The Xbox 360 had a good run, but things are coming to an end for Microsoft’s popular video game console first sold in 2005.
Phil Spencer, head of Xbox at Microsoft, announced today that production of the console is shutting down. The company will continue selling its current stock, but new consoles aren’t going to be built.
“Xbox 360 means a lot to everyone in Microsoft,” Spencer said in a blog post. “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.”
Wait, you may be asking yourself, doesn’t Microsoft have a newer console already? Why are they still making the Xbox 360? The older console was available at a much cheaper price, and with many games coming out for it during the transition to the Xbox One, gamers still had a reason to pick up the console.
But now, with backward compatibility for a growing library of Xbox 360 games now available on the Xbox One, there isn’t much reason to stick with the aging console. Developers have moved on as well, having worked out the kinks of the new system.
The Xbox One is a key device in Microsoft vision of a world controlled by Windows 10, as well, so the software giant was likely itching to get everyone using the newer hardware.
However, the Xbox 360 isn’t completely dead. Microsoft will support Xbox Live services for the console, including multiplayer and app support, as well as the Games with Gold and Deals with Gold promotions for subscribers. New games are also still available for the platform, and some existing games will likely never make it to the backward compatibility program can still live on in the used game market.
