įour engineers from Microsoft's DirectX team-Kevin Bachus, Seamus Blackley, Ted Hase and DirectX team leader Otto Berkes, began to envision what a Microsoft console to compete against the PlayStation 2 would be like. Microsoft, whose business had been primarily in supporting the personal computer (PC) business with its Windows operating system, software, and games, saw the PlayStation 2 as a threat to the personal computer. When Sony Computer Entertainment first announced the PlayStation 2 in 1999, the company had positioned the console as a centerpiece for home entertainment, as it not only would play video games, but also could play audio CDs and video DVDs.

The head of Xbox is Phil Spencer, who succeeded former head Marc Whitten in late March 2014. The fourth line of Xbox consoles, the Xbox Series X and Series S, were released in November 2020. The third console, the Xbox One, was released in November 2013 and has sold 51 million units. Microsoft's second console, the Xbox 360, was released in 2005 and has sold 86 million units as of October 2021. It reached over 24 million units sold by May 2006. The original device was the first video game console offered by an American company after the Atari Jaguar stopped sales in 1996. The brand was first introduced in the United States in November 2001, with the launch of the original Xbox console. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the name of Xbox Game Studios. Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. For other uses, see Xbox (disambiguation). For the 2001 console, see Xbox (console).

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