10 years of Xbox: Why Edge swears by Microsoft's new console

In our November 2001 issue we finally got our hands on Xbox, publishing reviews of its remarkable launch lineup (Halo: Combat Evolved, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, Amped, Project Gotham Racing and more) and the following report on Microsoft's X01 press event in Cannes, our views on the console hardware itself ("Yes it's bulky. Yes it's pretty ugly.") and industry opinion around the launch.

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After nearly two years of rumour and speculation, Microsoft's Xbox finally became a reality as the system went on sale in North America on November 15. However, it's not set to appear on these shores until March next year, when it will launch at a price of £299. As Edge goes to press it is too early to determine just how successful the launch has been, but the Xbox publicity machine finally slipped into gear in timely fashion with the X01 press junket in Cannes on October 16 and 17.

During the week of its launch, the Xbox boasted a line-up of software that consisted of five firstparty titles, 14 thirdparty titles, and the promise that a further 20 will be available by Christmas. Offering both a comprehensive choice of genre, and a handful of games that are of genuinely high quality, it's a software line-up that compares well with the launch roster of any other console, past or present.

But with the exception of the US, where Xbox launches three days before GameCube, consumers won't be comparing Xbox games with the launch software of other consoles. By the time the unit is released in Japan, both GameCube and PlayStation2 will have had time to establish an installed base, while in Europe, the Xbox wiil be entering the market after a potentially lucrative Christmas period for the recently price-cut PlayStation2.

Microsoft's X01 event

Nevertheless, after a particularly slow start, and one or two setbacks at E3 and the Tokyo Game Show, the Xbox bandwagon finally got the boost it needed with the X01 press junket in Cannes. The decision to fly nearly a thousand European media guests to Pierre Cardin's clifftop mansion, overlooking the spectacular Côte d'Azur, and to festoon the surrounding real estate with an imposing Xbox light show, was a ridiculously extravagant one, but it was a decision befitting the arrivste nature of the console in question.

But as an indication of Microsoft's will to succeed it was an impressive performance. From the moment guests arrived at the Teletubby/Austin Powers architectural fusion of the Maison Bulles, by way of a stately open-air amphitheatre bedecked with luminous circus performers, until the end of Carl Cox's set, it was clear that the company intends to pull out all the stops for its new console.

More impressive than the exotic location, the celebrity DJ and the scintillating lightshow, was the software that was on display throughout the Bubble house. With over 40 titles playable, and a healthy turnout from thirdparty publishers, this provided ample demonstration of what consumers can expect from Xbox - namely choice and quality. A genuinely enticing teaser trailer kicked off a formal presentation that was without doubt the most polished and slick performance that the Xbox team has so far put together - consisting of members of the Xbox management team and a broad cross-section of the European publishing and development communities detailing their strategy for Xbox.