Live Support for Old Xbox to End

Microsoft will be pulling the plug on Xbox Live support for the original Xbox on the 15th of April. While this move will not affect Xbox 360 players, those that are using the original Xbox console, or are playing original Xbox games on their 360 console will not be able to make use of those products online anymore.

"This isn’t a decision we made lightly, but after careful consideration, it is clear this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox Live community," said Marc Whitten, general manager of Xbox Live. He went further to say that the decision was a necessary one, despite the popularity of titles like Halo 2 on the original platform.

"There’s no greater example of the power of the Xbox Live community than the Halo franchise. Halo 2 has had an amazing run on Live, with a dedicated community more than five years after launch and well into the next generation of consoles.

"It has fundamentally changed the way we play videogames. And while it’s difficult to see that run come to an end, the Halo franchise continues to act as the benchmark for multiplayer gaming in this generation, with Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST and soon Halo: Reach on Xbox 360."

Whitten explained that more services and features would become available for Xbox 360 users via Xbox Live, once the switch had been flipped.

"As we look down the road, we’ll continue to evolve the service with features and experiences that harness the full power of Xbox 360. To reach our aspiration, we need to make changes to the service that are incompatible with our original Xbox games.

"We will contact the Xbox Live members directly impacted by this change and if this includes you, I encourage you to check your Live messages and associated email account over the coming weeks for more details and opportunities. We view you as a partner in this process."

Although the original Xbox wasn’t distributed in South Africa, and we do not have official Xbox Live services here yet, there will still be a few out there who may utter a moan of dismay at the news.