One Xbox fan has shared a true blast from the past dating back to when the Xbox 360 console first hit store shelves over a decade ago. When Microsoft first launched its first Xbox console in 2001, it was anyone's guess how it would fair against the likes of Sony with PlayStation and Nintendo with Nintendo 64. It was the beginning of the console wars as gamers knew it; nothing would be the same since then.
Four years later, the Xbox 360 made its debut in 2005, and eager gamers waited for hours in various weather at their local stores to snag the latest generation console at midnight launch events. MTV unofficially unveiled the gaming system in May, months before gamers would be able to get their hands on it in November. Fast-forward to 2022 and the Xbox Series X will be much harder to find this holiday season. It was a different time for players back then, and snagging the latest gaming console was easier said than done.
An avid fan of the Xbox consoles and Reddit user EvolutionIXMR shared their receipt from when they first bought their Xbox 360 17 years ago. Their console was purchased at a Best Buy location in St.Petersburg, Florida, back in December 2005. It originally retailed for about $400, a far cry from how much more expensive consoles are today. Also, moderating Xbox accounts was not as prevalent back then compared to 2022. Recently Xbox revealed it had banned over 4.8 million accounts during the first half of this year. A lot may have changed since then, but longtime fans of the brand were reminded of their own Xbox 360 purchasing experiences thanks to Evolution's post.
The fan also shared how they remembered it being an unusually cold Florida night. They also revealed that for anyone who wasn't an avid Xbox gamer back then, their particular console lasted for about six months before it got the infamous red ring of death. Evolution shared they shipped it back to Texas in " those cardboard coffins," only to receive a replacement that would also end up with the same issue. Ironically just this year, one lucky Xbox 360 gamer finally got hit with the red ring of death 17 years later.
Other gamers were reminded that they camped out for hours to snag an Xbox 360 in some pretty unforgiving weather, with some fans waiting in shifts in line while grabbing hot drinks to keep warm. One fan shared that they, too, keep receipts as Evolution did for memories. This isn't the first time memories of this specific console inspired discussion online; one gamer found a forgotten Xbox 360 Blockbuster game rental that is now 15 years overdue. Whatever is next in store for Xbox's future, fans are sure to have fond memories now and always.