All Xbox Console Generations & Models Released in Order (2023)

At present, there are two major products that drive the gaming console market. We’re talking about the popular Microsoft Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation. While they might not have shaped the foundation, they indeed are carving the future.

Xbox consoles are now the most powerful and capable they’ve ever been. The all-new Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S have redefined the gaming console market.

Gone are the days when consoles were incomparable to the PC master race. Xbox now has significantly faster loading times, high-res gameplay support, auto HDR, and more.

With Microsoft Xbox coming a long way in the gaming industry, it’s the perfect time to take a look at all the Xbox console generations and models released over the years!

All Xbox Console Generations & Models Released:

Microsoft has had its fair share of failures and successes in the gaming console industry. The initial hardship built the foundation for the Xbox you know today.

In this comprehensive listicle, we’re going to take a look at all the Xbox console generations or models that have been released so far.

But before that, here’s a quick glance at all the Xbox consoles released ever since its inception:

First Generation (2001 – 2009)

It all started with the first-ever Xbox console that Microsoft announced way back in 2001. The first generation only contains the original Xbox.

Xbox (2001)

• Release date: November 15, 2001
• Status: Discontinued in 2009
• Launch price: $299

Microsoft forayed into the gaming console market with its offering dubbed Xbox. When Xbox was launched, Sony already had the PlayStation 2, while Nintendo was killing it with GameCube.

Xbox was capable of running games at HD resolution with ease. It also had an online play feature, which, for some reason, didn’t catch much attention.

With capable hardware, Microsoft was able to sell more than 24 million units worldwide. Sadly, it was still not enough to beat the PlayStation 2, which was leading the market with a whopping 155 million units sold worldwide.

Second Generation (2005 – 2016)

After bumpy beginnings, Microsoft decided to improve its gaming consoles. After a five-year break, the company brought a new generation of consoles dubbed Xbox 360.

Xbox 360 (2005)

• Release date: November 22, 2005
• Status: Discontinued in 2016
• Launch price: $299

Microsoft released its next-gen console, dubbed Xbox 360, in 2005, and the company made it quite confusing with the moniker. Instead of Xbox 2, we saw the new console taunting a different name.

To everyone’s surprise, Microsoft launched the console a year before Sony’s PS3 offering. As a result, it was able to attract more customers.

Xbox 360 had improvements both in terms of hardware and design. The new gaming console was much more clean and sleek looking. The console also could connect to WiFi out of the box. This resulted in a much more immersive gaming experience!

With time, Xbox 360 received numerous updates and improvements that made it a solid gaming console in the market. It was available in two editions – Xbox 360 Pro and Xbox 360 Core.

Xbox 360 S (2010)

• Release date: June 14, 2010
• Status: Discontinued in 2016
• Launch price: $299

After the immense success of the Xbox 360 console, Microsoft decided to refresh it a bit with some minor improvements.

Xbox 360 S is a slimmed-down version of the original Xbox 360. Hence, then S in the name. The newer version now had a dedicated Kinect port, additional USB ports, integrated wireless, and built-in optical audio out.

Apart from the things mentioned above, the Xbox 360 S also had a smaller design with faster & quieter performance. It also had an improved cooling system, which attracted a lot of newcomers looking for a gaming console. Xbox 360 S was an enhanced version of the original, and hence, it managed to sell like hotcakes.

If you look at the on-paper specs, you would find no difference between the original Xbox 360 and the Slim variant. The real-time usage difference indicates otherwise, as the Slim version performed slightly better.

Xbox 360 E (2013)

• Release date: June 10, 2013
• Status: Discontinued in 2016
• Launch price: $299

Xbox 360 E is yet another variant or refresh of the original Xbox 360. Not to be confused with the Elite edition, you can think of it as a third-generation of Xbox 360 consoles.

Released in 2013, the Xbox 360E was even quieter and cooler than the other variants. The console had a much more modern design appeal and looked quite similar to the Xbox One. That makes sense because both the products were released only a few months apart.

Xbox 360 E had the physical power and eject buttons, unlike the Slim variant. Microsoft also removed the AV connector port, leaving only the HDMI port. Since we’re on the subject of ports, the Xbox 360 E had two USB ports, Ethernet, WiFi, and a Kinect port. It was also the last console to have the pop-open disc drive.

Xbox 360 S and E variants effectively made the original Xbox 360 a poor detail. As a result, Microsoft ended up discontinuing the original variant. Out of the two, the S variant managed to perform much better in terms of sales figures.

Performance-wise, both the consoles were the same, with the only difference being the number of ports and, of course, the form factor.

Third Generation (2013 – 2020)

Microsoft showcased the Xbox One alongside the Xbox 360 E back in 2013. The former initiated the company’s third generation of consoles.

Xbox One (2013)

• Release date: November 22, 2013
• Status: Discontinued in 2016
• Launch price: $499

Xbox One marked a new generation of Microsoft’s gaming console. It had a completely different design than the previous Xbox console generations, along with many improvements and features. For the first time, Microsoft bumped up the price of its consoles from $299 to $499.

Microsoft marketed this console as an all-in-one because it could do a lot of things. Apart from traditional games, the console supported cloud gaming, Blu-ray disc, new Kinect 2.0, and even off-console gameplay through Windows PC.

