System software

The Xbox runs a custom operating system which was once believed to be a modified version of the Windows 2000 kernel.^[17] It exposes APIs similar to APIs found in Microsoft Windows, such as DirectX 8.1.

Sandy Duncan, former VP of Xbox in Europe, however states that "the [Xbox] Kernel was based on Windows NT...but that was about 150K of code....". ^[18] The system software may have been based on the Windows NT architecture that powered Windows 2000, it is not a modified, or heavily version of either.

The user interface for the Xbox is called the Xbox Dashboard. It features a media player that can be used to play music CDs, rip CDs to the Xbox's built-in hard drive and play music that has been ripped to the hard drive; let users manage game saves, music and downloaded content from Xbox LIVE; and lets Xbox LIVE users sign in and manage their account. the dashboard is only available when the user is not watching a movie or playing a game. It uses many shades of green and black for the user interface, to be consistent with the physical Xbox color scheme. When the Xbox was released in 2001 the LIVE service was not online yet, so the dashboard's LIVE feature was unusable.

Xbox LIVE was released in 2002, but in order to access it users had to buy the Xbox LIVE starter kit containing a headset, a subscription, and supplemental. While the Xbox was still being supported by Microsoft, the Xbox Dashboard was updated via Xbox LIVE several times to reduce cheating and add features.