Was it the games? The hardware? The marketing? Tell us!
We’re fast approaching the 25th anniversary of Xbox (look out for it November 2026!), and over the past couple of decades, the brand has racked up millions of fans who have spent thousands on consoles, games and more.
It might be a fairly short history all things considered, but so much has happened in that time. Each of the original Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S eras have come with their own ups and downs, from major successes like the release of Halo and the glory days of the Xbox 360 library, to the Red Ring of Death and the botched Xbox One launch.
Halo CE. And the controller layout, I still love the Duke.
Controller layout, and then later on achievements is what caught me. I can’t stand the ps controller. Cramps my hands so much.
I remember mocking how ugly the controller looked (like an obese parody of the Dreamcast’s) but then I held it. As I large-handed person, it was so comfortable after years of Japanese pads designed for smaller hands. I just wish they still made the thing but with all the modern upgrades so I could use it with my PC.
Hyperkin makes Duke replicas that are detected as Xbox One gamepads. Only downside is they are not wireless.
I’m still convinced the person who chose the location of the sticks on the PS2’s controller had never seen human hands before. Or at the very least, they weren’t at all aware which direction our thumbs bend in.
Seriously. And for some insane reason they haven’t changed it after all this time!
My cousin bought me a new USB Duke as a gift. It’s awesome.
The controller, and Minecraft, I didn’t have a PC and back in the day it was only available on Xbox 360