How the Xbox Shaped the Future | VideoGameDocs

The Xbox is one of the most prolific consoles of all time. While consoles were initially proprietary, Microsoft decided to take a different direction with the Xbox. Making it more PC friendly, the Xbox used many off the shelves parts that were compatible with the wonderful PCs of that day. The idea that a console could be less proprietary, and have more in line with a Personal Computer, was entirely new. Microsoft and the Xbox were the fathers of that transition.
Today on Video Game Docs we take a look at the Xbox, over 20 years after it was released in North America. While this video was originally supposed to air in November, coinciding with the original launch, I was forced to delay it thanks to my PC needing a harddrive wipe. It may be a few months late, but I hope you enjoy it!
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Merch: my-store-be2955.creator-sprin...
0:00 Introduction
1:01 Introduction: From PCs to Consoles
2:36 Part 1: A New Challenger
9:45 Part 2: To Make A Console
13:59 Part 3: The Valentine's Day Massacre
17:42 Part 4: Announcing the Xbox
20:03 Part 5: Redefining the FPS
22:03 Part 6: Unveiling the Xbox
23:35 Part 7: The Battle for E3
26:53 Party 8: Releasing the Xbox
28:19 Part 9: Shape the Future.
39:41 Part 10: Redefining the Console.

[@flowermaze___]

Thanks! Another gem. You asked for feedback, I think I like the format where there’s more pictures of the consoles. Retro videos. Old ads. Etc etc. I know this is 2 years late but there you go 😅😊

[@VideoGameDocs]

Still much appreciated! Thank you :)

[@Anytyme06]

Xbox, GameCube, and PS2 all had amazing 1st party games. An era that we haven't seen in awhile.

[@Monsuco]

The homebrew & modding scene for the OG Xbox was amazing. The Xbox was easy to hack into, first with modchips & later with save game exploits & it continues to have a homebrew scene to this day. The Insignia Project just recently brought Xbox Live 1.0 back for the original Xbox.

[@grinbrothers]

The approach to this video seemed a wise idea given we now have an extensive documentary on the Xbox by... well, Xbox. The in-person intro was a bit long but helped give it more of a personalised touch in featuring you at the start. Good call on having the Apple Pippin at the start, given the Xbox's design motif of turning a home computer into a console as well the later coverage of Mac game developer Bungie being brought by Microsoft. An 13:40 was a hilarious moment to bring up Microsoft's recent acquisition happy approach as of late.

[@VideoGameDocs]

Appreciate the feedback on the intro! Glad you enjoyed it overall.

[@noahparton3210]

I am incredibly thankful to have had both the Xbox and PS2. Both of them were equally some of the most impactful gaming consoles of all time. My top two games based on sheer hours played were possibly Halo CE and Sly Cooper 2

[@BubblegumCrash332]

Amazing content!! You deserve a million subs

[@VideoGameDocs]

Maybe one day! Appreciate it though!

[@josephpowell6009]

i second this

[@destineeharper4905]

Love your content, Video Game Docs! Can't wait until your page blows up : )

[@leocadion4508]

From the quality of your content, I thought you were a bigger channel. Really cool stuff, keep up the good work.

[@emarskineel]

Me too, I hope he gets the recognition he deserves. It's obvious a TON of work went into this video alone

[@jarod3371]

Great video! Earned yourself another subscriber! Cannot believe this video only has 600+ reviews! Great job on this. Really nice.

[@VideoGameDocs]

Much appreciated! The journey was pretty rocky but ultimately glad with how it turned out.

[@KalvinStrange]

I know im late to this video, but if my feedback counts for anything, i prefer more archival footage as opposed to content creators talking at me. I believe it makes the videos more timeless. Great doc

[@nz7166]

i am glad i found your channel. great videos!

[@ChinoWantan]

You know the story is wild then Rudy is involved

[@jordandupuis1249]

I subscribed to your channel after watching your Saturn and Dreamcast videos and I’m really looking forward to your ps2 video

[@VideoGameDocs]

Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed them. I’m looking forward to making the PS2 video since I’m not super familiar with it.

[@jordandupuis1249]

Okay I understand

[@zero-theaveragegamer1159]

Good video man. Quick question, the poster behind you that has all the console controllers... is the steam controller on there? I feel it should be if it's not. Just curious. Thanks

[@VideoGameDocs]

It actually doesn't! I'm kind of surprised it's not on there honestly. They have the Apple Pippins but no Steam Controller.

