On Tuesday, November 10, Microsoft will launch the Xbox Series X, the company's highly-anticipated next-generation console. The Xbox Series X will usher in the next generation of gaming consoles, and while the current-generation Xbox One will still receive new games and regular support, its time in the spotlight is coming to an end.
The Xbox One had a rocky start, with Microsoft failing to capitalize on the momentum it had from the Xbox 360's success. And while the console was never really able to effectively compete with Sony's PS4 in terms of sales, few could argue that the Xbox One didn't end in a much better place than it started.
Here are all the biggest games, developments, and hardware revisions that occurred during the Xbox One's lifecycle.
2013: Xbox One's Launch
It's no secret that Microsoft's Xbox One console got off to a rocky start. Microsoft's E3 2013 presentation showed some games with impressive visuals for the Xbox One, but most of the focus was on the system's controversial "features." For the uninitiated, Microsoft initially planned on the Xbox One console being an always-online device, requiring players connect it to the Internet at least once every 24 hours. Not only that, but the Xbox One was going to make it difficult, if not outright impossible, for players to loan their games to friends or trade them in at places like GameStop. This combined with every Xbox One coming bundled with Kinect was not a good look for the console.
Luckily, Microsoft reversed its most controversial Xbox One decisions, but the console wasn't out of the woods just yet. Xbox One also struggled with having relevant games for the first couple months of its release, which certainly didn't help its image. The early Xbox One exclusive games earned mixed reviews, with neither Dead Rising 3 nor Ryse: Son of Rome really living up to fan expectations.
That being said, the Xbox One did have some notable third-party games early on, with perhaps the most significant being Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag from Ubisoft. And while it was relatively barebones at launch, future Killer Instinct updates would make it a favorite among fans of the fighting game genre.
2014: Phil Spencer is Head of Xbox
2014 saw the Xbox One's library of quality games grow significantly, and while many titles failed to take full advantage of the new hardware thanks to them being cross-generational titles, fans did get their first real taste of truly next-gen experiences. One of the most notable game releases of 2014 was Titanfall, the debut project from Respawn Entertainment, which was a cross-generational game that was significantly more impressive when played on an Xbox One console. Titanfall was console-exclusive to Xbox, making it a big "get" for the company and a potential console-seller.
Other notable Xbox One games that launched in 2014 include Sunset Overdrive, an open world game that came about as a collaboration between Microsoft and Insomniac, a studio primarily known for its work with Sony. Microsoft's big Xbox One holiday game for 2014 was Halo: The Master Chief Collection, an ambitious project that looked to combine all of the previously-released Halo games in a single package, including a remake of Halo 2. Unfortunately, Halo: The Master Chief Collection had serious technical problems at launch, which took months for 343 Industries to completely fix.
But while the Xbox One had some major game releases in 2014, perhaps the most significant event surrounding the console and the brand was Phil Spencer becoming Head of Xbox. Spencer would go on to make some significant changes to Xbox behind the scenes, spearheading the initiative to purchase studios and improve the company's first-party lineup. Spencer's promotion would also see Xbox start making some more consumer-friendly choices, like releasing an Xbox One bundle that did not include the Kinect sensor.
2015: Backward Compatibility
2015 was when the current-generation of video game consoles really started to hit its stride, as more true next-gen games were released on a regular basis. This included award-winning games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Fallout 4, and Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. As far as Xbox One exclusives go, Microsoft launched both Forza Motorsport 6 and Halo 5: Guardians in 2015, both of which earned relatively positive reviews. However, there was some controversy surrounding Halo 5's lack of split-screen, with the backlash severe enough that Microsoft has since committed to include split-screen support in all future main series Halo games.
While there were some great games released in 2015, the year also saw same major new initiatives from Xbox. This included the launch of the Xbox One Elite Controller, the introduction of the Xbox One's early access program called Game Preview, the backward compatibility with Xbox 360 games, the New Xbox Experience, and more. Microsoft also slashed the price of the base Xbox One console in 2015, making it more affordable than ever before.
