The Rock Reflects on Introducing The Original Xbox With Bill Gates

By Connor Casey

Video game history was made at the CES convention in Las Vegas back in 2001 as Bill Gates and then-WWE star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson unveiled the first Xbox console developed by Microsoft. Johnson, now one of the biggest movie stars in the world, took to Twitter on Thursday to celebrate the anniversary of that moment, writing, "Was a fun day at CES, introducing the world to the very first-ever, 'OG @Xbox' with Bill. We were the coolest cats in Vegas, talking shit about our broadband capabilities and fanny packs."

This year's CES made major headlines as Sony officially announced the PlayStation VR2 headset will be coming to the PlayStation 5. The announcement coincided with a new virtual reality game, Horizon Call of the Mountain, a new installment in the Horzion series alongside Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West.

Johnson has made a number of headlines over the past few weeks, including the public rejection of returning to the Fast & Furious franchise despite a public plea from Vin Diesel. He told CNN, "I told [Diesel] directly that I would not be returning to the franchise. I was firm yet cordial with my words and said that I would always be supportive of the cast and always root for the franchise to be successful, but that there was no chance I would return. Vin's recent public post was an example of his manipulation. I didn't like that he brought up his children in the post, as well as Paul Walker's death. Leave them out of it. We had spoken months ago about this and came to a clear understanding."

"My goal all along was to end my amazing journey with this incredible franchise with gratitude and grace," Johnson added. "It's unfortunate that this public dialogue has muddied the waters. Regardless, I'm confident in the 'Fast' universe and its ability to consistently deliver for the audience… I truly wish my former co-stars and crew members the best of luck and success in the next chapter."

In the same interview, Johnson shut down the idea of running for president. The former WWE Champion had previously floated the idea and even made a 2032 campaign a plot point in his NBC series Young Rock. 

"Well, I think that poll of almost half of Americans being in favor of me running for president is so humbling," Johnson said. "It sits me down and I don't know any other way to describe it. To have a little ability to potentially galvanize our country is humbling, very humbling. Might be the Teremana talking here but I still don't know a damn thing about being a politician. I don't know if I have that politician gene in my DNA. Leader? Yes. Patriot? All day long. Politician? No."

He continued, "I feel the best position I can be in right now is to be a trusted, nonjudgmental place for people; regardless of what side of the street you live on, what color you are, what you do for a living, how you choose to live your life, what your bank account says, whether you drive a car or take the bus. I don't care. None of that matters to me. Just work hard, take care of your family, be good to people, be kind to people, be straight up, honor your word and always [have] some fun along the way. And don't be an a**hole. Like I said, I don't think I'd make a good politician."

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