A decade ago today thousands of people stood outside electronics retailers in the bitter cold, waiting for their chance to sell an Xbox 360 on eBay. I blame those killer faceplates.
I remember the Xbox 360 launch like it was yesterday, because in the grand scheme of things it was. I wasnât going to get one, and then at the very last minute I scraped together $400 and change to add Microsoftâs curvy white box to my video game collection. I bought an HDTV specifically to showcase its higher resolution. Not a flat-screen HDTV mind you, but a massive 100 pound box that could display 720P but was still standard 4:3 ratio, so everything was severely letterboxed.
Why did I need an Xbox 360? Obviously it was for the games. I mean check out this launch lineup:
Amped 3
Call of Duty 2
Condemned: Criminal Origins
FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup
GUN
Kameo: Elements of Power
Madden NFL 06
NBA 2K6
NBA Live 06
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
NHL 2K6
Perfect Dark Zero
Peter Jacksonâs King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie
Project Gotham Racing 3
Quake 4
Ridge Racer 6
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06
Tony Hawkâs American Wasteland
Okay, maybe it wasnât the launch line-up. Most of those were upscaled ports, and those that werenât seemed determined to prove just how plastic-y 3D graphics could be.
No, Iâd say it was the promised of Xbox Live Arcade. Iâm pretty sure I purchased the Xbox 360 for Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
As for those interchangeable faceplates, donât knock them. One of the things that got me on then Kotaku-boss Brian Crecenteâs radar was an entry in a Best Comment contest that scored me a limited edition Xbox 360 launch faceplate.
Iâd say share your favorite Xbox 360 memory below, but many of you are still playing it. Maybe share your favorite memory up to this point?
To contact the author of this post, travel back in time ten years and look for the confused guy trying to set up his HDTV. You can also email [email protected] or find him on Twitter@bunnyspatial
