Posted Wed Apr 20, 2016 at 08:39 AM PDT by Brian Hoss
A continued life on the Xbox One.
While a thirst for new hardware is causing tremors in the industry, Microsoft has, in an announcement today, closed the door on their most successful console to date.
"Close the door" might not be the right term. What is happening is that after more than 10 years in production, new 360 consoles will no longer be produced. This leave the remaining stock available to sell for a time. Likewise, the ever-growing backwards compatibility of the Xbox One will also serve to keep the 360 alive to a degree. The reasoning cited to end production of the console includes "the realities of manufacturing a product over a decade old are starting to creep up on us."
While new 360s will, by and by, become hard to impossible to buy, current 360 owners and players can expect a great degree of continuing support via:
Xbox 360 owners will continue to receive Xbox Live services for their console, such as online multiplayer gaming and parties, access to the apps they use today, and Games with Gold and Deals with Gold.
Xbox Live servers that support Xbox 360 services will also remain online and active. Our Xbox 360 fans can continue to play their favorite games with the full support of Xbox Live.
Gamers will also be able to continue to buy over 4,000 Xbox 360 games or Xbox 360 accessories at retail and through our Xbox 360 store online, while supplies last.
Any Xbox 360 hardware will still be supported at xbox.com/support.
And Xbox One owners will be able to continue to enjoy available Xbox 360 games through Xbox One Backward Compatibility – at no additional cost.
Indeed, as long as 360 owners continue to subscribe to Xbox Live and buy digital 360 titles, Microsoft is well-motivated to keep up all of this digital support.
Of course, the debut of the Xbox One two and half years ago really put a stop to my own personal use of the 360. Many of exceptions, from 'Rock Band' to 'Gears of War' have been incorporated on other platforms. ('Forza' is now a Xbox One/PC franchise! Even so, my Elite is still hooked up and ready for action. It's only failure was back during the 'Mass Effect 2' launch.) None of that changes the enduring impact of the platform. From big franchises to XBLA darlings, to Xbox Live, online chat, HD-DVD, flash drive support, an evolving OS, the prevalence of the 360 controller (especially on PC), and the eventual cheap access to the 360 platform, and so on, the Xbox 360 has had a dramatic and unforgettable effect on the industry. Even things like the Kinect, RRoD, XNA, etc. will continue to be felt for years to come.
Source: Xbox Wire
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