The Xbox One launched in 13 territories of November 22, 2013 8 years to the day after the release of its predecessor, the Xbox 360. Just 24 hours later, Microsoft announced the Xbox One had sold one million units , an accomplishment that beat out the 360's launch, but followed the same initial sales trajectory of its main rival, Sony's PS4.

Games

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Hardware

“ ...the real pebble in the shoe of the Xbox One has so far been the Kinect 2.0.

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Sales

Microsoft's direction with the Xbox One has evolved since its initial launch, and while console sales have been solid, they still haven't managed to keep pace with the PS4. Here's a look at what the last nine months have been like for the Xbox One, and a look into the console's future.To read about the first nine months of Sony's PlayStation 4, please be sure to check out PlayStation 4 Check In: Nine Months Later. The Xbox One continues to build on its library of games by using the console's established franchises, launching new properties, and locking up third party exclusives. Launch title Ryse: Son of Rome may have failed to deliver on all of the Xbox One's promises, with critical reception lukewarm at best, but it's a new property for Microsoft Studios that, while flawed, shows potential for future games.Titanfall, another Xbox One exclusive game, has done well for the console. With a steady flow of DLC , the game continues to remain relevant. While future games in the series probably won't be exclusive to the console, the deal to have the debut game in the series exclusive to Microsoft seems to have paid off, although perhaps not as well as had been hoped.More recently, Microsoft scored a surprise deal when it secured the timed-exclusivity of the next Tomb Raider game, Rise of the Tomb Raider. Microsoft's Phil Spencer explained the move as a mutually beneficial arrangement for both Microsoft and Square Enix. Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, which came to both Xbox One and PS4, was a graphically upgraded version of last generations fantastic Tomb Raider, which IGN gave a 9.1 in our review . The strong sales of the last game, coupled with the exclusivity for Microsoft, could help bolster further sales of the console.Other exclusives like Forza Motorsport 5 and Dead Rising 3 reviewed well for the system, scoring 8.8 and 8.3, respectively. Cross platform games continue to find parity of release with the PS4. Games like Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Call of Duty: Ghosts, and NBA 2K14 came out on all the major consoles, including last-gen. These games, while good, are mostly graphically-upgraded ports and don't quite deliver that "next-gen" feel. But as the Xbox One and PS4 gain more and more market share, cross-platform games will be developed exclusively with the twin pillars of the modern consoles (and PC) in mind. In fact, Assassin's Creed Unity is one such game created only for next-gen.Forthcoming games on Xbox One include Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which will be arriving this November. The game contains graphically updated versions of all the numbered Halo games on one disc. That should do well to tide over fans of the series as they await the release of Halo 5: Guardians in late 2015. Other notable games coming down the pike include Evolve, Alien: Isolation , and of course, the highly anticipated Destiny.Initially, Microsoft stated that the Xbox One and Kinect were an inseparable unit, where one would not work without the other. Just a few months before launch, however, Microsoft changed its tune and went forward with affording gamers the option to disconnect the device. While this was certainly a boon to those hesitant to use the device, the company steamed forward with the Kinect as part of the packaged Xbox One experience. The company went so far as to say that the Xbox One would never not come with Kinect. Microsoft's Xbox’s chief marketing and strategy officer Yusuf Mehdi defended the company's launch stance of offering only the bundled Xbox One with Kinect, saying "I think it was the right call to bundle with Kinect. In the beginning of a new console generation, you’re trying to set the bar for a new experience, and I think we did that with Xbox One." But with Xbox One trailing its primary competitor in sales, Microsoft announced in May that a new, Kinectless SKU, retailing for $399, would be available in June.With both consoles now on sale for several months, it's also becoming increasingly apparent that the PS4 has a graphical edge over the Xbox One. Many Xbox One games run at a slightly lower resolution and experience more framerate dips than the PS4 versions. IGN's chart of PS4 vs. Xbox One Native Resolutions and Framerates shows that games like Assassin's Creed IV, Battlefield 4, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, and Watch Dogs (among others) all run at a lower resolution on the Xbox One.The Xbox One has been selling briskly since launch. In the absence of the runaway success of its primary rival, the PS4, the Xbox One sales would be considered quite impressive indeed. With over one million units sold in the first 24 hours, and over three million by the end of 2013, a number twice that of the Xbox 360 in the same period after its launch.Estimates put the number of total Xbox One consoles sold at around 5 million, or around half as many as the PS4. This is certainly disheartening for Microsoft, but the sequel to last generation's console "winner" has seen an uptick in sales since introducing the once unheard-of Kinectless Xbox One. Undoubtedly buoyed by the lower, $399 price tag, sales of the Xbox One doubled in June over May and the company saw an overall increase in console sales for the fiscal quarter. Total revenue from console gaming for the quarter came to $104 million USD, which represented a 14% increase in revenue year-over-year.The Xbox One has an uphill battle if Microsoft hopes to match or exceed the sorts of numbers Sony is posting, but the console has still had a strong first nine months, regardless. Giving the gamers the option to buy the console without Kinect, and the upcoming release of a stand-alone unit for those who decide they do want to experience the console as originally envisioned, has made a different. Strong upcoming first party titles, the adoption of the Games with Gold promotion for paying Xbox Live members, and more flexibility in what consumers can purchase are also making an impact.

Seth Macy is a freelance writer who does a podcast about '90s pop-culture. Follow him on Twitter @sethmacy , and MyIGN at sethgmacy