Celebrate the 10th anniversary of Xbox with Halo CEA, Avatar awards, and discounts

It's hard to believe that the Xbox was released a decade ago today. The console, and its predecessor, played a major role in ushering in the HD gaming era and defining the online multiplayer that gamers have come to know and love. Microsoft is celebrating the anniversary with a free Avatar item, discounted games, and the release of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

The re-release of Halo: Combat Evolved--a launch title on the original Xbox--is especially great, thanks to the updated HD graphics, brand-new features like terminals, skulls, and Kinect integration, and more. The game has been lovingly re-created, and the team at 343 Industries even re-recorded the soundtrack with the famous Skywalker Sound orchestra. Many of the classic Halo CE multiplayer maps are now playable in Halo Reach, and those without a copy of Halo CEA will be able to pick up the Anniversary map pack on Xbox LIVE tomorrow.

The Xbox has changed a lot over the last ten years. It started out as a big black box in 2001 and introduced Xbox LIVE in 2002. The Xbox 360 propelled the platform ahead when it launched in 2005, and it has continued to innovate on a yearly basis, especially with the release of Kinect last year. And the future looks even better, thanks to the upcoming dashboard update and a possible third console coming within a few years. Happy birthday, Xbox!

[Xbox]