[@costasvasilogiannakis7816]

great video

[@lenyar]

Def the other way. It’s real immersive the way you do the graphics. Great content

[@VideoGameDocs]

Thanks for the input! Quite a few similar comments so I've leaned more towards the graphics like you've suggested.

[@Shannon-ul5re]

Great video and i would love to see a sega mega drive and snes review.

[@destineeharper2889]

Script editor here! Doesn’t this guy rock? What was your favorite part of the video? Comment below!

[@destineeharper2889]

I personally love that The Rock was so involved in the publicity 😂

[@ALM1GHTY.PEANUT]

It seemed weird for Microsoft to be a trendsetter with Xbox. Trying to make it easy for developers and then reverse course; Remove the hard drive (arcade version) and use custom processors on their very next console and then go right back to x86(x64). Microsoft was ahead of their time but got scared I guess!

[@PaintsAreOp]

Let's look at the 360 CPU from Microsoft's point of view. They use a 3 core PowerPC cpu. Apple computers use PowerPC, so it's an architecture that is in use. Xbox 360 came out in December 2005. What x86 cpu could they had used? Intel released the horrible Pentium D in May 2005 and the good Core 2 in July 2006. Quad Core cpu's in 2007. AMD had Dual Core Athlon 64 x2 in 2005 with Triple and Quad core cpu's in 2007. I don't think any of those would had been a good choice, Xenon was simply the superior option.

[@destineeharper2889]

Love that you tried out a more “conversational” video this time. Which do you prefer? More of a documentary style? Or kinda chatting with the camera?

[@VideoGameDocs]

To be honest, I kind of prefer the regular documentary style! A bit harder to create and edit, but overall I think I like it more.

[@destineeharper4905]

@@VideoGameDocs I think so too! It's more your style : )

[@Baulder13]

What in the world was going on with your left thumb stick?! lmao

[@whiskeygamer9402]

The good old days when the console competition was real and there were so many games just getting pump out.

[@pillowpannts]

Well made

[@VideoGameDocs]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@chickenwings6172]

00's the early days of the internet lol Kid the internet stared in the 1970's

[@hacked2123]

Proxmox running Unraid is the best of both worlds (simple containers and non-catastrophic greater than 2+n drive failure)

[@0c00l]

the easiest way to get me to like a video is by putting JSRF music in it. easily my most favorite soundtrack for any game

[@erockbrox8484]

Video games are so difficult, especially if you are a hardware and software manufacture. Its hard to make and design a gaming console, but not only that, its hard to make the games for it as well. And oddly enough, the main driving force in better CPUs and computers is that video game players just want more impressive looking games. So this economically speaking accelerated the advancement and growth of computer CPUs and GPUs.

[@RWL2012]

Ed Fries' last name is pronounced like "Frees". I know this because of John Jacobsen's video call interview with him.

[@ArcadianGenesis]

Xbox Live was way ahead of its time, almost to a fault. Subscription services are normalized now, but nobody did software subscriptions in the early 2000s. And frankly, that was commonly cited as a reason for gamers to prefer PlayStation consoles at the time. People would always argue, "the _real_ cost of an Xbox is $300 + 50/year." _Now_ it's completely normal and expected.

[@Sinn0100]

I remember when the Xbox launched...I didn't want one. I had a launch Dreamcast and PS2. Everything I went I saw gaming kiosks and most games looks terrible too me. Until one faithful day.... GTA3 launched the night before and I had to get my copy the next day from EB....work. As I was picking up my copy I was talking to the cashiers about it. I asked if they got it and how was it? They of course raved about GTA3 so much that they just had to show me the game. After making sure the store was clear of any kids/Karens we fired it up and within minutes I escapist my first mission started beating old ladies in the streets (it was hilarious). As this was happening I heard a group of guys carrying on in the back of the store ignoring GTA3 on launch morning. I actually tried to get their attention "are you from Mars or something?" Well, I had to see what was causing all the commotion but nothing could prepare me for what I was about to witness. They were playing Halo on the Xbox kiosk and it dropped my jaw straight to the floor. I immediately went back up to the counter and declared I wanted Halo on my PS2 and I want it 10 minutes ago. Unfortunately, it was an Xbox exclusive so I begrudgingly preordered my Xbox with Halo: Combat Evolved. From there I became a huge Halo fan for life. Addendum- I have never missed an Playstation or Xbox console in my life. This includes the Series X and PS5.

[@arturomail]

I like the Duke as a novelty, but the face buttons are not a good fit for my thumb. They’re too far? Maybe it’s just my hands aren’t huge.

