still loads of fun to use.