Today, November 15th, marks the fourteen year anniversary of the original Xbox, Microsoft’s game-changing entertain brand. Today also marks the official retirement of Microsoft’s digital media service, Zune, after being discontinued back in 2012.
“As of November 15, 2015, Zune services will be retired. You will no longer be able to stream or download content to your device from the Zune music service. However, Zune devices will still function as music players and any MP3 content that you own on the Zune device will remain there. You’ll also be able to transfer music to and from your Zune player,” Microsoft explained.
Microsoft revealed back in late 2011 that Zune would be discontinued, with the focus of mobile music and video strategy shifting over to Windows Phone. Microsoft eventually unveiled the Xbox Music and Video service on Windows Phone. Eventually, Groove Music and Movies & TV were born.
On November 15th of 2001, Microsoft launched the original Xbox console, which ushered in a new era of gaming. Microsoft launched the Xbox console at a retail price of $299 to compete against the Sony PlayStation 2, Sega Dreamcast, and the Nintendo GameCube.
For those that didn’t know, the name “Xbox” was derived from the term “DirectX Box” which was a reference to Microsoft’s graphics API, DirectX. To relive the moment, watch the video below where Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates unveiled the original Xbox.
Let’s take this time to wish Xbox a happy 14th birthday! How long have you been a proud Xbox gamer? How has your experience been the past several years? Are you still a Zune fan? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
