Why isn't there much nostalgia for the Original Xbox?

[Samtemdo8]

Like the console was considered the second only to the PS2 in terms of competition.

And it had its own great and unique library of games. And I mentioned before that a lot of the Multiplatform games that released on all consoles just played better on the Original Xbox because the console was by far the most ahead in terms of specs in that generation like if you want have the best experience with games like Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell, and Grand Theft Auto, you play them on the Xbox. I mean the console was capable of playing lot of games that were technically PC exclusives. You can play Doom 3 and Half Life 2 on the Xbox.

But as the years progressed, I just don't see as much nostalgia for this console compared to the PS2 and Gamecube and even the Dreamcast in this generation. Why is that? Because I personally think the Original Xbox was perhaps Microsoft's best console era. Especially the design of the Console imo was the best that generation:

It was big and heavy, but there's just something very "sturdy and reliable" about its design. Like I feel its large and heavy design is a plus rather then a minus, and of course there is the controller (the small controller of course, we don't talk about the Duke), was perhaps the best controller ever of the Generation.

 

[CriticalGaming]

Because I can't think of a single game the original Xbox had outside of Halo, that was exclusive to that console.

Also part of the reason was Microsoft was new to the market at the time. People mostly went with the companies they already new like Nintendo and Sony.

Also that controller was the size of your head as a kid.

 

[Samtemdo8]

Because I can't think of a single game the original Xbox had outside of Halo, that was exclusive to that console.

Also part of the reason was Microsoft was new to the market at the time. People mostly went with the companies they already new like Nintendo and Sony.

Also that controller was the size of your head as a kid.

KOTOR, Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive 3, Jade Empire, Splinter Cell was considered more as an Xbox game, Thief Deadly Shadows, Star War Republic Commando, Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, Ghost Recon 2, Rainbow Six 3 (the Xbox version was different from the PC version), Conker Live and Reloaded, Fable 1.

PC Ports like Doom 3, Half Life 2, and Morrowind since you could not get these on Gamecube and PS2.

And as I said, a lot of Mutliplatform games just played better on the Xbox when it comes to Consoles.

 

[Worgen]

Because most of its best games are available in other places and still playable, plus I don't think we are quite at the right age from the console for nostalgia for it yet. I think it takes about 20 years for the nostalgia to kick in.

 

[CriticalGaming]

And as I said, a lot of Mutliplatform games just played better on the Xbox when it comes to Consoles.

Yeah but people don't give a shit about games playing better, because if that were the case they'd play everything possible on PC. It's the exclusives that bring people to the consoles. Even today. Xbone is a fair more powerful system than Playstation 4 but nobody gave a shit because Playstation 4 had the better exclusive library.

That's games you mentioned above are I'm sure good games, but the overall library for Xbox just wasn't there, and clearly there wasn't enough for people to have a nostalgic memory of the system the same way Gamecube and Ps2 does.

To be fair though, Xbox 360 blew everyone away. So it's not like Xbox didn't get time to shine.

 

[happyninja42]

KOTOR, Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive 3, Jade Empire, Splinter Cell was considered more as an Xbox game, Thief Deadly Shadows, Star War Republic Commando, Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, Ghost Recon 2, Rainbow Six 3 (the Xbox version was different from the PC version), Conker Live and Reloaded, Fable 1.

All of those that I have played, which is about half of the ones you listed, I played on PC instead. So I don't really have any context of them on XBOX, which is why I personally am not nostalgic for it. I never owned one, because nothing they published was really unique to that console.

But yeah, nothing about that era was really, noteworthy, at least that was exclusive to the console, so yeah, it didn't really make a mark on the nostalgia brain. But, I might be odd in that category, as I'm not nostalgic for the Nin/SNES/N64 era, which is technically my "nostalgia" window as a kid. I've never been terribly nostalgic for video games or their platforms. I played them from the age of like 6 years old to present day (43), every day, it's my single most consistent pasttime. But, it's just stuff. They were fun, sure. But I don't feel any of it warrants the behavior a lot of people who are "nostalgic" for something or other exhibit.

 

[CriticalGaming]

All of those that I have played, which is about half of the ones you listed, I played on PC instead. So I don't really have any context of them on XBOX, which is why I personally am not nostalgic for it. I never owned one, because nothing they published was really unique to that console.

I think this is a problem that current Xbox and next gen Xbox will face as well. Microsoft has put their games on PC now, and the Xbox console itself technically no longer has any exclusives whatsoever. Which I think has been a big death nail for the console's importance in the gaming market.

Sure the ease of use of a console is a plus for people who don't want $1000+ PC's, but the price of these consoles at launch plus a TV is basically the same price as a gaming PC capable of running plenty of games. So the value and price of consoles is less relevant than ever before.

So the only thing that's left, exclusives. Take away those, and you take away the biggest reason people have to buy your console.

 

[Bedinsis]

Because for better or worse, the Playstation 2 was the dominant console meaning that when people have nostalgia for games of that era they are talking about it as the Playstation 2-era. And the thing that was superior about the Xbox was mainly that it could pull off better graphics, something you don't really care about anymore when it is a retro console. Realistic graphics is a worthwhile goal to pursue when it comes to software development but it ages horribly, and if you extend that to an entire console it's hard to evoke those feelings.

Other than that the Xbox was an online pioneer, and adding that to the console business was a good thing overall, but we are not exactly starving for games nowadays that have online capabilities.

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

I still play the original America's Army on it, and wonder the same. It's a fantastic console.

 

[BrawlMan]

Because most of its best games are available in other places and still playable, plus I don't think we are quite at the right age from the console for nostalgia for it yet. I think it takes about 20 years for the nostalgia to kick in.

