The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. The Xbox 360 was released in May of 2005 and is part of the seventh generation of video game consoles. Though the earliest versions were in short supply, and suffered from a high failure rate (the infamous “Red Ring of Death”), it still went on to be a main contender of the era and the highest-selling console made by an American company.