Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft, and
the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation
3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game
consoles. Some major features of the Xbox 360 are its integrated Xbox Live
service that allows players to compete online, download arcade games, game
demos, trailers, TV shows and movies and its Windows Media Center
multimedia capabilities. The Xbox 360 also offers region specific access to
third-party media streaming services such as Netflix in the USA or Sky TV
in the UK. The Xbox 360 was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005,
with detailed launch and game information divulged later that month at the
Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). The console sold out completely upon
release in all regions except in Japan and as of January 2010, there are over
39 million Xbox 360 consoles worldwide. The Xbox 360 is currently
available in two configurations the "Arcade" and the "Elite" each with its
own selection of accessories.

Overview

Development

Known during development as Xenon, Xbox 2, Xbox FS, Xbox Next, or

NextBox, the Xbox 360 was conceived in early 2003. In February 2003,
planning for the Xenon software platform began, and was headed by
Microsoft's Vice President J Allard. That month, Microsoft held an event for
400 developers in Bellevue, Washington to recruit support for the system.
Also that month, Peter Moore, former president of Sega of America, joined
Microsoft. On August 12, 2003, ATI signed on to produce the graphic
processing unit for the new console, a deal which was publicly announced
two days later. Before the launch of the Xbox 360, several Alpha
development kits were spotted using Apple's Power Mac G5 hardware. This
was due to the system's PowerPC 970 processor running the same PowerPC
architecture that the Xbox 360 would eventually run under IBM's Xenon
processor. The cores of the Xenon processor were developed using a
slightly-modified version of the PlayStation 3's Cell Processor PPE
architecture. According to David Shippy and Mickie Phipps, the IBM
employees were "hiding their work from Sony and Toshiba."

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Launch

The Xbox 360 was released on November 22, 2005, in the United States and
Canada; December 2, 2005, in Europe and December 10, 2005, in Japan. It
was later launched in Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Hong Kong,
Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa,
India, and Russia. In its first year on the market, the system launched in 36
countries, more countries than any console has launched in a single year.

Retail configurations

Current models

The Xbox 360 is currently available in two standard variants; the "Xbox 360
Arcade" and the "Xbox 360 Elite." A discontinued SKU, the "Xbox 360
Core," was replaced by the "Xbox 360 Arcade" in October 2007. The 60 GB
version of the Xbox 360 Pro was released on August 1, 2008. At launch, the
Xbox 360 was available in two configurations: the "Xbox 360" package,
priced at US$399 or GB£279.99, and the "Xbox 360 Core," priced at
US$299 and GB£209.99. The original shipment of the Xbox 360 version
included a cut-down version of the Media Remote as a promotion. The Elite
package was launched later at US$479. The Pro package was discontinued
and marked down to US$249 on August 28, 2009 to be sold until stock ran
out, while the Elite was also marked down in price to US$299. Since then
xbox models only came with S.D. AV cables.

To learn how to repair your Xbox or other consoles such as PSP, PS3 or Wii
visit http://www.mallshop2u.com/game.html .

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Xbox 360 Arcade
The Xbox 360 Arcade is the entry level for the Xbox 360. On October 23,
2007, it replaced the "Xbox 360 Core" and maintained the price of $279.99.
It was publicly revealed (though it was available in stores far earlier) by
Microsoft's president of Entertainment Devices division Robbie Bach to the
Financial Times on October 18, 2007, and officially announced on October
22, 2007. It includes a wireless controller, composite AV cable, HDMI 1.2
output, an internal 512 MB memory chip (units released prior to summer
2009 had 256 MB internal memory while those prior to fall 2008 included a
256 MB memory unit), and 5 Xbox Live Arcade titles: Boom Boom Rocket,
Feeding Frenzy, Luxor 2, Pac-Man Championship Edition, and Uno on a
single disk, which also includes a "Welcome Video" and several game
trailers/demos. Like its predecessor the "Core" it does not include a hard
disk drive, which is required for Xbox software backwards compatibility.
Holiday 2008 consoles were bundled with Sega Superstars Tennis. With the
September 4, 2008 price cuts, the Arcade fell from $279 to $199. In the UK,
with the 2009 Elite price drop and discontinuation of the "Premium" Pro
bundle, the Arcade price rose from £129.99 to £159.99.

Xbox 360 Elite

The Xbox 360 Elite is the second most expensive variation of the console. It
includes a 120 GB hard drive and a matte black finish. The Elite retail
package also includes a controller and headset that match the system's black
finish. The initial release price was $479.99 USD, C$549.99, £299.99, and
AU$729.95. The Elite was released in North America on April 29, 2007,
Europe on August 24, 2007, and Australia on August 30, 2007. Early Elite
models shipped using the Zephyr motherboard, though later models used the
Falcon 65 nm chipset instead. These Elites (and other Xbox 360 models
using the Falcon) can be identified from earlier versions by a re-designed
power connector and a power supply rated to 175 W. As of 2009, Elite
models using the Jasper chipset have become available. These can also be
identified by their power supply, which is rated at 150W and has a 12.1A
12v rail. Holiday 2008 consoles were bundled with Lego Indiana Jones: The
Original Adventures and Kung Fu Panda. The Elite's price tag was cut from
$449 to $399 on September 4, 2008. It currently sells at $299.99 USD.

