Microsoft XBox

Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market, which competed with Sony's PlayStation 2, Sega's Dreamcast, and Nintendo's Gamecube. The integrated XBox Live service allowed players to compete online over a service that supported dozens of games on a Microsoft hosted server (rather than leaving online play up to the game’s manufacturer), pioneering the business model used today by all consoles. The system enjoyed a decent commercial run of approximately four and a half years, gaining momentum over that time until it was pulled from shelves early (irritating fans) to make room for the Xbox 360. The system now enjoys a robust secondary life, running a homebrew version of Linux as an emulation machine. Several notable franchises came out on the Xbox, including Fable, Forza, several Bioware RPGs, and the legendary Halo.