The Xbox 360 is dead

The age of the Xbox 360 has come to an end.

Microsoft has announced that production of the console has been halted, meaning that remaining stock is all that remains.

The highly popular console launched in 2005, and went on to sell approximately 80 million units worldwide across its original form, plus the subsequent Arcade, Elite, Slim and S models

It also helped spawned franchises such as Gears of War, Dead Rising and Mass Effect, as well as arguably providing much of the driving force behind the success of multi-platform console blockbusters such as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, BioShock and Assassin’s Creed.

It later had a thriving indie scene on the Xbox Live Arcade, laying some of the foundation for indie’s resurgence in the digital space.

“Xbox 360 means a lot to everyone in Microsoft,” said Xbox chief Phil Spencer. “And while we’ve had an amazing run, the realities of manufacturing a product over a decade old are starting to creep up on us. Which is why we have made the decision to stop manufacturing new Xbox 360 consoles.

“I want to personally thank the Xbox community – that includes the vast and diverse audience of gamers, developers and publishers who brought so much passion and creativity to the Xbox 360. You are the heart of what we do at Team Xbox, and you have been critical to the success of Xbox 360.”

The 360’s passing means that the PS2 remains the longest-running console to date, surviving 12 years until 2013 and selling 150 million machines worldwide.

Microsoft’s successor, the Xbox One, is currently outpacing its parent console in terms of sales and was recently updated with backwards compatibility support for Xbox 360 games, lending some logic to Microsoft’s discontinuation of the older box.