The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe.
It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market, and competed with Sony's PlayStation 2, Sega's Dreamcast (which stopped American sales before the Xbox went on sale), and Nintendo's GameCube.
The integrated Xbox Live service launched in November 2002 allowed players to play games online.
The Xbox was the first console offered by an American company after the Atari Jaguar stopped sales in 1996.