[@erockbrox8484]

I think think one of the most annoying things about the Xbox is that, it CAN play DVD's but you need a special remote? Like there are 4 controller ports and you should be able to pick up the controller and press a button on the controller to play the movie. That apparently can't happen and I need a remote? Like, all you need is just one button. Start movie and pause movie and they can be the same button.

[@Monsuco]

The Xbox wasn't licensed to play DVDs. The IR dongle apparently also contains a license to allow for DVD playback.

[@erockbrox8484]

@@Monsuco Oh so they were not allowed to play the DVD's unless you had a license and the license was done through the remote. Thanks for clearing that up.

[@sb6482]

CD32 was the first cd based console not the 3DO…

[@VideoGameDocs]

Good catch! Must’ve been my American brain thinking the 3DO was first, though less than a month is pretty close! Thanks for the information!!

[@THEFALLOFSONY]

OG Xbox had the power advantage, online advantage and the game advantage with Halo.

[@VideoGameDocs]

Crazy to think that even with those advantages it still couldn't beat the popularity of the PlayStation.

[@THEFALLOFSONY]

@@VideoGameDocs The PlayStation brand is massive and automatically a default console for many.

[@maroon9273]

Sucks the internet browsing never came to its fruition with the xbox.

[@maroon9273]

During my favorite eras in gaming history. Sad how xbox fall from grace after the 360 days. Now on the verge of becoming a software company.

[@Mentherex]

Cant believe this video is a year old and has 41 comments, wow

[@Roofhack]

What's up with the eye brows....? They look painted on...

[@Easyv1975]

Can remember the 2 free games and controller , when Microsoft reduced the price.

[@schvyler]

Gigaflops

[@saywhatagain5999]

Oh shit, do I spy, with my little eye, a new Video Game Doc video 👀

[@bippityboop7314]

Are you Poseidon Entertainment?

[@prodyg]

The Gamecube had 32MB of ram and the PS2 had 24MB. Not the other way around.

[@VideoGameDocs]

Would you be able to provide where you got that? Everything I've found states the GameCube has 24MB and PS2 had 32MB. GameCube did have 43 total with 16 DRAM, and 3 MB embedded RAM, but main system ram was 24MB.

[@joacosnm]

I definitely prefer the other style of videos.

[@josephpowell6009]

your credibility took a hit when you trashtalked the greatest controller ever ever ever made.

[@itwsntme]

I've always suspected that Microsoft's partnership with Sega to provide a version of Windows CE for the Dreamcast was a way for them to secretly learn from an established gaming company before entering the ring themselves. The learning would go into the XBOX. As far a stabs in the back go, Microsoft would have probably killed the Dreamcast if Sony had not beaten them to the punch.

[@KnowToChill]

MS killed the DreamCast with MS Architekture..it was very easy to play pirated DC Games in the DC...dont blame Sony for Segas Kill.

[@techloidtech2051]

So gross how people used to simp for Bill Gates

[@DerTypausBielefeld]

The PS2 is a fine example of a console not designed and executed so well, but overwhelmingly successful due to its games and the fact it had its infamous DVD player installed and was upwards compatible. The PS2 is least appealing console of the time, could break very easily, and the majority of the unites are already busted apart from the slim versions which were far superior and had less moving parts. The graphics were not so great, the controllers were basically the same as its predecessor expect the fact they acknowledge how hard you push the buttons, and it has little innovations in total. Yet it was upwards compatible with the original Play Station making it work with every Play Station accessories. It was the cheepest DVD player, and the games designed for it were the number 1 selling point. Other than that the Xbox was way better, not that I want talk good about Microsoft. The Game Cub was a failure of its own. The Dreamcast unfortunately did not manage to make it through due to several mistakes Sega made. So we ended up with the PS2 as the most successful console of all time that was not so great actually.

[@maroon9273]

Dreamcast got replaced by the gamecube and xbox.

[@rich213sal]

XBOX over PS2

[@gjergjaurelius9798]

Xbox ALL DAY!

[@future_Tarzan]

false

[@rich213sal]

BS2 all lied about how powerful it was in the begining talkin about that "cell" chip that sucked. No modem, No HDD , PS2 was INFERIOR

[@GamingDelight]

@@rich213sal Inferior technology didn't stop Nintendo's Game Boy from outselling the competition. The same can be said for the PS2, though it wasn't just good games and backwards compatibility that drove sales. DVD playback was also a huge selling point.

[@rich213sal]

@@GamingDelight it's not about making fat cats fatter, not about the sales...I'm talking performance, XBOX was just a better performer period. Better graphics and smoother gameplay