Xbox/Startup Screens

Xbox

1st Logo (April 2001)

Nickname: "Fireworks", "Green X", "The Xbox X"

Logo: On a black background, we see a large green, pointy X facing towards the screen, Below it is "XBOX", also in green, which then shines and two lines make it black and turns green again. After the animation ends, "XBOX" cuts out and the green X fades out.

FX/SFX: The text shining and the fade out.

Music/Sounds: None

Availability: Ultra rare, it can only be seen on early prototype Xbox dashboards. This startup is known as "ani.bin", with no leftovers of it in the Xbox code. The next startup is known as "ani2.bin" in the code.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (November 15, 2001-March 2, 2009)

Original variant
Error variant
Xbox Live variant

Nicknames:

Original version: "The Green Blob", "The Lab", "Green X II", "The Xbox X II"
Alternate variant: "Green Explosion of Doom"
Xbox Live variant: "The Live Lab"

Logo: We see a green blob forming in a green and black laboratory. It keeps moving and moving, but everything zooms out in green light and we see the same green, X as before. Below it is "XBOX" in the same color and font as the previous logo, In a few seconds, the 1987-2012 Microsoft logo appears on the bottom.

Variants:

Apparently, in late development, the logo was originally going to respond to button inputs of A, B, X, Y, Black, White, and the left stick. These inputs would control animation speed, fog, shadows, camera position, intensity of the blob, and shields. In the final build of the kernel, the library for handling controller input is not loaded on boot, so this code (and therefore the interactivity) is unused.
In later prototype Xbox dashboards, a section of shields spin around the blob, the animation is slightly slower and the 1987-2012 Microsoft logo appears late and is in green
An alternative version can be seen if an original Xbox game is inserted into a DVD/Blu-ray player (or any PC or gaming system that plays DVDs or Blu-rays, like the PS2/PS3 for example). We see an exploding green flash with green dots and they all form a green bubble circle. It zooms in when we see bacteria-like things, and then green flash zooms in the Xbox logo without the "X". It shines exactly like the previous logo, and in a few seconds, it explodes. After that, it displays "This is an Xbox game disc. Please put it in your Xbox to start playing." and says it in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese. The Xbox 360 has a similar animation, albeit with Portuguese, Korean, and Traditional Chinese added in.
On Dashboard version 4920, an animated logo will appear when "Xbox LIVE" is selected on the dashboard. It begins with a black background, and then an orange light shines brightly with several streaks. After this, a green neon hexagonal grid appears as the camera zooms out. Eventually, it zooms out enough to reveal the "X" logo along with the "XBOX" text. The camera pans and rotates until the XBOX logo is seen from the top, and center. During the camera motion, the light is revealed to be coming from the letter "I" in "LIVE", and the letters "L", "V", and "E" slide in from the sides and light up orange.The "I" continues to shine from the top.
A still version with a white background is seen when you play an Xbox game on an Xbox 360.
When playing an Xbox game on an Xbox One or an Xbox Series console, the Microsoft logo is removed, presumably because they changed their logo since then.

FX/SFX: The blob and "X" being formed, which seems to be CGI. The alternative version also uses CGI with great results. None for the still version.

Music/Sounds: Some deep synth bass notes with thunderclaps, followed by a high-pitched synthesized tune. It was composed by Brian Schmidt, who is known for composing music for pinball and video games.

Music/Sounds Variants:

The alternative version had a synthesized rock tune backed by cacophonies of an electric guitar, a synthesized EDM-esque riser, a repeating series of overly-saturated snippets of a man saying the name of the console, and an exploding sound with quiet beeps in the background in the end.
The still version is silent.

Availability: Uncommon. It still appears as the start-up on all models of the original Xbox console, which can be found for cheap on many auction sites or thrift stores (such as Goodwill or The Salvation Army). Also appears when playing an Xbox game on an Xbox One or Xbox Series console. Ultra rare for the Xbox Live and the "shields" variant, since the former only appears on consoles running the dashboard version "4920" and the latter appears in later prototype Xbox dashboards.

Editor's Note: None.

Xbox 360

1st Logo (November 22, 2005-November 3, 2010)

Nicknames: "The X Sphere", "The Xbox Sphere", "Green X III", "The Xbox X III"

Logo: We first see the top of a large sphere against a white BG in dim light. As the room begins to light up, the large, pointy green "X" lands on the right side of the sphere and shoots out a green ripple. The sphere then rapidly zooms out with a green aura and spins around clockwise so that the "X", which is deeply cut through the sphere, faces us. Another green ripple shoots out from the sphere, turning the BG pale green and forming the words "XBOX 360" below, with "XBOX" in green, "360" in gray, and the middle line of the "B" extending slightly out to the left. The sphere shines, and a small black Microsoft logo fades in below seconds after if you have a game in the tray and auto play is turned on.

Variants: A extremely rare variant was used before the Xbox 360's release date. The green background is different, the music is remixed and the Xbox 360 text moves slightly.

FX/SFX: The sphere and lighting effects. This logo was created by Imaginary Forces.

Music/Sounds: A dreamy synth tune with a few whooshes as the sphere forms. It ends with a fading synth chord (from the XBOX 360 game commercials) when the words are formed below. It was composed by Audiobrain.

Availability: Rare. Was seen as the start-up of the Xbox 360, before the late 2010 firmware update but it was seen in early builds of said firmware update, Can be found on older systems that were manufactured before the update, however the rarity of a slim model with this startup is higher, if not extinct. The stakes are raised considering the original models were infamous for hardware failures and/or the Red Ring Of Death (caused by overheating), so you’re lucky if you either find or own an original model that still works.

Editor's Note: This was a memorable logo for Xbox 360 players of the time.

