Xbox's Japanese Situation | Xbox in 2003 is eerily similar to Xbox in 2017

It's no secret Xbox has always struggled in Japan with it struggling to muster up the same types of sales as its Japanese rivals. The Xbox did admirably and Microsoft really tried with the Xbox 360, but now the Xbox One has hit a new low with a severe lack of Japanese titles coupled with laughably low sales figures.

What's astounding is that the situation Xbox was facing back in 2003 is scarily similar to the troubles Xbox has in 2017. Here's an interesting article by Games Industry Biz that highlighted the cancellation of a much anticipated Japanese Xbox exclusive:

Microsoft Japan has cancelled Xbox MMORPG True Fantasy Live Online, citing quality and development progress concerns, although Microsoft US has since

Daytona Live | The mysteriously announced Daytona game scheduled for Xbox

Finally. after over 15 years Sega decides to make a third entry into the beloved Daytona franchise. However at some point near the Dreamcast's demise, there were talks about a third game hitting the arcades and the 6th generation of consoles. So I was digging through old websites on the Way Back Machine and I came across a particular article on GamesAsaylum that caught my eye. The report was from 14th of October 2002 with the following details about an upcoming Daytona title:

Daytoooona

Yu Suzuki and his band of merry men are working away on Daytona Live (that's a working title, working title fans) - an Xbox Live compatible instalment of the popular arcade racing series. Although the game

Xbox Keyboard Adapter | The rare official keyboard adapter for Phantasy Star Online 2

With the first Phantasy Star Online releasing on Dreamcast with full mouse and keyboard support, Sega found new challenges in bringing the sequel onto subsiquent consoles after the fall of the Dreamcast. The first Phantasy Star Online played a huge role in popularising the Dreamcast's online services and text chat was popular in the community thanks to the inclusion of keyboard support.

The design itself is very basic

Despite Microsoft heavily pushing its online capabilities in addition to talking up its broadband capabilities, Microsoft consistently insisted the console had no need for keyboard support thanks to the packed in headset. Then general manager J Allard expressed in an interview back on the 5th of February 2001 with GamesDomain how

Halo CE Previews | What did people think of gaming's best FPS?

We all know the story, Halo CE came out and became a world-wide success and spawned one of the most beloved franchise in gaming. But before it's release, what did websites think of it? Well for a bit of fun I'm gonna use the WayBackMachine to dig through some old and forgotten previews to get a sense of what expectations were at the time. Here we go!

Win64e10 | The Quickly Pulled N64 Emulator Released for Xbox One

So here's an odd little story you may not have heard of. Back on the 26th of September an N64 emulator by the name of Win64e10 quietly made its way onto the Xbox Live marketplace. Initially the game was only available for Windows 10 devices through the Windows store and was the first emulator to be available officially through a console marketplace. Win64e10 cost a hefty £7.69 and quietly sneaked past Microsoft's certifications. Never the less the app was only available for roughly a day before Microsoft caught on and removed the app the following day. Luckily(?) I did manage to get wind of the news and swiftly purchased it hours before it's removal. Don't worry, you're not missing anything.

European Xbox Production | The short lived Hungarian manufacturing plant

As the Xbox approached ever closer to it's European launch date, Microsoft saw a great opportunity to shift manufacturing the Xbox to a European plant in Hungary. From the 29th of November, the Hungarian plant was fully operational and ready for it's development of Xbox systems. The plant was over 10,000 square meters and operated 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, producing a very impressive 15,000 consoles a day at a rate of 2 consoles a minute. Before expansion and production began, the plant was already boasting an impressive 2.6 consoles a minute and 600 boxes an hour. It felt like a proud occasion as it would be the first video games console factory ever located in Europe, alongside providing 2,000 employment opportunities within Hungary. As the first Xbox's rolled off of production, the Hungarian Government was there to watch.

Future Classics | Wreckless: Yakuza Missions

It's a shame that Halo took a lot of thunder away from a lot of games during the Xbox's launch window, albeit understandably. Wreckless: Yakuza Missions was one such title and even though it missed the US launch window, it did make it as a launch title here in Europe. Let me tell you, having Halo and Wreckless as the two titles for my shiny new Xbox was pretty damn great.