For most of us, the original Xbox was a bit of a blip. It had good games but compared to the other consoles it seemed bulky, inept, unrefined even. During its first few years most gamers would have argued it was a forgettable system - even if they loved Halo.

But what if it had never happened? If Microsoft looked at the game industry in the late 90s and decided it wasn't worth jumping into? Would the Gamecube have done better? Would the Dreamcast had a follow up? I'd argue Microsoft, and the Xbox, had a far deeper impact on gaming, and even the world at large, than we think.