Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console actually has a better lifespan than most of its Windows operating systems.
The Xbox 360 might be about to become two generations old – with Project Scarlett on the way next Christmas – it hasn’t been completely forgotten by Microsoft.
It doesn’t receive new games anymore, not like the Wii and its yearly Just Dance updates, but you can still buy Xbox 360 games from the Xbox store. (Though that probably has as much to do with backwards compatibility on the Xbox One as it does the 360 itself.)
We don’t know how many Xbox 360 consoles are still regularly online, but given today’s news – that Microsoft has released a system update – it can’t be an insignificant number.
In a Tweet, Xbox spokesperson Larry Hyrb said, “Xbox 360 users, we released a system update to address some minor bug fixes and improvements,” followed by a link that promised “more details“.
When you follow the link, this is what it says:
DASHBOARD: 2.0.17559.0
Release date
11/12/2019
Minor bug fixes and improvements
So literally just “minor bug fixes and improvements,” then. “More details” was a bit generous, Larry.
Still, it’s heartening to see Microsoft still supporting the ageing Xbox 360 after 14 years, especially when its other products – like its Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 operating systems, which are going end-of-life in January after a comparatively brief 11 years – get much shorter lifespans than a mere plaything.
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