Microsoft Xbox 360 Console Production Ends After 10 Years

Microsoft is stopping the production of its Xbox 360 consoles after more than 10 years since its launch. The video game console celebrated its tenth birthday last year in November 2015, after being first released in the year 2005.

"Xbox 360 means a lot to everyone in Microsoft," said Phil Spencer, head of Xbox division. "And while we have had an amazing run, the realities of manufacturing a product over a decade old are starting to creep up on us. Which is why we have made the decision to stop manufacturing new Xbox 360 consoles. We will continue to sell existing inventory of Xbox 360 consoles, with availability varying by country."

The earliest Xbox 360 models did not have Wi-Fi functionality, HDMI output and hard drives. The consequent generations of Xbox 360 consoles were upgraded with revisions, which included the slim design that became the standard model later on. Xbox One, a successor to the Xbox 360, was introduced later on in 2013 by Microsoft. Various popular games that were accessible on the Xbox 360 could be played on the Xbox One due to its backward compatibility feature.

Apart from hosting numerous disc-based games, the Xbox 360 is also attributed for popularizing the digital content distribution through consoles. The Xbox Live Arcade storefront became the refuge for many independent developers, according to reports. Various high profile games that were released over the past 10 years remained exclusive to the previous generation console by Microsoft.

According to Microsoft, though it is ending the hardware production of the Xbox 360, gamers will still be able to access the console's games online through Xbox Live in the near future. In addition, the subscribers of Xbox Live Gold will still be able to get free Xbox 360 games monthly and the Microsoft website will continue its customer support services.