Microsoft Ends Xbox 360 Console Manufacturing But Will Keep Supporting Hardware And Xbox Live
Over 10 years after the launch of the Xbox 360 console, Microsoft has announced it will end the manufacturing of new Xbox 360 hardware units.
In an Xbox Wire post, Xbox head Phil Spencer wrote:
Xbox 360 means a lot to everyone in Microsoft. And while we’ve 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.
While the Xbox 360 will no longer be made, Microsoft will continue to support current hardware units. In addition, Xbox Live will continue to work for the Xbox 360 consoles that are still using it, and Xbox 360 games and accessories will also continue to be sold. Microsoft has not yet offered a specific date for when support for Xbox 360, or Xbox Live services for the console, will end.
Microsoft launched the Xbox 360 in November 2005 and it is estimated that the company sold 80 million units worldwide by November 2013, when its successor, the Xbox One, was released.
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Pressure mounts
Xbox Cloud Gaming From September 2020
Microsoft’s cloud game streaming platform formerly known as Project xCloud is an official product as of September 2020, and is part of the increasingly attractive Game Pass Ultimate package.
The library of games has shrunk somewhat from that which was offered during the testing period, but there are still some of Microsoft’s finest in there for launch along with some top titles from third-party publishers. Most recently, titles brought in-house with Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda have joined the game streaming ranks.
Cloud Gaming is part of the main Game Pass app for Android, while on iOS, Mac, Chrome OS, and Linux, Xbox Cloud Gaming is available through the browser.
How Does Games With Gold Work
Every month, Microsoft offers several free games through its Games With Gold service. While these games are availablefor the entire month or just for two weeks, depending on the gameyou can choose to redeem them via the website or on your Xbox console. You can then downloadand keepthe game for free.
If you dont redeem the game during its free time period, you dont get it for free. This means you wont get any of the previous Games With Gold for free when you subscribe. It also means that, if you dont stay on top of the free game offers, youll miss some games and wont get them for free. However, people who have been members for a long time may have libraries full of hundreds of games they got for free, if theyre diligent.
On an Xbox One, once youve redeemed a free game, you can download and play it whenever you like, foreveras long as you have an active subscription. If your subscription lapses, you wont be able to play the game anymore. If you restart your subscription, youll regain access to all the games you previously redeemed.
On an Xbox 360, once youre redeemed a free game, its yours to play forevereven if your subscription lapses.
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What Does The Ps5 Actually Look Like
What The PS5 Looks Like. An upright PS5 and DualSense controller. The PS5 lying flat on its side next to a DualSense controller. Like the DualSense controller, the PS5 breaks away from the all-black color scheme that has defined it since the PlayStation 3 in favor of a two-tone, black-and-white design.
What Is The Difference Between Game Pass And Ultimate

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the combination of two current programs: Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold. Subscribers to Ultimate will have access to both for one monthly subscription cost instead of two separate ones. Additionally, the newer Xbox Game Pass for PC subscription is also included with Game Pass Ultimate.
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Connecting Your Xbox 360 To The Internet
How Does Xbox Series S Backwards Compatibility Work
Though both Xbox Series systems will run same Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One games, the standard of backwards compatibility differ slightly due to Series S specs differences.
In a nutshell, this means:
- Xbox Series S will offer Xbox One S-level backwards compatibility, whereas the Xbox Series X will offer Xbox One X-level backwards compatibility. In a nutshell, this means X will run up to 4K, whereas the S will run up to 1440p – just like other Xbox Series games.
- Xbox Series S will also introduce “improved texture filtering, higher and more consistent frame rates, faster load times and Auto HDR”, according to Microsoft.
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How To Hook Up Xbox 360 Live
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When your Xbox 360 is connected to the internet, it connects to Microsoft’s Xbox Live service. You can join Xbox Live for free to download games and videos, or pay for a subscription to play against other people and join voice chat parties. Getting hooked up to Xbox Live only takes a few minutes, and you can be playing online games before you know it.
