When it comes to gaming consoles. The immediate names we can think of would be the Sony Playstation, the Microsoft Xbox, and the Nintendo. Of the three, the Xbox is the latest to be invented in the marketplace, but it is probably not the most popular. Who is the genius behind it? Who invented the Xbox?
Xbox was invented by a team of developers and engineers, among which Kevin Bachus, Ted Hase, and Otto Berkes. Their team leader was Seamus Blackley, an American engineer and video game designer with Microsoft at the time.
This article explores who invented the Xbox, how was the gaming console invented, and how it has improved over time. We also look at other influential people that helped invent the Xbox in 2011.
Why Was The Xbox Invented?
Xbox was invented as a way to respond to the threat Sony Playstation 2 may bring to the personal computer. This is because PlayStation 2 was designed to be a gaming console and a home entertainment device, which may cause people to use their PCs less when playing DVD movies.
At the time of its launch, the Xbox was quite out of Microsoft’s comfort zone. Until then, Microsoft has been the software champion, building operating systems such as Windows. Microsoft was also the creator of Microsoft Office, a slew of productivity software such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more.
Microsoft has generally shied away from the hardware business. This is because when they do, they tend to flop big time. Think of products such as Zune.
However, when threatened, Microsoft does bite back, and the Xbox could be seen as a bite back when under danger.
During the late 90s, the most popular way to consume digital media, such as movies and music at home, was through CDs or DVDs. Generally, CD or DVD players tend to come with PCs, which means most families would use the PCs to watch movies, listen to songs, or play video games.
Playstation 2 by Sony
This remained so until the Playstation 2 came out in 1999. When Sony designed the Playstation 2, it envisioned the device as more than just a gaming console. It would be the family’s home entertainment console as well.
The rationale is that since the Playstation is already hooked to the TV to play games, why not make it capable of playing audio CDs and DVDs? This means the PlayStation would be the most versatile home entertainment console.
It is this vision that makes Microsoft’s ears perk up. Fewer people will use their PC for entertainment if the vision comes true and only treat it as an internet or productivity device. This may even lead to lower PC sales, which means lower sales for Microsoft Windows and its software suite.
As a result, Microsoft thinks they need to invent a similar device to take the Playstation head-on, a home entertainment console for gaming, movies, and music.
How Was The Xbox Invented?
Xbox was invented by building a PC system in a console running Windows. This allows game studios to be able to quickly make and adjust their game titles to Xbox. This feature immediately helps it stand out against seasoned consoles such as Nintendo and Playstation.
The Xbox was invented as Microsoft’s answer to Playstation 2 attempting to encroach on its turf. The Xbox was imagined as a home entertainment console designed for gaming, audio, and video enjoyment.
Microsoft started by building a console that runs PC parts. This means the device contains a hard drive, ram, graphics processing unit, CD and DVD players, and more. However, instead of having these parts in a PC tower, Microsoft packed them inside a console-like box.
The idea is to make Xbox appear elegant and nice with the TV, speakers, and other devices at home. The Xbox is squarish, with a wide footprint but a short height. This allows it to slot nicely into many TV cabinets, occupying the space for one of the TV appliances.
The Xbox also runs a slightly modified version of Windows. It also runs on DirectX, a system to manage graphical files such as videos and games on Windows devices. This is a very good decision by Microsoft as it means the Xbox can leverage the popularity of Windows with many game studios.
Many game studios only need to perform some minor adjustments to their Windows-based game titles to make them compatible with Xbox’s console controllers. This means Xboxes can have many compatible game titles very quickly.
As a result, Xbox was able to achieve popularity quickly, and within a short period of time, becoming one of the top gaming consoles in the market, going head to head with Sony Playstation 2. The rivalries between Xboxes and Playstations continue today.
Who Invented The Xbox?
Many expected to hear that Bill Gates was the person behind the Xbox, drawing a parallel between how Steve Jobs at Apple was the mastermind behind almost all Apple products.
However, Bill Gates was not very involved with the invention and development of the Xbox. In fact, he actually planned to block and cancel the project. Luckily that did not happen, or else Microsoft would have lost a $15 billion a year business.
