Microsoft's first foray into video game consoles was a smashing success, lest we forget its problems that were swept under the rug. In 2001, Microsoft released the Xbox. It was a console with a DVD player, superior graphics, and a powerful processor found in PCs. Although it had hot exclusives like Halo: Combat Evolved, Dead Or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, and Fable, some things about the console are better left in our distant memories.
Despite this console being the most powerful of its time, there are some glaring problems that we're beginning to notice.
10 Fewer Features On Xbox Live
We can't forget that Halo 2 was a game-changer for online console games, putting the original Xbox on the map. Xbox Live soon became the most prominent online service despite lacking many of the features we take for granted today.
Putting aside the Xbox's spectacular ambient dashboard sounds, Xbox Live is lackluster in terms of functionality. As shown in the above photo, Xbox Live lacked features at inception. Nowadays, Xbox Live can support twelve people in a chat while you're playing a game! On the other hand, some gamers complain that party chat lessens the competitiveness of video games. Xbox One's Xbox Live has many more features, but perhaps they are ruining the landscape of gaming.
9 Cross-Platform Play? Forget About It
It's becoming abundantly clear that cross-platform play is the future of gaming. Being able to play online with friends across different consoles is a much-needed feature.
The Sega Dreamcast and the PlayStation are two early examples of consoles that supported cross-platform play. However, the original Xbox did not support cross-platform play. Will Xbox's games be cross-platform via backward compatibility one day? It entirely possible, and we won't rule it out.
8 A Small Hard Drive
When the original Xbox hit store shelves, it was the first video game console in history to have an internal hard drive. Using memory cards and storage on game cartridges was the traditional way to save games. When it released, the original Xbox was technologically advanced. However, it only had ten gigabytes of storage minus the amount used for system software. It was controversial that the system used much of the hard drive's space for software. Players felt like they were getting less hard drive space than what they paid for.
A terabyte (one-thousand gigabytes) of hard drive space on a single console or PC was relatively unheard of at the time. Given the size of the Xbox's games, ten gigabytes were enough to meet the requirements of some, but not all gamers.
7 A Limited Selection Of Widescreen Games
Approximately half of the games that released for the original Xbox supported widescreen play. If you had a widescreen television, the game would play stretched or with irksome black bars on each side of the screen.
Most of the games played in 480p, but a significant number of games were limited to 480i (a lower resolution). 720p resolution was also possible on the original Xbox, but it was only enabled with a special cable sold separately. With such low resolutions and limited widescreen availability, the original Xbox's games are best rendered in upscaled resolutions via backward compatibility.
6 Digital Games Were Practically Unheard Of
Although digital games were present on the Xbox, the majority of players played games on a disc. Digital games appeared on early versions of Xbox Live Arcade. While Nintendo was utilizing durable cartridges, Xbox players had to face the stark reality of discs that easily scratched. Purchasing games online with your credit card was a new concept that most parents did not want to entertain.
A plethora of discs meant that the Xbox was working overdrive to read games. For some players, their Xbox's disc reader would stop working, or the disc drive would not eject. It's one of the flaws of the Xbox that we try to forget.
5 A Bulky Controller
Why Hyperkin decided to bring back the original Xbox's bulky controller is nutso. Nicknamed "The Duke," this controller was heavily criticized for being unfit for normal-sized hands. As a result, Microsoft released a new controller called the "Xbox Controller S." This new controller became Xbox's best-selling controller and served as inspiration for later designs. The two-piece wire, however, did not return.
The Xbox had a massive controller that was nonsensical and one of the worst controllers of all time. This controller even won a Guinness World Record for the biggest controller in 2008.
4 No Wi-Fi
The original Xbox did not come with a Wi-Fi card or adapter, which is why people resorted to modding their system with internal Wi-Fi adapters. To the credit of Microsoft, there was an Xbox wireless adapter that was available for purchase.
Most people used long ethernet cords to reach their router, which ran throughout their house. Today, Wi-Fi cards come standard, allowing you to connect to Wi-Fi without a wire or separate purchase.
3 Xbox Live's Community Was Disconnected
The Xbox brand is synonymous with player interaction as it has possibly the best community in video games. Features like group finder, messaging, voice messaging, and party chats are why it stands out.
We're not saying that PlayStation people are anti-social like the stereotype would suggest, but Xbox Live did radically shift how we look at online play. With fewer features, the community was disconnected to an extent. Fewer people had microphones, there were fewer features, and fewer had subscribed to the service.
2 Dull Color
We are spoiled by the latest technology like high-dynamic-range imaging, which enables more vivid, brighter colors. Xbox One exclusives like Forza Horizon 4 are jaw-droppingly beautiful because of its range of colors.
The original Xbox had games that looked good, but they pale in comparison to systems like the Xbox One X.
1 Easily Hacked
It's not a well-kept secret that the Xbox was easily hackable. People could take apart the Xbox and make custom modifications to its appearance and functionality. Through a process called "Softmodding," players could unlock the potential of the original Xbox by running emulators and installing new operating systems.
Some people modded the system so they can have a backup for their games, but the simplicity of Softmodding led to increased unethical practices. We're not recommending that anyone try this since it is against Xbox's terms of use. Chances are, you'll be banned from Xbox Live if you try to Softmod your classic Xbox.