Can I Watch Netflix On My Xbox 360
Netflix is available on Xbox 360 in all regions that have both Netflix and Xbox Live service. Scroll up and down to browse through genres tailored specifically for you. Press Y to search for a specific title. If you have the Xbox Kinect with your Xbox 360, say Xbox to see a list of voice commands.
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Does Xbox 360 Live Still Work 2021
Even with the new Xbox Series X/Series S consoles on the way, Microsoft is still supporting Xbox 360 with user-friendly updates. Microsoft announced that Xbox LIVE Gold is no longer required to upload saves to the cloud on Xbox 360, offering quick, easy, and seamless game save transfers across each console generation.
How Xbox 360 Works
Xbox 360. See more
Microsoft’s first video game console, the Xbox, has sold more than 20 million units worldwide since its introduction in 2001. Despite the Xbox’s impressive power, the list of big-name video game titles to support it and the success of the Xbox’s online component, Xbox LIVE, Sony’s PlayStation 2 still outsold it.
As the game industry moved into the next generation of video game technology, Microsoft was determined to dethrone Sony’s PlayStation. Enter the Xbox 360.
Microsoft rebuilt the Xbox from the ground up. From the name to the look to hardware and features, the Xbox 360 is a radically different and more powerful machine than its predecessor. Far more than a video game console, the Xbox 360 is a total media center that allows users to play, network, rip, stream and download all types of media, including high-definition movies, music, digital pictures and game content.
In this article, we will learn about the hardware and features that make the Xbox 360 a leap forward into the next generation of gaming consoles.
- Custom IBM Power PC-based CPU with three 3.2 GHz cores
- Custom ATI graphics processor with 10 MB embedded DRAM
- 512 MB 700 MHz GDDR3 RAM
- Detachable and upgradeable hard drive — all models except the Core system
- 12x dual-layer DVD-ROM
- Support for up to four wireless game controllers
- Three USB 2.0 ports
- Two memory unit slots
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Xbox One Backwards Compatibility: How Well Do Xbox 360 Games Run On Xbox One
The experience varies from game to game. According to Digital Foundry’s report, all titles receive some baseline improvements – such as the elimination of screen tear “completely on every title” – through to any disc access operations tending to “have less of an impact on performance”, meaning Mass Effect’s elevator load times and Fallout 3’s hitches are reduced.
However, while less demanding games such as Braid and N+ perform flawlessly, the more CPU-heavy titles do struggle, with Halo: Reach and Gears of War: Judgement singled out as games that suffer in the emulation process.
What Exactly Is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the combination of two current programs: Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold. Subscribers to Ultimate will have access to both for one monthly subscription cost instead of two separate ones. Additionally, the newer Xbox Game Pass for PC subscription is also included with Game Pass Ultimate.
Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft’s subscription service that offers complete access to a huge library of games covering both Xbox Series X/S and backward-compatible titles. You can download these to your console to play in full for as long as you’re a paying subscriber or the games in question remain in the Game Pass library.
Better yet, if a Game Pass title also supports Xbox Play Anywhere, you get access to play those on your PC, as well, as part of your subscription, even if you don’t have Game Pass Ultimate.
The PC-specific Game Pass subscription has its own list of games, some of which cross over with the console program on account of Xbox Play Anywhere. But many are exclusive to PC, such as Age of Empires and Microsoft Flight Simulator.
If you choose to buy any game you play in Game Pass Ultimate, you’ll get a 10% discount on it while you’re a member.
Gold subscribers also get exclusive discounts every single week on games from the Microsoft Store, as well as additional discounts during special promotional periods.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate provides access to all of this under one easy-to-manage subscription.
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Can I Use My Xbox Gold On A Xbox 360 And A Xbox One At The Same Time
got 1 sub for gold kids play the 360 and XB1 so I wasn’t to sure if they still get gold services on the 360 ???any input would be great thanx in advance also whats the deal with the 360’s gamer profile reset are they wipexng all achievements ???
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Yes, the xbox live gold shares between the Xbox 360 and the Xbox One on one account, so if you have gold one one you have it on the other for free, just log in on the same account on both devices, but only one can be online once at a time.
