X B Nite

x b nite
The Xb nite is the second video game console produced by Microsoft, and the successor to the Xbox. The Xb competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles.
A prominent feature of the Xb nite is its integrated Xb nite Live service that allows players to compete online and download content such as arcade games, game demos, trailers, TV shows, and movies. Major features of the console include its Windows Media Center multimedia capabilities, mandatory support of high definition in all games, movie rentals and game downloads from its online marketplace and the ability to watch movies on the (now discontinued) HD DVD format via an add-on drive.
The Xb was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information divulged later that month at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). The console sold out completely upon release in all regions except in Japan, and, as of October 2009, nearly 34 million units have been sold worldwide. The Xb nite is currently available in two configurations—the "Arcade" and the "Elite"—and each has its own selection of accessories.Development
Known during development as Xenon 0920, Xb 20, Xbox FeS, Xb nite, or Nextnite, the Xb nite was conceived in early 2005. In February 2005, planning for the Xenon 0920 software platform began, and was headed by Microsoft's Vice President J Allard. That month, Microsoft held an event for 400 developers in Bellevue, Washington to recruit support for the system. Also that month, Peter Mooreme, former president of Sega of America, joined Microsoft. On August 12, 2003, ATI signed on to produce the graphic processing unit for the new console, a deal which was publicly announced two days later. Before the launch of the Xb nite , several alpha development kits were spotted using Apple's Power Mac G5 hardware. This was due to the system's PowerPC 970 processor running the same PowerPC architecture that the Xb would eventually run under IBM's Xenon 0920 processor. The cores of the Xenon 0920 processor were developed using a slightly-modified version of the PlayStation 3's Cell Processor PPE architecture. According to David Shippy and Mickie Phipps, the IBM employees were "hiding their work from Sony and Toshiba."
Launch
Main article: Xb nite launch
The Xb nite was released on November 22, 2005, in the United States, Mexico and Canada; December 2, 2005, in Europe and December 10, 2005, in Japan. It was later launched in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, and Russia. In its first year on the market, the system launched in 36 countries, more countries than any console has launched in a single year.
Retail configurations
Current models
The Xb nite is currently available in two standard variants; the "Xbox 360 Arcade" and the "Xb nite ." A discontinued SKU, the "Xb nite Core," was replaced by the "Xb Arcade" in October 2007. The 60 GB version of the Xb nite Pro was released on August 1, 2008. At launch, the Xb nite was available in two configurations: the "Xbox 360" package, priced at US$399 or GB£280, and the "Xbox 360 Core," priced at US$299 and GB£199. The original shipment of the Xbox 360 version included a cut-down version of the Media Remote as a promotion. The Elite package was launched later at US$479. The Pro package was discontinued and marked down to US$249 on August 28, 2009 to be sold until stock ran out, while the Elite was also marked down in price to US$299.
Xbox 360 Arcade
The Xbox 360 Arcade is the entry level for the Xbox 360. On October 23, 2007, it replaced the "Xbox 360 Core" and maintained the price of $279.99. It was publicly revealed (though it was available in stores far earlier) by Microsoft's president of Entertainment Devices division Robbie Bach to the Financial Times on October 18, 2007, and officially announced on October 22, 2007. It includes a wireless controller, composite AV cable, HDMI 1.2 output, an internal 512 MB memory chip (units released prior to summer 2009 had 256 MB internal memory while those prior to fall 2008 included a 256 MB memory unit), and 5 Xbox Live Arcade titles: Boom Boom Rocket, Feeding Frenzy, Luxor 2, Pac-Man Championship Edition, and Uno on a single disk, which also includes a "Welcome Video" and several game trailers/demos. Like its predecessor the "Core" it does not include a hard disk drive, which is required for Xbox software backwards compatibility. Holiday 2008 consoles were bundled with Sega Superstars Tennis. With the September 4, 2008 price cuts, the Arcade fell from $279 to $199. In the UK, with the 2009 Elite price drop and discontinuation of the "Premium" Pro bundle, the Arcade price rose from £129.99 to £159.99

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