Microsoft's first foray in the turbulent waters of the video game industry came in 2001 when they released its debut home console, the Xbox. The console was a question mark at the time, coming from a company that specialized in computer software and lacked experience in both the gaming industry and the hardware business in general. While both the console and its controller was notorious for its awkwardly massive size, and sorely lacked support from Japanese developers and fans alike, the device went on to be a tepid hit.

While its main competitor, Sony, managed to outsell the Xbox by a whopping 7 to 1, this newcomer did manage to squeak by the established gaming Juggernaut known as Nintendo, selling 24 million units worldwide as compared to the Gamecube's 21. Despite a crowded and competitive market, which now had four competitors battling it out, Microsoft managed to carve a niche for themselves. This would later serve as the foundation for the far more successful, more widely supported Xbox 360 years later.

It certainly helped that the Xbox boasted the most horsepower, multimedia versatility, slick branding, and a third party lineup that was quite impressive for a newcomer, particularly when it came to Western developers. Its hardware was also surprisingly durable, at least compared to its successor and the infamous "red ring" that came with it. With a console that was somewhat quickly dropped by Microsoft and long relegated to the history books, it's easy to forget just how much the machine was capable of.

And so, here are 25 things that only super fans were aware that their monstrous piece of hardware could do.

25 Offered Controllers For Both Small And Large Hands

If you thought the Dreamcast controller was humongous, look no further than the original controller for the Xbox. It sported a pointless, but nonetheless cool emblem smack dab in the middle, a bulky frame, and wealth of scattered buttons.

Microsoft thinks BIG.

It wasn't long before critics spoke out about this monstrosity, particularly in Japan, whose population had smaller hands on average. Thus, the Controller S was born in response. It was still sizable, but far more manageable, and its frame more closely resembled the design Microsoft still uses for the Xbox 360 and One.

24 Upload And Listen To Music With Ease

Sony's PlayStation helped pioneer CD playback on the home console, but Microsoft helped perfect it with its versatile music player. The feature not only allowed for CD play in high quality, but you could rip your music directly from your disks onto the console's built-in hard drive and create playlists, which could be repeated or randomized.

There was even a trippy visualizer which flashed colorful streaks and waves, and was quite hypnotic.

This helped establish Microsoft, along with Sony, as pioneers as the gaming console as a multimedia device, and a sort of entertainment center of the living room.

23 A Built-In DVD Player And Remote

Taking things one step further, the Xbox not only allowed for CD play, but it also played DVD movies, making it the second console to come with this ability after the PS2's launch a year earlier.

Microsoft also released a handy remote which could control the DVDs and flip through the menus, to allow for more convenient lounging while watching. You simply plugged the receiver into the controller port and you were good to go.

22 First Console To Offer True HD - Sort Of

While consoles like the PS2 and Dreamcast were among the first to up the resolution ante to 480p support, the Xbox is the first console to truly make the leap into the HD generation. While support was scant, and 1080p was still absent, there were a handful of games that output in 720p and 1080i. These include NBA 2k3, Soul Calibur 2, and The Warriors.

Though there is an option for 16:9 widescreen in the system menu, you still needed a separate adapter to display the handful of HD supported games in all their crisp 720p/1080i glory. The console's menu itself has no option for HD. Gamers would have to wait for the Xbox 360 for true support, but the Xbox did offer a taste of hi-def, which was cutting edge for its time.

21 Optimal Support For Lan Parties

Much like its online support, Xbox was a prime platform for lan play; not just because of its multiplayer-friendly FPS's like Halo, but because of its Ethernet support. Much like general online play, this was a relatively new concept for home consoles at the time.

There's nothing quite like 8 player Halo, some sodas, and pizza on a Friday night...

You simply hooked up your Xbox's to the same router via the ethernet cord, and connected to the server through the in-game menu, and you were good to go. You could also connect wirelessly, or use a combination of wired and wireless.

20 Keyboard And Mouse Support For True PC Gaming Simulation

The original Xbox was notorious for being the go-to hub for the FPS genre, and what better way to play these games than a keyboard and mouse? While some have grown acquainted with the controller and its clunkier joystick for shooters, many still live and die by the intuitive and responsive nature of aiming with the mouse.

Luckily, company Smartjoy provided a solution with an adapter that supported your standard keyboard and mouse, which was compatible with all Xbox games. It's not quite as simple as "plug in and play", but with a little customization and some button-mapping, you can play your favorite FPS the way it was meant to be played.

19 Durable Hardware That Had A Good Chance of Outlasting Your Xbox 360

While the Xbox 360 reached a horrific failure rate of 33% at one point with its original model and its iconic "red ring of death", Microsoft's debut console proved surprisingly reliable, especially compared to rival PS2.

It's not just as big as a tank, but built like one too.

Although it was far from perfect, and risked the occasional overheating and disk read error, the console was rock solid and managed to be pretty durable. Some even report their original Xbox outlasting their more modern 360.

18 ...But Its DVD Drive Could Hold Your Disk Captive

Disk read errors were never a huge issue with the original Xbox, but because the console used a rather bulky tray that slid out, it was susceptible to getting jammed. This was reported to be a fairly common occurrence.

Thankfully, the more creative players soon managed to devise means to fix this issue. These methods included everything from prodding it open from underneath the tray with a paperclip, to simply smacking the top of the unit with a little "love tap".

17 A Built-In 8 Gig Hard Drive For Massive Game Data Storage

The original Xbox still used 8, 16, and 32-bit memory cards which were plugged into the back of the controller N64-style. Though Microsoft took this one step further, safeguarding against space issues for save data by installing an 8 gig hard drive built right into the system.

You could even install a new, larger hard drive.

