GameStop Tolls the Bell on Original Xbox

Remember back when the word “Xbox” didn’t have “360″ attached to the end? It’s been a solid three years since Microsoft’s last original Xbox system rolled off the assembly line, but thanks to some backwards compatibility on the 360 and a respectable availability of used hardware and software, the system has still managed to live on in the secondhand market. Now, though, it looks like the largest gaming retail outlet has decided to pull the plug on the ‘box.

As a part of its most recent marketing update this week, GameStop stores have started notifying customers that it will no longer be accepting hardware, software, or accessories for the original Xbox console, starting on February 9th. There’s no word so far as to how long after the 9th the company plans to continue carrying its used stock for the original Xbox.

The news shouldn’t come as too big of a shock to gamers, as even Microsoft apparently gave up on the original system, even going so far as to stop dishing out backwards compatibility updates for the Xbox 360 in November of 2007. Instead, now the company has decided to simply let 360 owners download complete titles from the original Xbox era via the LIVE Marketplace. With both Microsoft and now GameStop choosing to leave to original Xbox in the past, will the rest of the gaming community follow suit and look more towards the future of the Xbox franchise? Only time will tell.