2005 · Microsoft · US · console
Microsoft Xbox 360
First out of the gate for its generation, Red Ring of Death and all.
Mixed Some setup ▶ Watch on YouTube ↗
Microsoft's 2005 console, first out of the gate for its generation and quick to build a lead, though early units were plagued by the overheating failure players nicknamed the Red Ring of Death.
Gears of War set the cover-shooter template for a decade and served as the machine's technical calling card.
Under the hood
- CPU
- IBM Xenon — triple-core PowerPC @ 3.2 GHz, two hardware threads per core (six threads total)
- Graphics
- ATI Xenos (custom R500) — the first console GPU with a unified shader architecture; 10 MB of embedded eDRAM enabled near-free 4x anti-aliasing on many games
- Memory
- 512 MB unified GDDR3, shared between CPU and GPU
- Media
- DVD-ROM discs; detachable hard drive on Premium / Elite models
Hardware revisions
| Model | Years | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| XenonXbox 360 launch chassis, board X803600 | 2005-2006 | 90nm CPU, 90nm GPU, 90nm eDRAM chip; Known issue: Leaky capacitors and unreliable GPU flip-chip solder bumps are the root cause of most Red Ring of Death (RROD) failures |
| ZephyrXbox 360, boards X810385/X810387 | late 2006 - mid 2007 | Still a 90nm CPU; HDMI output added; Known issue: Same RROD risk profile as Xenon, improving across the A/B/C sub-revisions |
| FalconXbox 360, board X812320 | late 2007 - 2008 | First 65nm CPU ('Loki'); Known issue: Early Falcon units (pre-June 2008 GPU fix) were still RROD-prone; later units much improved |
| JasperXbox 360, board X815842 | late 2008 onward | First to shrink the GPU to 65nm ('Zeus'), matching the CPU's process node; Known issue: Mostly reliable; some leaky 16V 1500uF capacitors reported |
| TonasketXbox 360 ('Jasper Kronos'), board X820379 | late 2009 onward | Generally regarded by the repair community as the most reliable Xbox 360 motherboard revision. |
| TrinityXbox 360 S 'Slim' launch chassis, board X850590 | 2010 | CPU and GPU merged onto a single 45nm die |
| WaitsburgXbox 360 S, board X862605 | 2012 onward | CPU_POST test traces removed; Known issue: eMMC storage can be unreliable per repair-community reports |
| WinchesterXbox 360 E, board X879957 | late 2014 onward | Considered very reliable; the final Xbox 360 motherboard revision. |
What it cost
only about 6% of a month’s pay in 2008 · about $291 today
| US Core model ($299.99), Premium 20GB HDD model ($399.99) |
$299.99 (2005)
only about 10% of a month’s pay · about $482 in today's money |
|---|---|
| Xbox 360 Arcade price cut ($199.99) | $199.99 (2008) |
| Units sold | 84,000,000 84 million units sold. |
What it's worth now
Accessible $30–70 depending on model
Early Xenon boards are the most RROD-prone; the later Jasper fat units (12.1 A power supply) and the S / E revisions are the reliable ones to buy.
A guide to collectibility, not a valuation — real prices depend on condition, completeness and demand.
Why it mattered
The 360 gave Microsoft an early lead its rivals spent years chasing, matured Xbox Live and digital distribution, and hosted a defining run of shooters and role-playing games — despite hardware that failed in droves.
Emulating it today
| Emulators | Xenia, Xenia Canary |
|---|---|
| Setup effort | Some setup (4 on this site's scale) |
| Controls | A standard modern controller covers the ordinary controls, though unusual accessories may need custom mapping. |
| Runs on a handheld | No — it needs a real machine |
The emulator names above are starting points, not a promise that every title or accessory behaves identically. Computer platforms usually add model selection, disk handling and keyboard setup even when CPU emulation itself is mature.
Xbox 360 System Software & Title Updates
Xenia is a high-level emulator (HLE) that executes Xbox 360 executables directly without needing an Xbox 360 NAND/SMC dump. System fonts and Title Updates (patches) can be installed via Xenia's user interface.
How many files you need: none to go and find. Zero firmware files required for standard offline gameplay in Xenia.
Where it stands legally: Xenia utilizes an open-source clean-room high-level implementation of the Xbox 360 kernel.
Firmware details checked 2026-08. Emulator requirements change — see Xenia FAQ & Setup Guide for the current list.
Where the software is
Preservation catalogues describe verified dumps; they do not grant permission to download commercial software. A curated, correctly matched set is easier to use than an undifferentiated archive.
Copyright: Commercial software remains copyrighted unless its owner explicitly released or relicensed it. Homebrew, public-domain programs and current reissues should be treated separately from abandoned commercial titles.
This site names preservation projects and explains what they are. It does not link to ROM downloads.
Where to start
- Halo 3 2007 first-person shooter
- Gears of War 2006 third-person shooter
The cover-shooter template for a decade, and the machine's technical calling card.
- Mass Effect 2 2010 action RPG
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 2011 action RPG
- Red Dead Redemption 2010 action adventure
- Fallout 3 2008 action RPG
- Forza Motorsport 4 2011 racing
- Braid 2008 Platformer
- Castle Crashers 2008 Beat 'em up
- Call of Duty First-person shooter
The verdict
A deep, recent library led by Gears of War and Halo 3; emulation is progressing well.
Some big games remain tricky to emulate smoothly — check compatibility before relying on it.
- Worth it if
- Players curious about microsoft consoles and willing to learn how the original machine worked.
- Not for
- Anyone who wants a large, instantly accessible library and no model, firmware or control decisions.
Scored 3/5 for fun today and 3/5 for historical importance. Those two scores decide the label at the top — a machine can matter enormously and still be no fun.
Read more & watch
This page is 75% complete against the facts we try to record for every system. Gaps are shown as gaps.