Microsoft Has Killed Off The Xbox One
The Xbox One was a fabulous games console. Sure, it had its problems, and some of its exclusive titles didn't quite stand up to the PlayStation 4's at the best of times, but it still offered a great lineup of games and carried us into the current generation of gaming.
A lot of people still have a lot of memories tethered to their Xbox Ones, with many still putting them to good use before they can get their hands on the next console in the Xbox lineage (or using it as a glorified blu-ray player - don't worry, we've been there) and Microsoft owes a hell of a lot to it.
But, it has come time to say farewell to the old boy, as it has been revealed that the console has been out of production for some time, bringing along the true end of an era.
Microsoft Confirms It Doesn't Make Xbox Ones Anymore
Click to enlargeIt's okay if you need to have a cry. Microsoft has officially revealed that the Xbox One console has been completely discontinued after the company stopped manufacturing Xbox One X and Xbox One S models at the end of 2020.
In an interview with The Verge, the senior director of Xbox console product marketing Cindy Walker confirmed that "to focus on production of Xbox Series X / S, we stopped production for all Xbox One consoles by the end of 2020".
It makes sense that the company would do this with all of the stock problems that have wrought the current console generation, but that certainly doesn't take the sting out of the news.
But, thankfully, this isn't the end of the console's games.
Backwards Compatibility Has Saved The Xbox One's Games
Thankfully, the latest generation of consoles has had just as strong a focus on backwards compatibility as the Xbox One did for the Xbox 360 and OG Xbox, as nearly all of the games that were playable on the Xbox One can also be played on the Xbox Series consoles.
With the obvious omission of Kinect titles, many of the games in your cupboard will still run on the Xbox Series X - so really, there's never been a better time to upgrade.
The games might still be with us, but that big wheezing brick of gaming goodness is still on its way out, and though it was a sad inevitability, we're struggling to say goodbye. Pour one out for a real one tonight.