Xbox 360 — Three Regions in Three Weeks, and the Red Ring

The Xbox 360 went on sale in North America on 22 November 2005, at $399.99 for the full system and $299.99 for the stripped-down Core System. Europe followed on 2 December 2005 and Japan on 10 December 2005, at ¥37,900. North America was first and Japan last, but the gap was eighteen days—against more than three months for the original Xbox.

Microsoft announced the three dates in September 2005, on the eve of the Tokyo Game Show. Its press release said this was the first time a game console would launch in three territories in the same time frame. Sony's PlayStation 3 would not reach Japan for another eleven months.

Unveiled on MTV

The Xbox 360 was first shown on 12 May 2005, in a special broadcast on MTV. Microsoft's press release described it this way:

Where the original Xbox had used an Intel Pentium III-class processor and NVIDIA graphics, the 360 switched to a PowerPC-based CPU and an ATI GPU. The release also introduced Achievements, which recorded what players had done in their games, and the per-player Gamer Profile.

Two prices

According to NBC News on 17 August 2005, Microsoft offered two models in North America and Europe:

The same report noted that the Core System could not play original Xbox games unless the owner added a hard drive for $99.99. Japan's price, announced in September, was ¥37,900 for a package with the 20 GB hard drive, a wireless controller, a media remote and a headset.

According to Microsoft on 14 November 2005, 18 games and 13 accessories were available on launch day in North America.

The red ring: three years and a billion dollars

About a year and a half after launch, the Xbox 360 had become known for breaking down. Three flashing red lights on the front of the console signalled a general hardware failure, and owners called it the red ring of death (The Seattle Times).

On 5 July 2007 Microsoft expanded its warranty. According to the press release, the company had investigated after what it viewed as an unacceptable number of repairs, identified several factors that could cause the failure, and made improvements to the console. For the three-red-lights error it extended coverage to three years from the date of purchase, with repair or replacement free of charge including shipping, and it promised to reimburse anyone who had already paid for such repairs. It said it would take a pre-tax charge of $1.05 billion to $1.15 billion in the quarter ended 30 June 2007.

In the same release Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division, said most owners were having a great experience, but that for the frustration the problem had caused some customers, "we sincerely apologize."

According to The Seattle Times, Microsoft had already extended the warranty from 90 days to one year in December 2006; NBC News reported that coverage had previously run one year in the US and two in Europe. The Seattle Times added that Microsoft had shipped 11.6 million consoles since the 22 November 2005 launch, but declined to say how many had failed.

End of production, and 80 million

According to Reuters, as published by Fortune, Microsoft announced on 20 April 2016 that it would stop making new Xbox 360 consoles. More than a decade after launch, the report said, more than 80 million had been sold. Xbox chief Phil Spencer explained that the realities of manufacturing a product more than ten years old were catching up with the company. Existing stock would still be sold, and support would continue.

For Microsoft's console history, see the Microsoft timeline; for the wider story, the game consoles timeline. For a later generation, see Xbox Series X|S.