Microsoft released the Xbox video game console in 2001. The original Xbox launched in North America on November 15, 2001, marking Microsoft’s first major entry into the home-console market.
The Xbox was part of the sixth generation of consoles, competing primarily with Sony’s PlayStation 2, Nintendo’s GameCube, and Sega’s Dreamcast. It featured a built-in hard drive and an Ethernet port, unusual advantages for a console of its time. Microsoft also used the system to launch Halo: Combat Evolved, whose popularity helped establish the Xbox brand.
The name “Xbox” came from “DirectX Box,” a reference to Microsoft’s DirectX graphics technology. Although the console debuted in North America in 2001, its international releases followed in 2002: Japan in February, and Europe and Australia in March. This regional rollout sometimes causes confusion about the console’s release year, but its first commercial launch was clearly in 2001.