[Xbox] Power on: The Story of Xbox

I'm more surprised at the lack of J. Allard outside of archived footage.

That dude's really just up and disappeared.
 
adamsapple said:
I'm more surprised at the lack of J. Allard outside of archived footage.

That dude's really just up and disappeared.
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www.geekwire.com

Xbox co-founder J Allard left Intellivision after short stint, hints at project with gaming vet brother

J Allard, the onetime Microsoft executive who was a co-founder of Xbox, left Intellivision Entertainment last year, shortly after joining that company to be global managing director. News of Allard… Read More
www.geekwire.com www.geekwire.com

He was with Intellivision for about 30 seconds there. Probably dodged a bullet getting away from that one. I didn't realize none of the footage of him was from a current interview, maybe some bad blood there of some kind.
 
nush said:
Also from the documentary, MSFT trying to buy Nintendo.

Nintendo:

troy-laugh.gif
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Shows how culturally ignorant they were at that time. Japan is a prideful nation, no way they were even gonna consider selling thier baby to a western company. Especially since Nintendo was doing just fine financially.
 
Just finished the series, not too bad, and a super good look at the ups&downs. Microsoft definitely paved a lot of the road we all drive on today with our current consoles. Phil Spencer 2.0 better be on ice somewhere for when Phil Spencer 1.0 expires.
 
I think the documentary did a good job sort of explaining how the Xbox One and Mattrick's plan was both not explained well enough and that the world in 2013 wasn't ready for it, while we're basically there in 2021 with the current consoles.

They were Marty McFly playing Johnny B. Goode in 1955.

upFpIkQ.gif
 
ManaByte said:
I think the documentary did a good job sort of explaining how the Xbox One and Mattrick's plan was both not explained well enough and that the world in 2013 wasn't ready for it, while we're basically there in 2021 with the current consoles.

They were Marty McFly playing Johnny B. Goode in 1955.

upFpIkQ.gif
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MS really fucked up with the messaging of that console but being $100 more, forced to buy the Kinect, and Sony beating thier ass with 1st party titles all culminated into poor performance and bad fan reception.


As much as people make fun of the "TV TV TV" both Xbox and PS are fully functional entertainment systems capable of much more than just playing games and I now use my Xbox as an all in one living room entertainment system. Well, except for listening to music.
 
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Kilau said:
The part about Gates being offended by Sony having the living room is what has always bothered me about Microsoft.

It's not new information and while I very much enjoy what Xbox has become it's roots were typical Microsoft.
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Why does any company enter a major market if not fear of losing their position or to shake up the industry it's joining. Both were reasons Microsoft jumped in gaming. iPhone, Tv, cars whatever are all built from the same mindset.
 
FritzJ92 said:
Why does any company enter a major market if not fear of losing their position or to shake up the industry it's joining. Both were reasons Microsoft jumped in gaming. iPhone, Tv, cars whatever are all built from the same mindset.
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Yea, it's just a business/competition mindset. Nothing unique to MS
 
adamsapple said:
I'm more surprised at the lack of J. Allard outside of archived footage.

That dude's really just up and disappeared.
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Huh? He contributes a lot to the doc. He just isn't in episode 1. Which makes sense, as 360 was more his baby than the OG.

EDIT - shit was he in it or were all the talking heads of him archival? Now Im doubting my memory from last night lol. Getting old. Coulda sworn he was interviewed for this but maybe Im thinking of old vids they included.
 
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FritzJ92 said:
Why does any company enter a major market if not fear of losing their position or to shake up the industry it's joining. Both were reasons Microsoft jumped in gaming. iPhone, Tv, cars whatever are all built from the same mindset.
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Except neither of those are the reasons given for entering the console market. Bill was personally offended another company was being successful in a different market.

Ultimately they can and did do whatever they wanted to do for whatever reason.
 
Kilau said:
Except neither of those are the reasons given for entering the console market. Bill was personally offended another company was being successful in a different market.

Ultimately they can and did do whatever they wanted to do for whatever reason.
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Seemed like it was those ads and interviews Sony did about the Playstation basically replacing most other computer devices in the home that shook MS up. I'm not sure how Sony ever figured a game console was going to accomplish that, but still, MS must have taken that as a very serious threat (as pointed out in the doc).
 
DaGwaphics said:
Seemed like it was those ads and interviews Sony did about the Playstation basically replacing most other computer devices in the home that shook MS up. I'm not sure how Sony ever figured a game console was going to accomplish that, but still, MS must have taken that as a very serious threat (as pointed out in the doc).
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Yeah that notion seems ludicrous now and should have back then too. Sony sure had some the biggest bs lines ever.
 
I'm on Chapter 4. I love shit like this. It reminds me of the show Icons back from the G4 days.

