Microsoft Xbox Green Console

Much better looking than the average placky black Xbox and rarer than the Crystal version which came in 2nd Anniversary 'Limited Edition' and later in general release.

Due to the age of this Xbox (released as a special edition to celebrate the Xbox's 1st birthday in Europe) it will fall under Microsoft's Power Cord Replacement scheme, so I urge you to check the Xbox website to make sure you have a replacement lead to help prevent your power supply overheating.

The dark translucent green is perhaps not as contemporary and adaptable to your surroundings as the Crystal version, but it is nevertheless a vast improvement and a handsome piece of work over the standard black Xbox. Functionally, it is exactly the same but comes with 2 similiarly skinned 'S' controllers.

You can still play almost a thousand differently available games for this system, bought cheap 2nd hand. And Xbox Live is still playing in numbers for games like Halo 2, with free additional content available to download.

However, nowadays the best thing to do with an Xbox is to convert it to use the Xbox Media Center (XBMC) software. As modchips are deemed illegal in the U.K. you will have to softmod your console, easily enough using Microsoft's own Mech Assault game (among others). As a Media Center running XBMC, the Xbox surpasses the Xbox 360 and will even do many things such as play Real Media Video and Apple trailers from Apple's website and even YouTube - that the Xbox 360 cannot do.

Add to that, it's translucent looks (in green, or the clear Crystal version) then you just need to purchase the remote control to top off a great looking and (I'm surprised to hear myself say) quieter machine than the Xbox 360.

And it's rarity value will make it stand out more as a classic in time to come.

As an avid collector of video game consoles both modern and retro, the chance to purchase this limited edition xbox yanked both my heart-strings and wallet hard. Originally released in Europe in 2003, the translucent green edition marked the first anniversary of the xbox release. In terms of technical specifications, it is no different to the standard xbox. However, there is a certain charm in the aesthetic quality of the machine, given the similar green colour used in the system menus, that makes it seem like the "true" xbox colour.

For the average ebayer looking to buy a second hand xbox I personally would not recommend this item as you are likely to pay more (due to the limited numbers) for a console that plays exactly the same as any other xbox. However, although a collectable, there are perhaps rarer and more artistic editions to be found. For example: the translucent crystal edition released in 2004 of which exact production numbers are unknown, or the "Hello Kitty" edition of which only 550 units were produced (and it's translucent pink).

In summary, this is a piece worthy of any retro gaming collector's desire. However, if the colouration of plastic or aesthetic beauty of consoles are of little concern, shop for a standard xbox instead. For more information on limited editions of the xbox, visit the relevant wikipedia article.

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