The Army and Marines have long been using PCs to run military simulations for training.

However, that nearly changed in 2006, when Microsoft was reportedly approached by the U.S. Army to supply it with Xbox 360 consoles. Despite the lure of a big fat contract with a government agency, Microsoft politely refused.

Supposedly, Microsoft had three reasons for not wanting to get involved:

- The fear that the military would snap up loads of consoles, but would buy only a single game for each. As platform holders make their money from games, not hardware, that’d bring in a big loss for Microsoft.
- A mass purchase by the military would result in an Xbox 360 shortage.
- Third, and most obviously, Microsoft didn’t want the 360 to become synonymous with killing. If it had been used as an Army training device, it may not do much for its image in the eyes of game-wary parents.