Unfortunately, it wasn't all good news for the Xbox brand. It was this year that Microsoft decided to stop reporting Xbox One console sales figures, presumably due to it being significantly outpaced by its competition, the PS4.
2016: Xbox Play Anywhere
While Microsoft seemingly gave up on trying to compete with the PS4 in terms of sales, the company continued to make the Xbox One an appealing prospect with major developments in 2016. This included the release of the new Xbox One S console, a slimmer and more efficient version of the original Xbox One, but it extended beyond hardware as well. In 2016, Microsoft made various online and UI improvements, like the addition of Clubs and the Cortana virtual assistant.
Major third-party games continued to make up the bulk of the Xbox One's library. In fact, Microsoft started to move completely away of having true exclusives, instead opting to release Xbox console exclusive games on PC as well as Xbox One. It kicked this off in a big way with games like Gears of War 4 and Forza Horizon 3, and better yet, the Xbox Play Anywhere program meant gamers only had to buy one copy of the game and could play it on their platform of choice.
2017: Xbox Game Pass
The big Xbox development in 2017 was the launch of Microsoft's Xbox One X console, which is still the most powerful video game console the market at the time of this writing (until the Xbox Series X releases on November 10, that is). The Xbox One X featured beefier specs, allowing users to play more games in 4K resolution with various other enhancements.
With the Xbox One X, Microsoft took its final steps to distance itself from the original Xbox One and things like its forced Kinect requirement. While Microsoft sells an adaptor that allows the Kinect to be used with the Xbox Series X, Microsoft officially discontinued its motion-tracking camera peripheral in 2017.
But while the Kinect died in 2017, some new Xbox initiatives were given life. Original Xbox games made their debut in the Xbox backward compatibility program, and more importantly, Microsoft introduced its innovative Xbox Game Pass service. Xbox Game Pass lets players access over 100 games instantly in exchange for a monthly fee, and it has proven to be incredibly popular with Xbox fans, especially since it includes all first-party Xbox games on day one. The value of Xbox Game Pass has grown exponentially since it was first introduced and its importance to the Xbox brand's current success can't be understated.
2018: Studio Acquisitions
For Xbox, 2018 was all about given players more choice, and increasing access to gaming. Microsoft achieved this by adding mouse and keyboard support to the Xbox One, and with the acclaimed Xbox adaptive controller, designed to give individuals with disabilities a quality gaming experience.
Microsoft's effort to make gaming more accessible extended to the entry price point. While consumers could still pay full price for new Xbox One consoles, they could also utilize the Xbox All Access program. This program functions similarly to cellphone plans, in that players get an Xbox One console right away in exchange for a small monthly fee that includes subscriptions to Games With Gold and Xbox Game Pass.
While these were all great developments for Xbox in 2018, the company was very much aware of Sony outpacing it in terms of must-play exclusive games. The Xbox Play Anywhere initiative meant Xbox would no longer have pure exclusives, but console exclusives could still go a long way in convincing someone to buy an Xbox. With that in mind, Microsoft started acquiring major game studios to develop games under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella. It also put together a brand new team comprised of industry veterans called The Initiative, which is hard at work on something that's been described in the past as an AAAA-level game. The fruits of these acquisitions won't be realized until the Xbox Series X launch, but the seeds were planted during the Xbox One's lifecycle.
2019: All-Digital Xbox
Microsoft is offering an all-digital console in the form of the Xbox Series S, but it first tested the waters with the all-digital Xbox One S. As its name implies, the all-digital Xbox One S was an Xbox One console with no disc drive, which was available for the low price of $250. It didn't take long for the all-digital Xbox One S to be discontinued, but that was just so Microsoft could make way for the upcoming Xbox Series S.
2020: Xbox Series X
This year has seen the release of some major third-party games, and there are still many more yet to be released. However, all eyes have really been on the Xbox Series X, Microsoft's next-generation consoles that's set to replace the Xbox One on November 10.
The Xbox Series X is when Xbox fans will start to really see the benefits of Microsoft's studio acquisitions, which now includes ZeniMax Media, meaning that Bethesda and The Elder Scrolls franchise now fall under the Xbox umbrella as well.