Seamus Blackley American Engineer
The team leader behing the Xbox’s invention is an American engineer and video game designer by the name of Seamus Blackley.
Seamus Blackley graduated from Tufts University in 1990 and then went into physics and graphical design work. He was well known as the main person behind the development of hyper-realistic flight simulators such as Flight Unlimited and Flight Combat.
He first met Bill Gates in 1999 and was soon roped into Microsoft to become the Program Manager for Entertainment Graphics, working on improving DirectX.
When Playstation 2 first came out, Seamus noticed that Microsoft would need to compete in the home entertainment space, and a gaming console was needed. Seamus also noticed that for Microsoft to develop this, the device needs to have standardized hardware and leverage its strong network of Windows-based games.
The proposal was accepted by Bill Gates, and he helped assemble the initial team that helped design and build the device. The First Xbox was released to the public on November 15, 2001, with great publicity and success.
Who Are The Other People Involved In The Invention of Xbox?
Xbox was not invented by Seamus Blackley alone. He worked alongside several other influential engineers and designers who brought their expertise to make the Xbox a reality. They are Bill Gates, Kevin Bachus, Ted Hase, and Otto Berkes.
Similar to how the iPhone and iPad were created, the Xbox was also not created in isolation. It was not built by a single creative genius who designed and built everything.
Instead, it was a team effort that the main project leader led. At the same time, everyone else chipped in with their unique input to produce the final product.
Several of the key individuals involved in the invention of Xbox are Bill Gates, Kevin Bachus, Ted Hase, and Otto Berkes.
Bill Gates
Bill Gates is the co-founder of Microsoft. During the invention of the Xbox, he was the CEO, leading the company. However, when the Xbox was approved, he was in the process of stepping down from being the company’s CEO.
Bill Gates’s biggest contribution and involvement with the Xbox was during its initial stage and also after it was launched. Sheamus Blackley proposed the creation of a home entertainment console for gaming, movies, and audio to Bill Gates in 1999, which he accepted.
Bill Gates also helped assemble the team to build the Xbox by roping in some of the names that eventually became important in the invention of the Xbox. After the launch in November 2011, Bill Gates became Xbox’s evangelist, promoting it to would-be customers.
Kevin Bachus
Kevin Bachus was originally a game publisher and joined the DirectX team to help Microsoft develop a system to manage and handle video and game graphics. He could be said as one of the right-hand men working with Sheamus Blackley.
Bachus was instrumental in coming out with the vision that the Xbox should be made economical based on the hardware specifications suitable for game developers. He realized that game developer at the time constantly had hardware requirements rammed down their throats, making their work much harder and slower.
Bachus was also key in defending this viewpoint when some other members of the Xbox team tried to push for a high-end, super-expensive gaming console.
Ted Hase
Ted Hase was also a Microsoft DirectX engineer and technician during the Xbox’s invention. He was one of the earlier people involved in creating the Xbox, being the person who sent out the presentation slides for the initial presentation of the Xbox to Microsoft’s executives.
Like Bachus and Blackley, Hase also championed an affordable video game console developed to make game developers’ jobs easy. He also pushed for using DirectX as the driver for the games. Ted eventually left the development of Xbox and returned to working on DirectX in late 1999.
Otto Berkes
Otto Berkes was also a Microsoft DirectX engineer and technician during the Xbox’s invention. Berkes’s main contribution to the development of Xbox was likely pushing for a device that runs on DirectX and is built for game developers.
However, Berkes’s overall Xbox vision was different from the others. He envisioned a more PC-like structure instead of a pure console model that Xbox eventually adopted. He also wants the Xbox to be profitable on its own instead of being a loss-leading device such as Playstations.
A little shocked by how Xbox had turned out, he also returned to his DirectX role in late 1999.
Aside from these people, the Xbox’s invention also involves many other names, such as Robbie Bach, Drew Angeloff, J Allard, and many more.
How Has Xbox Improved Since Its Invention?
