With the release of the PlayStation 2, which featured the ability to playback CD-ROMs and DVDs in addition to playing games, Microsoft became concerned that game consoles would threaten the personal computer as an entertainment device for living rooms. It was also the first major console produced by an American company since the release of the Atari Jaguar in 1993. It is classified as a sixth-generation console, competing with Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's GameCube. It was released as Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market on November 15, 2001, in North America, followed by Australia, Europe and Japan in 2002. The Xbox is a home video game console manufactured by Microsoft that is the first installment in the Xbox series of video game consoles. Halo 2, 8.46 million (as of November 2008) Nvidia GeForce 3-based NV2A GPU 233 MHz, 20 GFLOPS Ĥ × Xbox controller ports (proprietary USB interface wireless controllers not supported directly-third-party wireless controllers require a wired base unit) Custom 733 MHz Intel Pentium III ' Coppermine-based' processorĨ or 10 GB internal hard drive (formatted to 8 GB with allotted system reserve and MS Dash), 8 MB memory card
