Xbox’s new virtual museum explores its history, including Red Ring of Death

Microsoft has launched a virtual, interactive Xbox museum for players to visit online.

Launched as part of Xbox’s 20th anniversary celebrations, it charts the brand’s most significant moments and lets visitors explore their personal play history too.

The original Xbox launched alongside Halo: Combat Evolved on November 15, 2001, and was followed by Xbox 360 in 2005, Xbox One in 2013, and Xbox Series X/S in 2020.

The Xbox virtual museum lets players navigate a virtual space consisting of different areas dedicated to each Xbox console and the Halo franchise.

Players can choose to learn about significant events in Xbox history, from the highs to the lows, including a crisis which emerged in 2007 and threatened the existence of the entire brand during the early stages of its second console generation.

As Microsoft puts it, the ‘Red Ring of Death’ hardware fault “renders the 360 unusable and self-destructs millions of consoles”, resulting in the company spending over a billion dollars repairing faulty systems and extending the warranty period from one to three years.

Related

2

Xbox is sending 20th anniversary gift packages to random fans

Halo Elite controllers and engraved crystals have been arriving at players' homes

There are plenty of highlights too, but perhaps the star of the show is the ability for players to explore their own personal history with the brand.

By logging into their Microsoft account, users can visit an area displaying significant moments in their Xbox journey, including the first time they signed in to Xbox Live, the number of games they’ve played, various achievements and Gamerscore stats, and their most played games (although some users have reported inaccurate records).