Xbox is a home video game console manufactured by Microsoft that is the first installment to the Xbox series of video game consoles. It is released as Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market on November 15, 2001, in North America, followed by Australia, Europe and Japan in 2002. It is classified as a sixth generation console, with Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's GameCube. It is also the first major console produced by an American company since the release of Atari Jaguar in 1993.