The Original XBOX Prototype from 2000 That Cost Over $18,000 To Make | RetroPie Guy

[@nikerailfanningttm9046]

I visited the headquarters a few years ago with my son. We have a collection of every Xbox console variation made. Except for this beautiful *X* Prototype. When I saw this thing, I was just awed by the shape of.

[@RetroGamingGuy]

Yes! There's a mini replica of it that is actually made of aluminum I believe and it has a logo that glows green. I think it's a clock. I saw it once in auction. It went for $1650 and I think that's a steal because it was a private auction with only two bidders. There's only a few in existence I heard. Not sure of the story behind them. Maybe a gift to the team that created the original Xbox or something.

[@Mk3lyfestyle]

Do you have the blue Canadian Halo 2 Xbox? It’s like 6-12k so that would impress me

[@velvetpilot2008]

I remember seeing this sucker in magazines back then. I didn't once think "Wow that must be expensive to make". Instead I thought "That's sick! I want one!"

[@RetroGamingGuy]

Yeah I absolutely love the design. I saw one of these prototypes go up on shopgoodwill.com about a year ago. It was smaller than this. I read somewhere it was used in meetings as it was I think 1/4 scale of what you see here. These were the ones they brought around to press meetings. The 1/4 scale one went for a few thousand. I was bidding but it sold for several thousand over what I was prepared to pay. Another subscriber told me his brother was in the storage unit business and one of these full-size prototypes was found in one of their abandoned units. He ended up selling it for 60K to a pro BMX guy.

[@velvetpilot2008]

If these were what we got commercially, there's literally nowhere to go from there. There's no "upgraded" model after that. It's the ultimate life form in a game console.

[@tobydz]

Heh… what a crazy trip down memory lane. Thrown down stairs in RedWest, chucked around the concrete parking garage, I even hit one with my car… I’ve been warming up to the idea of writing about some of my chapters at Xbox. I was brought on in 99 when there was only like 15 or 20 of us. I was the youngest original member on the “ATG” or Advanced Technology Group (the OG’s) team. Seamus was my boss. It was my responsibility to make sure the prototypes came together in time for the announcement. I coordinated with the internal hardware and OS people, the external demo developers, and of course, Nvidia. Hell I briefed BillG on how to use the demo launcher, which is an entertaining story in and of itself. I still have one of the “Alpha Controllers” sitting in a drawer in my downstairs lol. If you’re wondering why there’s no mention of me in the book…. Well, the reason still bothers me to this day. See, I was a contract employee at the time, and back then, Microsoft had recently lost a massive lawsuit brought on by the contractors over benefits. This all happened a few months before I was hired. Because of that lawsuit, contractors were DESPISED by the corporate-centric full time employees (known as Blue Badges). Well, when it was book time, the nameless corporate overlords in all their wisdom, felt that it wouldn’t be a good idea to make any mention of a lone contractor’s involvement with the project. Despite that fact that the success or failure of that announcement at GDC rest squarely on my ass…heh. Anyway. Thanks for the nostalgia… and I think this gave me the kick I needed to tell the last untold perspective on how that console was birthed. Cheers!

[@kevinhanley6462]

Amazing content and research! I had no idea prototypes were that much money! More videos like this please. ❤️

[@SlavicUnionGaming]

the dev consoles are even more expensive

[@anorsegoddess9797]

I want one. Looks cool

[@RetroGamingGuy]

Definitely does!

[@cristein2100]

Just a heads up in June (a month after this video) my brother in law bought a storage unit for a little over $100. Found the Xbox prototype in a plastic bin. Sold it to some famous BMX kid for $60,000!

[@RetroGamingGuy]

Whaaaaaat!? That's crazy! Talk about a return on investment. I would love to see the prototype. Very little information on these out there and even less photos.

[@cristein2100]

@@RetroGamingGuy I don’t know how to send photos on here but I have the one picture he sent me it’s not high quality tho

[@starlingbaez6681]

I mean the final is pretty identical to the prototype. Just squished and the spaces filled.

[@connecting_u]

Hiii do you have any resources to back the statements made? Specifically what the prototype was made of and how much the production cost was?

[@latinoheat251]

Great info

[@RetroGamingGuy]

Thanks!

[@AviationLolz]

Fun fact if you got to the microsoft store in london. And go to the 2nd floor they have each kind of xbox including this xbox. I think its show all the xbox's tjat exsisted

[@kstanni87]

Those things are enormous and clunky. It doesn't even have a disc drive visible and would be digital only before it became a thing.

[@RetroGamingGuy]

Well it was just a prototype that's why it didn't have a drive

[@LongBeach88]

🙄

[@jigzonyt517]

Digital would have been impossible for the time. Most processors at that time were on average 512mb hard drives were predominantly hdd only. Game files would have been ridiculous for an internal harddrive commercially available on the cheap. The disck drive is on the rear of the prototype 👍

[@starlingbaez6681]

The disc drive is in the back

[@Concreteowl]

I wonder if it would be possible to create a working replica from an original Xbox?

[@Alfie-ft3bx]

The only thing is, where is the disc drive because I don’t understand where would you actually put it because I’ve seen the presentation and I wonder how would you even put a game in there?

[@RetroGamingGuy]

There's a tray on the backside

[@Alfie-ft3bx]

@@RetroGamingGuy thanks for the explanation

[@YoungMrBlue]

It cost 18k Bro what are those financial decisions??

[@DMurcielago]

I always wanted to see one being used. I dont think that footage exists 😢

[@ryanvv9349]

Pelican Case, not Penguin Case 😂

[@MasterRBertLink]

Hey! I just sent you an email with pictures! Hope to hear from you soon!!

[@MasterRBertLink]

Thanks for the email you sent me! I sent you a response!

[@RetroGamingGuy]

Thanks!

[@allps3review]

can of these unreleased console be bought?

[@RetroGamingGuy]

Very rare. There's only a handful in existence. I heard of someone finding one in an abandoned storage unit. It was sold for over 60k

[@VeryBadChannel69]

It's Just a X 😂

[@RetroGamingGuy]

Yeah it's a prototype the back shows where everything was going to be placed