Xbox Website Gets a Makeover For The Brand's 20th Anniversary

RJ Pierce, Tech Times 03 November 2021, 07:11 am

Xbox is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and they're doing it retro style.

Microsoft is paying tribute to the one that started it all for their gaming console line, the original Xbox, by redecorating the official Xbox website, according to GameRant.

If you visit the Xbox website right now, you're going to see the original logo of the franchise and an overall late 90s-early 2000s vibe to it. The page's current layout is also a homage to the homescreen of the first console that Microsoft released.

Aside from this, fans can also visit a specific page called 20 Years Of Xbox where they'll get to learn of the specific milestones that made the brand what it is today.

Microsoft also released a celebratory 20th-anniversary trailer on YouTube:

This redesign to the OG Xbox theme comes after the brand decided to give its official website an Xbox 360-era redesign in early October, as reported by GameSpot.

But for fans who are expecting something else like big game announcements, you'll be disappointed. There are no big reveals alongside the festivities aside from what's already known, writes GameSpot.

A Brief History Of The Xbox Brand

Microsoft first received pitches for the DirectXBox (yes, that was the original name) as far back as 1998, when the gaming console market was ruled by the likes of Sony's PlayStation 2, writes Digital Trends.

The initial idea behind Xbox is to bring the power of gaming PC architecture to a gaming console form factor. Microsoft also intended the design of the console to make it easier for developers to make games for it. As such, they decided to make it run a version of Windows 2000--effectively making it a gaming PC in all but form.

Since the release of the OG Xbox, Microsoft has been a long-time rival to the Sony PlayStation brand.

They experienced massive success with the Xbox 360, fell a bit short with the Xbox One, but are trying to make this generation comeback with the Series X and Series S consoles.

How Else Is Xbox Celebrating Its Birthday?

The website redesigns are simply two parts of a much bigger celebration. Microsoft and Xbox are bringing in the big guns to commemorate their first entry into the games industry at the dawn of the new millennium.

First, they announced special edition Gen 1 "The Duke" controllers shaped like the original Xbox controller from 2001. The controller features the artwork of Cortana on the controller--who was first known as a major character from the "Halo" franchise and not as the digital assistant for Windows 10.

Aside from that, there are also super-exclusive Xbox-themed sneakers from Adidas. The pair of kicks is not intended to be available to the general market, however. They're intended to be contest prizes, but they're not going to be the last sneaker collaboration between Adidas and Xbox.

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Written by RJ Pierce