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Xbox 360 Launch Date and Prices: November 22, 2005 — Core $299, Premium $399

The Xbox 360 launched in North America on November 22, 2005—a year before PS3 and Wii, securing Microsoft's "first to market" advantage in the seventh generation.

Launch SKUs & MSRP

Model	Price	Included	Key Omissions
Xbox 360 Core System	$299.99	Console, wired controller, composite AV cable (Y/R/W), power brick	No hard drive, no wireless controller, no component HD cable, no headset, no Ethernet cable
Xbox 360 Premium (aka "Pro")	$399.99	Console, 20 GB detachable HDD, wireless controller, component HD AV cable (Y/Pb/Pr + R/W), wired headset, Ethernet cable	None—full package

Launch Context

Europe: December 2, 2005 (€299 Core / €399 Premium).
Japan: December 10, 2005 (¥29,800 Core / ¥39,800 Premium). Poor adoption.
Supply Constraints: Severe shortages through holiday 2005. Scalpers flipped Premium systems for $700+ on eBay.
Launch Titles (NA): Call of Duty 2, Perfect Dark Zero, Kameo, Project Gotham Racing 3, Quake 4, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, Madden NFL 06, NBA 2K6, Need for Speed Most Wanted.

Post-Launch Revisions

Core → "Arcade" (2007): Renamed, added 256 MB internal memory unit (no HDD), HDMI added (later), 512 MB internal (later).
Premium/Pro: 20GB → 60GB (2008) → 120GB (2008) → 250GB (2009) HDD revisions. HDMI added mid-cycle.
Elite (2007): $479. 120GB HDD, HDMI, black finish, headset.
Slim (2010): Redesigned, integrated Wi-Fi, 250GB/4GB models, quieter, cooler.
E (2013): Final revision. Slimmer, no AV port (HDMI only), same internals as Slim.

The $399 Premium was the smart buy in 2005. The $299 Core forced early adopters to buy the $99 20GB HDD and $50 wireless controller separately—totaling $450+.

Xbox 360