July 29th is a Day To Forget for Xbox Fans Xbox Fans Will Want to Put July 29th in Their Diary
It's the end of support for the Xbox 360 as its didital store is set to close permanently. But it may be a good idea to visit it one last time!
This month, fans of the Xbox 360, a console that put Microsoft on the map for its dedicated storefront for digital gaming, have a reason to be melancholic. On July 29th, that very storefront is about to permanently shut down, leaving fans of a few games with no options to purchase them elsewhere.
Since its inception in 2005, the Xbox 360 store has been an iconic milestone in Xbox history as it paved the way for Microsoft to offer convenience and easy access to a multitude of excellent titles to owners of the console. While two generations of consoles have since followed the Xbox 360, its place as one of Microsoft’s best-selling consoles will endure in the eyes of gamers.
The End of the Xbox 360 Era
The Xbox 360’s influence on modern gaming continues to be felt in the form of storefronts for digital games, of which it was something of a pioneer. Offering players the convenience of purchasing their favorite titles directly from their consoles, it also could be seen as the beginning of Microsoft’s push for cross-platform gaming with its ability to stream content from local PCs.
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The Xbox 360 store’s 19-year presence showcases its value to owners of the consoles over the years. While a majority of its games can be purchased on other consoles owing to backward compatibility, some of its titles like the South Park games are going to be hard to find elsewhere. Yet, owners of content that was bought on the store will still have access to their purchases and be able to download them on their consoles.
A Clearance Sale That Others Could Learn From
However, the news is not all bad for Xbox 360 owners. Although Microsoft’s increased prices on its modern Game Pass subscription services alongside the removal of auto-renewal using reward points has disappointed its fans, there are currently a slew of discounts on popular titles on the Xbox 360 store, with discounts going as high as 90%!
It could be a good idea for Xbox 360 owners to brush the dust off their consoles and fire them up to check out the store in case there are games or DLC expansions that they may want to grab before the store shuts down.
With Microsoft’s recent changes to its strategy towards console exclusivity alongside the PlayStation 5’s complete dominance over its current Xbox iteration, the Xbox 360 could soon be the face of the console’s golden years in the gaming industry.
Many games on the store also have physical copies that players can choose to buy if they are particularly nostalgic about them. They could also look at other sources if there is something that’s really had to find.
But for now, Xbox fans must bid the beloved Xbox 360 store a fond farewell as it closes its doors in two weeks.