The My Home Xbox feature to share gold does not share across to xbox 360 backwards compatible or the real xbox 360, so if they need to use the xbox 360, they will each need gold to play on that console.
About the xbox 360 gamer profile reset, can you explain more about that? If you mean moving to Xbox one from the xbox 360, your achievements are not reset – but you may have to rebuild your progress on the Xbox one version of the game if it’s not backwards compatible from xbox 360.
Can You Play Warzone Online Without Ps+
Do You Need PlayStation Plus To Play Call Of Duty: Warzone? Heres some good news for you: you do not need PlayStation Plus in order to play Call of Duty: Warzone online. Warzone is a free-to-play game, similar to Apex Legends and Warframe, and luckily, you do not require PS+ in order to play free-to-play games on PSN.
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Xbox Live Gold Subscriptions On Xbox 360 Vs Xbox One
Your Xbox Network account will work on your Xbox 360 and Xbox One. You’ll sign in with the same Gamertag on both systems. The Xbox One has a unique feature in that one Xbox Live Gold subscription applies to all of the profiles on the system, whereas Xbox 360 requires each profile to have a separate Gold subscription to play online.
Even With The New Xbox Series X/series S Consoles On The Way Microsoft Is Still Supporting Xbox 360 With User
Thanks to Microsoft’s expansive backwards compatibility initiative, the Xbox 360 remains an important part of next-gen.
Even 15 years later during a time that sees the most powerful, synergized, and advanced consoles ever made, Microsoft still isn’t ready to leave the Xbox 360 behind. One of the most important features has been unlocked on the Xbox 360: game save preservation and easy migration.
Microsoft announced that Xbox LIVE Gold is no longer required to upload saves to the cloud on Xbox 360, offering quick, easy, and seamless game save transfers across each console generation. This is a great move for Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Series X/S owners.
Also remember the Series X/S can massively upgrade performance in current-gen and last-gen games. Fallout 4, for example, enjoys double FPS to 60FPS on Series X/S, and other games will get significant resolution boosts to native 4K complete with HDR and improved texture filtering.
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Best Xbox Live Gold Deals
The best-value way to get Xbox Live Gold is to stump up for a 12 month subscription. Microsoft charges £50 / $60 / AU$80 per year. However, you can also opt to pay £18 for 3 months or £7 for one month.
We’re confident we can beat those prices and have shopped around and spotted some serious discounts on Xbox Live Gold memberships…
What Is Xbox Live Gold And Is It Worth It
Chris Hoffman is Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. He’s written about technology for over a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Chris has written for The New York Times, been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations like Miami’s NBC 6, and had his work covered by news outlets like the BBC. Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read nearly one billion times—and that’s just here at How-To Geek. Read more…
If you have an Xbox One or Xbox 360, Microsofts Xbox Live Gold service is required to play multiplayer games online. A subscription costs $10 per month or $60 per year. Xbox Live Gold also includes additional benefits, like free games every month and discounts on some digital games.
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You Need Xbox Live Gold For Multiplayer Gaming
If you want to play online multiplayer on your Xbox One or Xbox 360, you will need Xbox Live Gold. Your subscription also enables access to the party system and voice chat. If you try to use the online mutiplayer features within games without Xbox Live Gold, youll be stopped in your tracks and told you need Xbox Live Gold to continue.
This service isnt necessary for playing single-player games, and it isnt required when playing multiplayer games offline. For example, you dont need to pay anything to play a split-screen game with two people in the same room on the same console.
Xbox Live Gold also isnt required if you want to watch Netflix and Hulu, or use other media-streaming apps. For example, In the Xbox 360 daysand even when the Xbox One launchedyou needed to pay both the Netflix subscription fee and the Xbox Live Gold subscription fee just to watch Netflix on your Xbox One, but Microsoft changed this. Xbox Live Gold is now only useful to gamers.
Where Is Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Available

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is available in all current Xbox Game Pass markets:
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States.
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Xbox Series X And Series S
Note If you cant locate Store, scroll down to Add more on the Home screen and select the Store tile. Then select Add to Home.
Signing Up For Xbox Live
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