Microsoft invites you to take a look behind the scenes behind the creation of the first Xbox console 20 years ago.
On November 15, Microsoft held a special broadcast for the anniversary of Xbox andHalo. On this occasion, the firm announced the arrival of a documentary on the creation of its console, from the idea of a few engineers, to the finished product, including the misses and the difficulties. This documentary, baptized Power On: The Story of Xbox, is now freely available on Youtube.
The documentary is presented in the form of a mini-series, of which the 6 episodes are available from the start. Here is their title in English as well as a small description of their content in French:
- Chapter 1: The Renegades: A small team of young people set out to convince Microsoft that it’s time to get into the console business.
- Chapter 2: The Valentine’s Day Massacre : The battle to take ownership of the public show has been launched, but not without significant costs and risks.
- Chapter 3: And It Didn’t Turn On : Public doubt intensifies as problems threaten to mar the Xbox launch in 2001.
- Chapter 4: Cool… Now What? : A console is only worth its games… and the Xbox needs a new game to survive. Welcome to Halo.
- Chapter 5: The Red Ring of Death : Demand for the Xbox 360 is at its peak, but a critical malfunction threatens its success.
- Chapter 6: TV… Or Not TV? : Xbox gets lost along the way. Can a former intern get the team back on track? (https://elitetrainingcenter.net/)
Back in the past
As expected, the episodes are all available in English exclusively, but have plenty of subtitles, including French, which you can activate directly through the video settings. From the first episode to the last, the documentary retraces the entire process of creating the console that has thrilled millions of players around the world for 20 years.
To bring this story to life from behind the scenes, several Microsoft employees shared their experiences during the creation of the console. Among the guests are the very famous Phil Spencer, Kevin Bachus, or Snoop Dogg, a great gamer in his spare time. Everything is punctuated with archive images that make the documentary more than alive, anchored in the life of each player. In this sense, episode 5 should revive memories to many people, who would rather forget this disastrous episode in the history of Xbox.
In the same vein as this documentary, Microsoft recently inaugurated a totally virtual museum in which you can visit the different eras that have marked the history of Xbox. In it, you can also have access to some interesting data as long as you have owned a console for several years. It is a way for the company to reaffirm the place it takes in the daily life of players through its simple console and its games.
