SAEDNEWS: Before Xbox Became a Gaming Icon, Microsoft Built a $18,000 Concept Console Shaped Like an X
According to Saed News Technology Service, Microsoft unveiled the first-generation Xbox in 2001, but a concept model had already appeared in 2000, before the production version.
The Xbox concept was a massive aluminum block shaped like an X, designed to signal the dawn of a new era in video games. With a fully metal, seamless body, it showcased Microsoft’s goal of merging PC-level performance with a console experience.
This concept Xbox highlighted Microsoft’s DirectX technology—the very inspiration behind the name DirectX Box, which later became Xbox. The prototype debuted at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) to capture the attention of game creators and prove that Microsoft was serious about entering the gaming industry.
Each unit cost around $18,000 to produce and was extremely heavy due to its all-aluminum design. Only a few units were ever made, and one is now preserved at Microsoft’s Redmond Visitor Center—a bold reminder of the Xbox legacy’s daring beginning.
