Xbox: The oral history of an American video game empire

The new Xbox consoles (pic) are a far cry from the bulky consoles of the early days. Microsoft broke into an industry dominated by Japanese companies and reshaped the business around shooting games and online play. Efforts by Amazon.com Inc, Apple Inc, Facebook Inc and Google to crack the industry in the years since have come nowhere close. — AFP Relaxnews

The box looked like an old VCR, the controller was comically large, and it was made by one of the most boring companies on earth. Somehow, the Xbox triumphed and gave Microsoft Corp the first – and last – successful video game console brand from an American company since Atari.

Twenty years later, Bloomberg asked two dozen people instrumental in creating the Xbox to recount how they did it. Microsoft broke into an industry dominated by Japanese companies and reshaped the business around shooting games and online play. Efforts by Amazon.com Inc, Apple Inc, Facebook Inc and Google to crack the industry in the years since have come nowhere close. Video games now account for more than US$11bil (RM44.41bil) a year for Microsoft and have established the Xbox as a premier brand.