Microsoft rolled out the first Xbox 360 system update in over two years, showing that it has not yet forgotten the previous-generation console.
The Xbox 360, released in 2005, has long been overshadowed by the Xbox One, released in 2013, and the Xbox One X, released in 2017. Games such as Minecraft have already stopped supporting the Xbox 360, but Microsoft is apparently not yet willing to let go of the 13-year-old console.
New Xbox 360 Update
Microsoft rolled out OS version 2.0.17526.0 for the Xbox 360 on May 22, the first system update for the previous generation console in over two years.
According to the Xbox support website, the previous Xbox 360 system update was released on March 29, 2016. The update added minor bug fixes and improvements and was rolled out about a month before Microsoft declared the game over for the console by announcing the end of Xbox 360 production.
The new Xbox 360 update, however, isn't a groundbreaking one. There were neither amazing features added nor was there any exploit that needed to be patched up. The update's release notes, perhaps unsurprisingly, said that it similarly only contained minor bug fixes and improvements.
For Xbox 360 owners who would like to check the operating system version of the 13-year-old console, go to the Settings hub and select the System icon. From there, select Console Settings and high System Info. The OS version will appear as the number that is listed after the Dashboard heading, within the gray area beside the Console Settings menu.
Xbox One Backward Compatibility
Xbox 360 owners who also own the Xbox One have a good reason for no longer playing with the previous-generation console though, and that is because of the Xbox One backward compatibility feature.
The Xbox One backward compatibility program includes almost 500 original Xbox and Xbox 360 games, and the list keeps growing bigger. The feature is actually one of the few advantages of the Xbox One over the industry-leading PlayStation 4, with Sony likely never to add it to the console, as well as cross-platform play.
It is interesting to see Microsoft launch what is being considered a minor system update for the Xbox 360 after over two years, despite the company knowing that Xbox 360 games can also be played on the Xbox One. While a Sony executive recently revealed that the PlayStation 4 life cycle is entering its final phase, Microsoft showed that it still cares about the Xbox 360, even if the console is already a teenager.