It is very refreshing to see essentially a making of documentary that isn't all fluff with each talking head gushing over how amazing it all was.
I guess I didn't follow it at the time, but I had no idea Halo looked so terrible when it was first shown at E3 in 2000. That was the true make-or-break point for Xbox.

It inspired me to dust off my OG Xbox and order an HDMI adapter to revisit my early adulthood.
 
Schmick said:
I never knew MS had a part in the way Netflix went with regards to streaming. That was very interesting.
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They were the first and exclusive to Xbox for awhile.

You kids have no idea how good you have it.

The OG netflix app didnt even have a catalogue. You had to take your ass to a computer. Add the stuff you wanted to a list, boot up the app, the scroll to what you wanted.
 
Kilau said:
Except neither of those are the reasons given for entering the console market. Bill was personally offended another company was being successful in a different market.

Ultimately they can and did do whatever they wanted to do for whatever reason.
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Do you forget that Sony was literally calling the PS2 the "PlayStation 2 Computer Entertainment System"?

PlayStation®2 Computer Entertainment System Makes Its North American Consumer Debut on the Playstation 2 Touring Attraction

<p>Sony Computer Entertainment America announced today that its completely refurbished PlayStation®2 Touring Attraction will make its debut at the Hard Rock Cafe Rockfest presented by Oldsmobile...</p>
www.sony.com www.sony.com

They were positioning it as a Computer. MS saw that as a direct threat.
 
ManaByte said:
Do you forget that Sony was literally calling the PS2 the "PlayStation 2 Computer Entertainment System"?

PlayStation®2 Computer Entertainment System Makes Its North American Consumer Debut on the Playstation 2 Touring Attraction

<p>Sony Computer Entertainment America announced today that its completely refurbished PlayStation®2 Touring Attraction will make its debut at the Hard Rock Cafe Rockfest presented by Oldsmobile...</p>
www.sony.com www.sony.com

They were positioning it as a Computer. MS saw that as a direct threat.
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They also said it was a super computer and could launch an ICBM.

Maybe if Bill wasn't so offended by Sony he could have had MS in a better position for the coming smartphone revolution.

Anyway my first comment was more directed at the general culture of MS going back long before Xbox.
orhvtc5u78131.jpg
 
Just watched the first episode, and it was unbelievably good. This is essential viewing if you love videogames and like hearing behind the scenes details.
 
What I found kinda odd was the reaction the Direct X guys had to the alternative console pitch made by the Windows CE guys. The CE team wanted a console that ran Windows applications like Office. Now the Direct X team rightfully saw how crazy that would be because nobody would ever want to do spreadsheets in their family room with a controller. But the thing is, if they can acknowledge that people don't want to do those kind of tasks on a console, then doesn't that kind of debunk the purpose for getting into the market in the first place? How could the desktop computer move to the living room if the box in the living room didn't do all of the essential tasks of the desktop?
 
Fatbody said:
What I found kinda odd was the reaction the Direct X guys had to the alternative console pitch made by the Windows CE guys. The CE team wanted a console that ran Windows applications like Office. Now the Direct X team rightfully saw how crazy that would be because nobody would ever want to do spreadsheets in their family room with a controller. But the thing is, if they can acknowledge that people don't want to do those kind of tasks on a console, then doesn't that kind of debunk the purpose for getting into the market in the first place? How could the desktop computer move to the living room if the box in the living room didn't do all of the essential tasks of the desktop?
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You're asking all the right questions and the answer is exactly why the CE team didn't move ahead.
 
That seems to be mind boggling that most of Halo seemed to have been done in six months.

I was in New York in November 2001 on vacation but as I was. a PC gamer, I had literally no idea about PlayStation or Xbox. Just imagine, if I had been up on the consoles, I could have been that guy getting the first Xbox off Bill Gates. :messenger_tears_of_joy:
 
On episode 5. Best game documentary ever made.

Hope this director immediately gets hired again to do more with multiple other companies.

Also, it says this is "season 1" on the Xbox store. Not sure if thats true.
 
Interesting series. Watched the first two episodes and looking forward to finishing the rest over the week. That early prototype X case looked ridiculous and awesome in equal measure. Nice to see Trenton in it as well!
 
Just finished watching them all back to back and that was a really well produced documentary. To this day the original xbox is the best looking one and my favorite xbox. Watching this brought back so many good memories from over the years.
 
Man, that final meeting to approve the Xbox for official production was nuts. Bill gates storms in pissed as hell, calling them morons, liars, and the concept of the Xbox as a betrayal of everything Bill built with MS.

Then, intense debate ensues mixed with loud yelling at each other only for it to end with Bill and Steve saying, " Ya know what, yeah, I like this. Let's do it!"

What a wild ride that meeting must have been. I'm surprised they didn't get fired or the Xbox project terminated.
 
Halo is Back said:
Man, that final meeting to approve the Xbox for official production was nuts. Bill gates storms in pissed as hell, calling them morons, liars, and the concept of the Xbox as a betrayal of everything Bill built with MS.

