The original Xbox was way ahead of the other media centers I knew of at the time (2004-2010,roughly):
* CD/DVD player
* upgradeable HDD
* 1080i output (though I mostly used RCA connectors, and I don't think you can decode 720p+ with it)
* quite cheap compared to a fully fledged computer
* trough XBMC, integrated games library management, with native and emulated titles
* and of course, the plethora of add-ons and protocols Kodi supports to this day
And though it was big and heavy, it had an integrated PSU.
This was before raspberry pi was a thing, mind you. The alternatives were expensive (~€200) hard disk enclosures that couldn't do a fourth of this. I would have kept on using if it wasn't for its inability to cope with HD formats, and wouldn't be surprised to learn that it helped to promote the console quite a bit.
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Ah, XBMC... I still have an original Xbox that I modded to specifically run XBMC collecting dust in my spare room. It definitely has come a long way.
The original Xbox was way ahead of the other media centers I knew of at the time (2004-2010,roughly): * CD/DVD player * upgradeable HDD * 1080i output (though I mostly used RCA connectors, and I don't think you can decode 720p+ with it) * quite cheap compared to a fully fledged computer * trough XBMC, integrated games library management, with native and emulated titles * and of course, the plethora of add-ons and protocols Kodi supports to this day
And though it was big and heavy, it had an integrated PSU.
This was before raspberry pi was a thing, mind you. The alternatives were expensive (~€200) hard disk enclosures that couldn't do a fourth of this. I would have kept on using if it wasn't for its inability to cope with HD formats, and wouldn't be surprised to learn that it helped to promote the console quite a bit.
It was noisy as hell (from the fan) too.
Those were the days. I discovered my passion for computers by modding that console and unlocking its hidden potential. Modern day magic.