Remember? The Xbox first launch in November of 2001. The year is 2020. I seen some nostalgia from people on the original Xbox back in 2014 or 2015 as far as I remember. I never owned an Xbox personally, so there's not that much of a nostalgia for me. I played a few games here and there on the console, but that was because a friend of mine had it. If there's anyone else I know that has a huge nostalgia for the Xbox, it's Maximilian dood. But that is more so because the Xbox was also known as Dreamcast 2. A lot of Sega's games were on that console. And apcom's fighting games as well.

 

[Worgen]

Remember? The Xbox first launch in November of 2001. The year is 2020. I seen some nostalgia from people on the original Xbox back in 2014 or 2015 as far as I remember. I never owned an Xbox personally, so there's not that much of a nostalgia for me. I played a few games here and there on the console, but that was because a friend of mine had it. If there's anyone else I know that has a huge mastalgia for the Xbox, it's Maximilian dood. But that is more so because the Xbox was also known as Dreamcast 2. A lot of Sega's games were on that console. And apcom's fighting games as well.

I've got an old xbox also, but the best games I have for it are generally available other places. Like I would be really nostalgic for Halo 1 and 2 but those just came out on the masterchief collection on steam. So its not like I have to pine for the old days of playing them when I can just play them.

 

[happyninja42]

Because most of its best games are available in other places and still playable, plus I don't think we are quite at the right age from the console for nostalgia for it yet. I think it takes about 20 years for the nostalgia to kick in.

It takes roughly 20 years, starting at the age of like 10-20. Most 20 year olds aren't really feeling much nostalgia for things, at least not as widespread. The nostalgia usually kicks in, when you are in your 30's-40's, and looking back. As someone who is almost 44, I can say that the feeling of nostalgia (which I personally don't actually like, or think is a very good human behavioral trait), didn't really start popping up until like 5ish years ago, maybe earlier. For me it was mostly centered around music, not video games, despite video games being my primary activity for my entire life.

Sorry let me clarify that a bit. In general, the "nostalgia market" seems to target those in their rough 40s, and use the timeframe of when they were teenagers, as the nostalgia timeframe. So that sort of has a default 20+ year delay in most cases

 

[laggyteabag]

I think it might be because the Xbox's library of games have never really become irrelevent.

Most of the games have either been released on other platforms, and are still available through things like Steam, or they are backwards compatible on the Xbox 360, One, and upcoming Series X - or they have been rereleased, like the Halo games in the Master Chief Collection.

So whilst a lot of the GameCube or PS2 games have kind of faded into the background, the Xbox's games never really went anywhere.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

I was never into Halo much. I mean, I enjoyed the first two enough to play through their campaigns, and played 3’s mp a bit with friends, but what really makes me fondly recall the original Xbox are games like Fable, NG Black and the Doom port before I had a gaming PC. Also the simple fact that multiplat’s looked and ran considerably better than PS2. I also thought it was cool the system had a standard HDD and 480p capability.

Looking back, in a way it was still Microsoft’s best console yet in terms of what they got right, but they did improve upon the controller later.

 

[Phoenixmgs]

Outside of playing in-person Halo multiplayer with friends, the most I remember about the original Xbox is that I think at least 2 friends with the console had NES/SNES emulators on it so it was cool to play around with those games that aren't Microsoft games obviously.

Sure the ease of use of a console is a plus for people who don't want $1000+ PC's, but the price of these consoles at launch plus a TV is basically the same price as a gaming PC capable of running plenty of games. So the value and price of consoles is less relevant than ever before.

So the only thing that's left, exclusives. Take away those, and you take away the biggest reason people have to buy your console.

Why does anyone need to buy a TV for the purpose of playing a console? People have like 40+" TVs in their bedrooms now let alone their main TVs. The new consoles are probably going to be cheaper than buying the equivalent video card for the GPUs in the consoles let alone buying the rest of the PC parts. The XboxX GPU equivalent is supposedly the GeForce RTX 2080 Super, which the lowest price on Newegg for one of those is $710.

 

[Yoshi]

I love the OG Xbox. It and GameCube were both so much better than PS2.

Halo was awesome and loved KOTR 1 & 2 on the OG xbox

 

[Dreiko]

It's just not that old. I'm not nostalgic for ps2 either. Hell, I have my ps2 in a closet next to a mountain of games lol.

I do miss a couple of games like Otogi and Jade Empire, also we are due for another Ninja Gaiden.

 

[Phoenixmgs]

I love the OG Xbox. It and GameCube were both so much better than PS2.

Halo was awesome and loved KOTR 1 & 2 on the OG xbox

 

[Gordon_4]

Outside of playing in-person Halo multiplayer with friends, the most I remember about the original Xbox is that I think at least 2 friends with the console had NES/SNES emulators on it so it was cool to play around with those games that aren't Microsoft games obviously.


Why does anyone need to buy a TV for the purpose of playing a console? People have like 40+" TVs in their bedrooms now let alone their main TVs. The new consoles are probably going to be cheaper than buying the equivalent video card for the GPUs in the consoles let alone buying the rest of the PC parts. The XboxX GPU equivalent is supposedly the GeForce RTX 2080 Super, which the lowest price on Newegg for one of those is $710.

Woof, they're gonna be selling that at a loss then. Like a big one.

 

[Bob_McMillan]

I remember asking something similar to this back on the old forums. What most people told me back then was that the Xbox just wasn't quite that popular. Especially for people outside of the US. A quick trip to wikipedia shows that the Xbox only sold 24 million units, 16 million of which were in the US. When you compare that to the gargantuan 155 million of the PS2...

As someone who grew up in Asia, only Playstation and Nintendo ever really existed. When I was a kid, the only people who had Xboxs were those who were gifted Xboxs by relatives from abroad.