Then, intense debate ensues mixed with loud yelling at each other only for it to end with Bill and Steve saying, " Ya know what, yeah, I like this. Let's do it!"

What a wild ride that meeting must have been. I'm surprised they didn't get fired or the Xbox project terminated.
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I like that they didn't shy away from how insane Ballmer could be.
windows dancing GIF
 
ManaByte said:
I like that they didn't shy away from how insane Ballmer could be.
windows dancing GIF
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Insane but also surprisingly supportive of the Xbox team. Can't remember his name, but the guy in charge of launching the OG Xbox handed in his resignation because he felt like a failure. Steve was like "Nah, you aren't going to resign, you are the man for the job. You got this". Not exactly what he said but more or less.
 
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Oh man this brings back memories to when I was a freelance reporter for an internetprovider here in Holland. Got invited to the press releaseparty of the OG Xbox....

I have fond memories of that night, playing PGR with Tom Coronel (Dutch racecar driver), drinking WAY too much and leaving Amsterdam with an Xbox in the middle of the night...

This bugger kickstarted broadband consolegaming and was in a league of its own back then.

Fuck I'm old.....
 
Halo is Back said:
Insane but also surprisingly supportive of the Xbox team. Can't remember his name, but the guy in charge of launching the OG Xbox handed in his resignation because he felt like a failure. Steve was like "Nah, you aren't going to resign, you are the man for the job. You got this". Not exactly what he said but more or less.
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That was Robbie Bach who I remember never really warming to when you saw him on stage. Then at some point Peter Moore comes along and he was great, really engaged the audience.
 
One of the funniest moments was when they discussed the impact of the PS1, then they cut to a shot showing the graphics and it turned out to be a *Sega Saturn* running All Japan Pro Wrestling featuring Virtua, with Stan Hansen bodyslamming Wolf.

Resolution wise, AJPW featuring Virtua ran at the same resolution (708x480) as Virtua Fighter 2, which AFAIK was something the PS1 hardware failed to ever achieve.

Sony fanboys from 1995 are seething with rage right now.
 
Was a great doco and it sorta highlights how ms like to push the boundaries….sometimes a little to far

I think if bill gates was yelling at me like the doco goes through I would laugh…..but knowing he's rich enough to hire a private army to kill you would probably refrain:)

it's also a pretty good setup for the direction they are going in now
 
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Is that scene with Bill ranting available somewhere as part of a bigger clip? I would love to watch the whole thing, I don't even know what the meeting is about.
 
Halo is Back said:
Then, intense debate ensues mixed with loud yelling at each other only for it to end with Bill and Steve saying, " Ya know what, yeah, I like this. Let's do it!"
Click to expand...

Actually they let him bluster and then circle back around to why he approved the project to begin with. "Do you want to let Sony take over the connected living room?".
 
Damn....was so long time ago......In that time I had Dreamcast & PS & I watched first Xbox revealing on satellite TV......man that moment when Xbox didn't started.....was damn excited for a new console specially from MS entering the market, that moment was so bad 😞
 
Watched all parts last night.
the final ep was more an advertisement than a documentary.
Good info and well put together using interviews And fun drawings.
I would like to have heard more about the studio closings but they only mentioned one and quickly talked about axing the media tv and movie stuff.
 
Magic Carpet said:
Watched all parts last night.
the final ep was more an advertisement than a documentary.
Good info and well put together using interviews And fun drawings.
I would like to have heard more about the studio closings but they only mentioned one and quickly talked about axing the media tv and movie stuff.
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Yeah, the last episode was the weakest one. But they got Mattrick on camera and talked about the near destruction of the entire brand, I guess they had to do a pick-me-up after that. Still a fantastic documentary.
 
The fact that they turned down GTA3 as an exclusive is amazing. Hindsight is 20/20 but that was a huge miss.


Getting Jack Trenton's perspective was a great move for this show.
 
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I'm up to the Red Ring chapter. I find all of this endlessly interesting so far.

Love all the industry leaders in here talking honestly about the stress and anxiety and huge risk they suffered for years... and then you get Snoop Dogg every 15 or 20 minutes with his take on it.

So good.
 
Really enjoying this. I like how they don't hold anything back when discussing the RRoD, their failed attempt to buy Nintendo, turning down GTA 3, even Don Mattrick is interviewed. They talk about motivations after the Wii launched, they have Jack Tretton too. It's actually quite candid with some great insight, love the details of the Direct X team pitching to Bill Gates, stealing the Windows kernel and the Valentines Day massacre.
 
I'm watching chapter 6 now, it's fantastic to hear directly from their senior staff just how shit the Xbox One reveal and launch was. They were checking 'social' feeds live during the original reveal and knew straight away that it was going down like the titanic.
They've even got the PS4 game sharing video in here.
 
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