While Xbox One introduced many insane features, there were still downsides to owning one. Xbox was no longer supporting backward compatibility, which was a risky move. Under the hood, the console was running two different OS – one for the games and the other for the apps and primary user interface.

Xbox One was the company’s first console that was actually superior to Sony’s offering. At the time, Sony was selling its PS4 console. Even with all the superior features, Xbox One couldn’t beat PS4 in terms of sales.

Xbox One S (2016)

• Release date: August 2, 2016
• Status: Discontinued in 2022
• Launch price: $299

While the original Xbox One might be considered a failure, it was more of a foundation stone. With the building blocks of Xbox One, Microsoft improved its gaming console even further and released a new variant dubbed “Xbox One S.” The newer gaming console was available in two versions – regular and digital.

Xbox One S was around 40% smaller than the original Xbox One. It was quite sleek and looked way more impressive. Microsoft was able to achieve this compact form factor by adding a built-in power supply.

Xbox One S has better connectivity thanks to the addition of Bluetooth 4.0, a built-in IR blaster, and an improved HDMI 2.0 port. Even though the internals remained pretty much the same, the console delivered support for 4K upscaling and HDR, adding to the gaming experience.

Xbox One S was truly a much better offering than the previous generations, allowing Microsoft to position itself against PS4 in a positive way.

Xbox One X (2017)

• Release date: November 7, 2017
• Status: Discontinued in 2020
• Launch price: $499

Xbox One S put Microsoft in a very favorable position in the PS4-dominated market. To make the competition even more aggressive, the company launched a much better and improved “Xbox One X.”

It had better hardware packed inside an all-new chassis. For starters, we’re looking at a native 4K HDR gaming that no console out there was capable of. That meant you could play games with a fantastic level of detail that would only get better with HDR support.

Xbox One X came with many impressive things, such as DolbyVision, 4K BluRay, Dolby Atmos, and 7.1 surround sound. The one department that the console lacked was the hard drive. It was still 1TB with an average speed, and considering the 4K gaming, 1TB can fill up really fast.

Sadly, Xbox One X followed the same design ideology, which made it a turn-off for many potential buyers. It was able to beat the PS4 Pro just with its native 4K resolution. At this stage, those with the setup for 4K gaming were choosing Xbox One X.

However, Microsoft discontinued the Xbox One X after three years of the initial release. It was done to make the way for the next generation of gaming consoles.

Fourth Generation (2020 – Present)

In 2020, Microsoft released the next generation of gaming consoles that would change the entire landscape. The fourth generation of Xbox consoles are very capable and give solid competition to the PC Master Race.

Xbox Series S (2020)

• Release date: November 10, 2020
• Launch price: $299

Xbox Series S is Microsoft’s affordable offering that is perfect for someone looking for 2K resolution gaming.

It has a sleek form factor with hardware packed inside a white box. Think of the Xbox Series S as a starter gaming console with fewer new features but decent power enough to support your casual gaming needs.

Design-wise, the Xbox Series S is very compact and is about the same size as a Wii U. It still has all the necessary ports, such as two USB-A ports on the back, an HDMI Port, an Ethernet port, a power port along with a USB-A port on the front with power and pairing key.

Xbox Series S is also backward compatible, allowing you to play games bought for other Xbox consoles easily. For someone who’s looking for a compact gaming console with decent enough power, the Xbox Series S is a solid contender. It’s good enough to satisfy your gaming needs without damaging your wallet.

Microsoft also removed a few things from the new generation, such as the ability to use discs. Xbox Series S relies on the digital format of games. It also lacks premium features such as Dolby Atmos and comes with only a 500GB hard drive, which may not be good enough.

Xbox Series X (2020)

• Release date: November 10, 2020
• Launch price: $499

Xbox Series X is Microsoft’s flagship offering in the fourth generation of consoles. It is the reason why the company discontinued the Xbox One X, as it did not make sense anymore.

Xbox Series X is powerful enough to be compared with a prebuilt gaming PC. Unlike the Xbox Series S, this one is bigger and bulkier, so forget about the compact form factor.

Microsoft has significantly reduced the loading time with this console, resulting in a much better overall gaming experience. Furthermore, the company has added unique features such as Quick Resume, Smart Delivery, and more. Of course, it also has premium features such as Dolby Vision and Atmos support.

Xbox Series X can run games at 4K resolution at 60fps. It also supports 8K resolution at up to 120fps screen rendering. To give you an idea about the performance, Series X is around four times as powerful as the previous-gen Xbox One X.

Microsoft has also vastly improved its gaming library by adding games such as Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite, Microsoft Flight Simulator, and more.

Microsoft’s Xbox Series X is one of the best gaming consoles you can get as of 2023. It’s capable of delivering an insane gaming experience.

Conclusion

Microsoft has indeed come a long way when it comes to the gaming console and gaming in general. The company is now responsible for one of the most powerful gaming consoles out there.

In conclusion, all I have left to say is that even though Microsoft entered the gaming console market a bit later than all its competitors, it still managed to disturb the status quo and carve a loyal fanbase. And as the newer generation of consoles are released in the future, it will end up becoming more and more popular.

I hope that you now know all the Xbox console generations released ever since the first Xbox was launched. If you liked the article, make sure to share it with your friends as well!