To learn how to repair your Xbox or other consoles such as PSP, PS3 or Wii
visit http://www.mallshop2u.com/game.html .

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Xbox 360 250GB Elite
The Xbox 360 Elite has also been configured with a 250 GB hard disk drive
and 2 wireless controllers on special limited editions of the console. This
"Super" Elite version (nickname used by some retailers) retails at
US$399.99, UK£249.99 and AU$599.00 as of 10 November 2009. A Call of
Duty: Modern Warfare 2 bundle includes a special limited edition console
design and a flat black finish. Other bundles include a standard Elite finish
and either the game Forza Motorsport or both Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST. On
March 9, 2010, alongside the release of Final Fantasy XIII, Microsoft will
release another Elite 250 GB bundle with the same extras as the Modern
Warfare bundle (excluding the Modern Warfare print on the console) except
bundled with the Final Fantasy XIII game. It will also include exclusive
downloadable items for use with Xbox 360 avatars.

Special editions

On a few occasions, Microsoft has produced special editions of the console,

usually to coincide with the release of a major product. These special
editions are typically custom-colored Xbox 360 models, and are produced in
limited numbers.

At the E3 2007 press conference, Microsoft announced the Halo 3 Special

Edition console, released September 25, 2007. It sports a Halo 3 theme on
the console, a wired headset, a wireless controller, and a Play and Charge
Kit. Other than the unique "Spartan green-and-gold" color scheme, exclusive
dashboard theme and downloads, and an HDMI port, its features were
identical to those of the Xbox 360 system at the time. It is priced at
US$399.99 and £279.99 (the original price of the Xbox 360).

To learn how to repair your Xbox or other consoles such as PSP, PS3 or Wii
visit http://www.mallshop2u.com/game.html .

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To promote The Simpsons Movie, Microsoft created a specially designed,
yellow Xbox 360 console. The configuration was based on the Xbox 360
package of the time, the only difference being the color scheme of the Xbox
360 console and wireless controller. The consoles were to be given out to
winners of drawings taking place between July 18, 2007 and July 27, 2007,
in which a name was randomly drawn each day in the "10 Days and 10
Chances to Win" sweepstakes. 100 consoles were produced in total.

A Resident Evil 5 bundle containing a red Xbox 360 Elite console was
released on March 13, 2009. The bundle also contains a red, wireless
controller and a black, wired headset.

On September 15, 2009 Microsoft announced a special 250GB hard disk

limited edition version of the Xbox 360 for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
The unit is highlighted by special game product branding and includes two
wireless controllers and a headset. This was the first Xbox 360 announced to
come with a 250 GB hard drive.

A Final Fantasy XIII 250GB limited edition bundle of the Xbox 360 console
was announced on February 11, 2010, for release to coincide with the
release of Final Fantasy XIII (March 9, 2010). The bundle includes an
imprinted white 250GB Xbox 360 (Final Fantasy XIII imprinted where
HDD size imprint goes), two wireless controllers, a standard edition copy of
Final Fantasy XIII, and exclusive downloadable avatar items. Other than the
HDD imprint, this console is cosmetically identical to the (discontinued) Pro
models.
In March 2010, Microsoft announced a special limited edition black Xbox
360 console for Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction. The unit includes a
250GB hard drive, two black wireless controllers, a black wired headset, an
Ethernet cable, a standard definition Composite A/V cable, and the standard
edition version of the game.

To learn how to repair your Xbox or other consoles such as PSP, PS3 or Wii
visit http://www.mallshop2u.com/game.html .

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Holiday bundles

As with the original Xbox, Microsoft has continued bundling two video
game titles in console retail packaging during the holiday season. In Holiday
2007, Xbox 360 Pro and Elite packages were bundled with Forza Motorsport
2 and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. In the UK and the Netherlands, Forza
Motorsport 2 was bundled with Viva Piñata. Holiday 2008 Xbox 360 and
Xbox 360 Elite packages were bundled with Lego Indiana Jones: The
Original Adventures and Kung Fu Panda, while Arcade consoles were
bundled with Sega Superstars Tennis. Holiday 2009 packages include an
Elite console, Gears of War, LEGO Batman, and Pure.

To learn how to repair your Xbox or other consoles such as PSP, PS3 or Wii
visit http://www.mallshop2u.com/game.html .