Xbox/Startup Screens

Xbox

(November 15, 2001-March 2, 2009)

Original variant
Error variant
Xbox Live variant

Nicknames:

Original version: "The Green Blob", "The Lab", "Green X", "The Xbox X"
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 a large green, pointy X. Below it is "XBOX", also in green. In a few seconds, the 1987-2012 Microsoft logo appears on the bottom.

Variants:

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 and two lines make it black and turns green again, 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 variant, since it only appears on consoles running the dashboard version "4920".

Editor's Note: None.

Xbox 360

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

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

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. Can be found on older systems running the old firmware. This was also found on early versions of the slim model 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 (November 4, 2010-April 20, 2016)

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

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.
In certain countries, when you buy the Xbox 360 E Blue Edition, the entire startup is in blue.

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.

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 late 2010 firmware update, especially 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.

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 IV", "The Xbox X IV"

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.

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 caused the console to flop (such as the mandatory inclusion of the Kinect and its $499 launch price, the always-on DRM and the release of Xbox exclusives to Windows 10 in 2016), the startup screen for those consoles are decently well-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

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

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

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.

Availability: Current. 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.

Editor's Note: None.