Not only could you store a wealth of save data more easily and conveniently, but you could also upload music onto the hardware, eliminating the need to painstakingly swap out CDs.

16 Offered The First Console Platform To Play The Hit Elder Scroll Series

In an age when Nintendo and Sony's consoles were heavily populated with JRPGs, the vast majority of RPGs of the Western variety were confined to PC. Xbox helped bridge the gap between these two platforms, and there's perhaps no greater example than the Elder Scrolls series making its home console debut, with Morrowind on the Xbox.

Now you could slay monsters from the comfort of your couch.

The game brought a new sensibility to console players, with its grittiness, its vast scope, and open world that stressed exploration rather than a linear narrative. It helped establish the groundwork that would eventually turn the series into a household name on consoles with Oblivion and Skyrim.

15 The Build Allowed For Parts To Be Swapped Out And Replaced

As this machine came from Microsoft, it should be no surprise that its hardware was built and assembled not unlike a PC, with its flexibility in installing and swapping out different parts. Users soon discovered that they could go inside the guts of the machine itself and, with some mixing and matching of wires, could replace parts that were defective.

The few unlucky gamers that found themselves with a faulty disk drive or broken fan could take matters into their own hands by buying new parts at an online outlet like Ebay, and switching them out themselves.

14 Its Original Disk Drive Provided Plenty Of Disk Read Errors

The Xbox's disk drive has, as a whole, been known to be pretty reliable, aside from the occasional stuck disk tray. Though there have been instances of the dreaded "disk read errors", which seems to have been more common with the original Xbox models.

While they looked the same, the disc tray of the Thompson drives had a slightly different design that was more simple and circular.

That's likely because some of the original machines came with drives by the hardware manufacturer Thompson, which have gotten a reputation of having a higher failure rate than the Philips and Samsung versions a bit later down the line.

13 Spruce Up The Appearance With Custom Skins

While the custom skins didn't quite take off during the early 2000's, there were a couple of means to purchase some pretty cool looking custom skins. A couple of the bigger names here were System Skins and Gamer Graffix.

They offered designs that ranged from slick chrome finishes, to gritty, in-depth designs that added a little artistic flair to the bland solid black look. Some of these can still be found on Amazon on the cheap.

12 Offered The Most Powerful Home Console Experience For Its Time

Sony is looked at as the gaming powerhouse these days, but back in 2001, it was Microsoft that was flying the flag of home console horsepower. Though the GameCube actually edged this bulky machine in efficiency in some areas, the Xbox boasted the most raw power of the big 3 overall.

The technological powerhouse of its day...

Its specs included a 32 bit and 733 mhz CPU, along with a 233 mhz graphics card, and 64 MB of DDR SDRAM. It also came with a built-in hard drive with 2 gig allotted system reserve for better performance, cutting-edge Dolby Digital audio, and a faster loading DVD drive than the PS2 and even GameCube.

11 Controller Cables That Broke Off - To Minimize Unfortunate Accidents

Imagine having a console so large and chock-full of powerful tech that the prospect of it smashing on the floor warrants a trip-proof controller cord. This was the case with the Xbox, whose cords would separate from the chained-together pieces if one were to trip the wire.

It was a preventative measure that didn't always work, but at least offered a fail-safe for the clumsier Xbox players out there. It was perhaps, the next best thing to a wireless controller, which would become the standard a few years later.

10 Had Its Own Version Of The Red Ring

While the Xbox 360 original models had a habit of "red ringing", the Microsoft's debut console wasn't perfect on the hardware front either. The light around the eject button had a list of error messages which is conveyed through different colors.

A solid red light meant overheating of the hardware - which was the most common issue - but the more ominous red and green meant there was a more general system failure. Luckily, this could often be fixed with a simple, delicate disc eye cleaning, or simply letting the machine cool down for a while.

9 Had Stellar Third Party Support - At Least From The West

It's no secret that the Xbox didn't do well in Japan, and naturally, didn't get much love from Japanese third parties. But in the West, support quickly reached a level nearly equivalent to the third party powerhouse, the PS2. Some even preferred the platform, as its versions usually provided superior graphics and performance compared to the older PS2.

Games like Jet Set Radio, Madden, Morrowind, Splinter Cell, GTA, and Ninja Gaiden helped establish the Xbox line as a go-to for many Western third parties; a view that remains unchanged to many even now.

8 Makes An Ample Door Stop With Its Massive Size And Weight

With Microsoft's first console, bigger was better. This wasn't just true in terms of the horsepower, and the scope of many of their games, but also the physical size of the console itself.

A technological David vs Goliath...

This robust machine had a weight comparable to a PC, weighing in at a whopping 8.5 lbs, which was almost double the PS2 by comparison, and dimensions of 12.5 x 4 x 10.5 inches. The company has since dialed the "size matters" approach back quite a bit, with its far more slim Xbox One S in particular, which is over 2 lbs lighter.

7 Play Games Across The Room With An Extension Cable For Optimal Lounging

Action, adventure, and FPS games heavily populated the original Xbox library, and the best way to immerse yourself in those experiences was on a massive TV set. Televisions were increasing rapidly in size in the early 2000's as flat screens and later HD sets grew in popularity.

This handy extension cord enabled you to rock the Halo marathon sessions on your 50-inch flat screen from a distance, without going blind or cross-eyed in the process.

6 Be Your Own DJ

While the PlayStation was the first console to allow for music playback with its CD format, Microsoft took things one step further. The Xbox Music Mixer was something of a glorified music player, as it allowed you to transfer songs right from your PC and listen to tunes on the console in a new way.

You could engage in poorly sung karaoke sessions using the microphone support, interact with visual representations of the songs, and even upload photos and create slideshows which could be run with your tracks. It was certainly a unique diversion from shooting aliens in Halo.