US$ 18 thousand each. This was the value to produce each of the prototype units of the first Xboxwhich hit the market in 2001. Evidently in a very different version compared to this preliminary model that served as a basis for Bill Gates to use on stage at GDG the 2000officially revealing that his company would enter the video game segment once and for all.
In addition to the interesting X-shaped format (something that is definitely would like Elon Musk), this prototype, codenamed Big X, was also unusual in terms of its structure. It was made of aluminum, a material that, in addition to adding visual refinement, also acts as a passive cooling element. Very common in air cooler systems for PCs, for example.
According to Seamus Blackley, who was directly responsible for creating the Xbox project and was present on March 10, 2000, alongside Bill Gates, at GDC 2000, for this first public presentation of what would become the Xbox, several units like that were produced. Do not confuse this model with the Xbox development kit. The devkit It was shaped like a conventional desktop tower.
In 2016, Aaron Greenberg, one of Microsoft’s marketing directors, shared on his X account, at the time still known as Twitter, a video that briefly shows the body of one of these prototypes.
The original @xbox prototype hardware on our @snapchat story pic.twitter.com/5IweH06lBS
— Aaron Greenberg ♂️U (@aarongreenberg) November 15, 2016
It is not possible to say for sure what the outcome of all the units produced was, but some of them have already been displayed at Microsoft locations, such as a company store in London.
A prototype Xbox seen at the Microsoft store in London
byu/Geocacher6907 inxbox
What many people don’t know, or perhaps don’t even remember, is that a representation of this prototype of the first Xbox was included as an easter egg by the developers in Ninja Gaiden. Cool, right?
In 2020, the Brazilian Xbox no X profile recalled the moment of the console’s presentation, highlighting the famous X prototype.
A console of the @MicrosoftBr? We cannot end the day without celebrating the fact that 20 years ago, on March 10th, the first #Xbox was announced by @BillGates e @SeamusBlackley at GDC 2000!
❎❎❎ pic.twitter.com/3H2R6TjxZF
— XboxBR (@XboxBR) March 11, 2020
The following year, the console’s official fanpage in Spain also recalled the large aluminum X. It shared a digital representation of the device and wrote “the prototype with which it all began”.
There’s even those who use a 3D printer to replicate this design.
So, have you seen this Xbox prototype before? What do you think of this design? Comment below.
Source: https://www.hardware.com.br/artigos/prototipo-do-primeiro-xbox/