2nd Logo (June 11-25, 2010, November 4, 2010-April 20, 2016)

Nicknames: "The X Sphere II", "The Xbox Sphere II", "Green X IV", "The Xbox X IV"

Logo: On a white background, we see many lines in shades of green swirl and form a gray sphere. A thick green trail forms and flies around as the sphere zooms at us, then zooms to its natural position as the green trail flies into the middle of the sphere, forming the same green "X" as before. The words "XBOX 360" (in the same colors as the previous logo) zoom in as the "X" glows for a second. Like the previous logo, if there's a game in the tray and auto-play is turned on, the Microsoft logo appears below.

Variants:

Starting with a software update released on June 10, 2013, the green colors (notably the Xbox text) are darker.

FX/SFX: All of the animation in this logo.

Music/Sounds: We begin with a synth note similar to the last logo. Then we hear a few whooshes, and a higher pitched version of the last note.

Music/Sounds Variant: On dashboards "2.0.12209.0" and "2.0.12275.0", We first hear what appears to be a group of kids laughing, followed by a remixed version of the 1st logo's synth note with whooshes, the whooshes is then stopped by a low-pitched version of the last note.

Availability: Common. While no longer current due to Microsoft stopping the production of the system in 2016, it can still be seen on Xbox 360 consoles running the Kinect and Metro dashboards, The slim and E models. This logo can also be seen when playing an Xbox 360 game on an Xbox One or Xbox Series console, the early audio was only on dashboard builds "2.0.12209.0" and "2.0.12275.0", It briefly went back to the first startup in dashboard build "2.0.12293.0" until it was replaced by the final version of this logo the next build later.

Editor's Note: Like the last logo, this was also a memorable logo for Xbox 360 players, both coming from the early years of the console and recent players.

Final Note: After 10 years, Microsoft decided to stop the production of the Xbox 360.

Xbox One

(November 22, 2013-2020)

Nicknames: "The X Sphere III", "The Xbox Sphere III", "Green X V", "The Xbox X V"

Logo: On a green background, we see the same X Sphere from the Xbox 360 logo (however the sphere is now white instead of gray) zooming out and rotating into place. "XBOX ONE" fades in. Then three small dots appear underneath the logo as the Xbox One is loading.

Variants:

On the Xbox One X, the startup begins with the console's system-on-a-chip exploding. When the system-on-a-chip explodes, streaks of lines travel towards the the screen. Then, the startup plays as normal.
In 2017, the startup received a minor update, the dots have been removed and the lighting in the sphere is brighter.

FX/SFX:

All Xbox One consoles: The sphere zooming out.
Xbox One X: The chip exploding, the lines moving up and the sphere zooming out.

Music/Sounds: The ending of the Xbox 360 startups, but low-pitched like the early audio of the 2nd Xbox 360 startup.

Music/Sounds Variant: On the Xbox One X startup, a whoosh-like buildup sound effect can be heard, followed by a sound of an explosion and a series of whooshes when streaks of lines travel towards the the screen.

Availability: No longer current, as Microsoft stopped producing the Xbox One family of video game consoles in order to focus on the Xbox Series family of video game consoles near the end of 2020. It was seen at the end of the trailer showing off the Xbox One console and was later used as the official startup for the console itself. All of those models of the Xbox One family (which includes the original model, the Xbox One S, the Xbox One S All Digital Edition, and the Xbox One X) can still be found on most online stores/auction sites, video game stores or thrift stores.

Editor's Note: While the console itself wasn't as memorable as the previous Xbox consoles, due to its rough launch and its slew of problems that initially caused the console to flop (such as the disastrous E3 2013 announcement, the mandatory inclusion of the Kinect and its $499 launch price and the lack of exclusives in recent years when Microsoft began to release Xbox-exclusive games to Windows 10/11-based PCs since 2016), the startup screen for those consoles are decently animated.

Final Note: Around the end of 2020, Microsoft had decided to stop the production of the Xbox One family of video game consoles in order to focus on the Xbox Series family of video game consoles (which includes the Xbox Series S and X), though this was not publicly confirmed by Microsoft until Cindy Walker (senior director of Xbox console product marketing) confirmed the console's discontinuation in an article by The Verge on January 13, 2022.

Xbox Series X|S and Xbox Cloud Gaming

(May 5, 2020, November 10, 2020-)

Nicknames: "The X Sphere IV", "The Xbox Sphere IV", "Black and White X", "The Xbox X VI"

Logo: On a black background, the X Sphere draws itself in white as the word ''XBOX'', also in white, fades in below. When the sphere is completely drawn, a blue aura emits from the bottom of it, illuminating the logo into view as a lens flare sweeps across the text. The logo sheens in gray once before fading out.

FX/SFX: The sphere and text appearing, the lens flare. Simple but effective CGI.

Music/Sounds: A synth, chorus-like note is held throughout the entire logo, sounding almost like an old Windows (coincidentally also a Microsoft product) startup.

Music/Sounds Variant: When you launch a game via the Xbox Cloud Gaming service, the startup sound from the last logo is used.

Availability: Current.

It was first seen on a YouTube video advertising the first look at Xbox Series X gameplay at an ''Inside Xbox'' event. Can also be seen when turning on a Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S console.
It can also be seen when launching a game via the Xbox Cloud Gaming service (previously known as Project xCloud) if played via a supported desktop-based web browser (e.g. Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome), provided that you have a subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
It is worth noting that the Xbox Series X can be difficult to find, due to the ongoing global chip shortage and supply chain issues that have been brought up by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as well scalpers reselling the consoles at a price higher than its MSRP. However, the Xbox Series S, is much easier to find (though if you want to get games on the Series S, you will either need to purchase a game from the Microsoft Store or subscribe to Xbox Game Pass, as the Series S doesn't have an optical drive built-in).

Editor's Note: None.