Since the first Xbox came out in 2011, it has undergone three major updates. A slew of peripheral accessories was also released to improve the Xbox gaming experience and playability. The most recent update was the Xbox Series S and X, released on November 10, 2020.
Similar to Playstation, Xbox also underwent updates, redesign, and redevelopment over its lifespan. As a result, several generations of Xbox were released.
These new Xboxes took advantage of the newer, more recent technologies. They integrated them into their consoles, such as faster internet speed and better TV resolution. This helps the user’s gaming experience improve and become more enjoyable.
Xbox
The original Xbox debuted in North America on November 15, 2001, and was launched by Bill Gates and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. Xbox was launched as part of the sixth-generation video game consoles, competing for head-on against Sony Playstation 2, Sega Dreamcast, and Nintendo GameCube.
With the general improvement in internet speed, the Xbox Live service was launched in 2002. This allows players to play games online with or without broadband internet. The competition was again against Playstation’s Online Service.
The Xbox Live eventually won due to better connection and features such as a buddy list. Xbox’s success was also largely driven by Xbox-only games such as Halo. Over 24 million units of Xbox were sold by May 2006, establishing a strong footprint and base for Microsoft to build on.
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 was introduced to the public in November 2005 as a next-generation successor to the original Xbox. It competes with consoles such as Sony Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii. Such was the popularity of Xboxes by the time the Xbox 360 launched that it sold out worldwide the moment it was launched, except in Japan.
The Xbox further builds on the Xbox Live’s success but expands what it offers. Users can start on a freemium model called Silver and stream and purchase content online from PCs. These are offered through Xbox Music and Xbox Video.
Microsoft also released the Kinect, a motion control system that enhances the gaming and control experience on the Xbox 360.
The Xbox 360 went through a product refreshment cycle in 2010 with the release of the Xbox 360 S. The initial S stands for ‘Slim.’ The Xbox 360 S features a slimmer form factor but retains the same core hardware. The hard drive was, however, smaller at 250GB.
The Xbox 360 S also comes with WiFi, optical audio output, a special Kinect port, and five USB 2.0 ports. The Xbox 360 E came out in 2013 as a major revision of the Xbox, with a new case design. The specifications were also upgraded to make use of available computing technology.
Xbox One, One S, and One X
The Xbox One came to the market in 2013 as the newer generation replacement for the Xbox 360. It represents Microsoft’s own take on the eighth generation of video game consoles. It competes against Sony Playstation 4, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo Switch.
Xbox One took advantage of the trend of internet gaming, allowing players to record and stream their gameplay. Users can also integrate their Xboxes with a set-top box. This allows users to watch cable or satellite TV while using its interface and Kinect-based voice control.
The Xbox One also introduced a rather controversial Digital Rights Management (DRM) practice. It allows users to access and play the games within Microsoft’s library without discs. Also, it allows the games to be shared with up to 10 other account holders, dubbed ‘family members.’
However, the game needs to be connected to the original account holder. The console must also be connected to the internet at least once every 24 hours for updates, or the other players cannot play the game. After an overwhelmingly negative protest by users, Microsoft relaxed these restrictions.
In 2016, Microsoft released an update to the Xbox One, called the Xbox one S. It again keeps to the original ‘Slim’ initial. It features a smaller form factor and supports 4K video and HDR. The Xbox One X was revealed in 2017, a higher-end and performance model designed for gaming at 4K resolution.
It was projected that over 51 million Xbox Ones would be sold across all variations and updates.
Xbox Series S and X
The Xbox Series S and X launched in November 2020. It was released almost concurrently with the Playstation 5, which is also its main rival. The Xbox X is designed and marketed to be the high-end version of the Xbox, with the S for the lower-end market.
The Xbox Series X is projected and marketed to be four times as powerful in performance as the Xbox One X. It can also support up to 8K video at 120 frames-per-second (FPS) rendering. The Series S is given a lower graphical performance but can still work at the 4K level.
Both consoles were given technologies such as the Xbox Velocity Architecture that works with the SSD drive inside the console to improve graphic delivery and performance. Both consoles are also made to be backward compatible with all Xbox One games.