As the gaming world is a competitive market, each release needs to hold some special quality to make the consumer form a bond with it. Xbox 360 was released against two main competitors, Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii consoles. To win a fan base and keep their foothold in the gaming market, Microsoft set itself apart from the competition with the following:

  • Backwards Compatibility: This is a must now for all consoles. If you are building off a predecessor (Xbox) than those games need to still work to keep your following.
  • Game Library: Consumer s like variety and Microsoft responded. They announced that by the end of 2008, there will be over 1000 games available for the Xbox 360.
  • Online Gaming: With the spread of multiplayer games, makes a strong and reliable gaming network a must. Xbox live was developed and allows for players to find fellow gamers to compete against.
  • Dual Purpose: Although it does not play Blue Ray discs which was specific to Sony and PlayStation 3, Xbox can play DVDs, Hi Def DVDS as well as Audio discs in most common formats.

As Xbox 360 was released to market almost one full year before its competitors, it had time to gain a following for its increased technology being available. This and its reasonable price tag allowed it to gain a following and keep its place in the competitive world of gaming consoles.