Xbox is a Microsoft video game brand spanning three video game consoles, games, streaming services and more. Xbox launched in 2001 with the original Xbox console.
There are three Xbox branded consoles. The first console, the original Xbox console, was launched on November 15, 2001 in the United States. The original Xbox console went on to sell 24 million units worldwide and introduced gaming franchises like Halo. The Xbox 360 was the second console from Microsoft and launched on November 22, 2005. Since launch, over 83.7 million Xbox 360 consoles have been sold worldwide. The latest console, the Xbox One, was launched on November 22, 2013.
Microsoft launched Xbox Live in November 2002 as an integrated service for players to play games online with a broadband connection. There are now over 48 million users who use Xbox Live to play multiplayer Xbox games.
Features of the Xbox Live service included Gamertags, Gamerscore, Achievements, and more. A Gamertag is a username for anyone using Xbox Live. The Gamertag is associated with your Microsoft account and can be changed but for a fee. Gamerscore is a system to show and highlight Achievement points earned by players during gameplay on Xbox consoles and Xbox branded games.
Xbox Live Gold is a membership of Xbox Live that includes online multiplayer, free games, exclusive discounts and more.
Xbox and Xbox Live can be found on Xbox consoles, Windows Phones and Windows 8.
