Last Thursday saw Microsoft unveil not only the title of their next-gen console which had been operating under the codename of Project Scarlett, but also the device itself. Fancy. Imposing. Able to be memed into the opening scene of 2001: A Space Odyssey with absolute ease. What’s in a name? Plenty! While people are generally smart enough to pick up on naming differences, it is vital to hammer home how different a new console really is by getting its branding right the first time.
In the case of the Xbox Series X, we’ve probably all been getting the idea behind that console completely wrong. Maybe. Kind of, look it’s weird. According to a Microsoft rep via Business Insider, the overall name of the next Xbox is…Xbox. “The name we’re carrying forward to the next generation is simply Xbox,” said spokesperson explained.
And at The Game Awards you saw that name come to life through the Xbox Series X. Similar to what fans have seen with previous generations, the name ‘Xbox Series X’ allows room for additional consoles in the future.
Crikey it’s too early for this and I still need my morning tea. If I’ve got this right, then it means that Microsoft’s next-gen is simply called “Xbox”, with the overall generation, or perhaps the more powerful console being called Series X. When Lockheart’s more budget-friendly version is announced, it might be named the Series Cheapskate or whatever according to the naming convention, with future model and iterative updates to the hardware all belonging to their own series of Xbox.
Does it make sense yet? It’s marketing buzzwords run amok yet again, but I think I’ve got a handle on how the next generation of gaming will work. We’ve gone from the original Xbox to the Xbox 360, from there we had the Xbox One and now we’re getting the Xbox in 2020. Easy. Maybe.
Last Updated: December 17, 2019
Pieter Kruger
December 17, 2019 at 09:26
Customer: “I want the new Xbox”
Shop Assistant: “Here you go!”
SORTED!
SagatatiaRZA
December 17, 2019 at 10:30
“Which one?”
BAMBOOZLED!
Son of Banana Jim
December 17, 2019 at 12:45
Drunken BT games staffer hands your grandma a Xbox One S in 2022…
Stoompot
December 18, 2019 at 14:58
https://media2.giphy.com/media/l49JXgRo7W0vyg8h2/giphy.gif
Seeker
December 17, 2019 at 09:39
DS, DSLite, DSi, 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, New Nintendo 3DS, New Nintendo 3DS XL, New Nintendo 2DS XL.
I think a former Nintendo employee has been hired to name Microsoft consoles.
SagatatiaRZA
December 17, 2019 at 10:16
I’m calling “Xbox: Pro”, “Xbox: Elite”, “Xbox: Tower”, “Xbox: All our games are coming to pc anyways just admit you’re too lazy to build a goddamn pc yourself” and “Xbox: SSX”, which is a snowboard and requires you to go down some gnarly Swiss Alps to keep it from overheating.
Son of Banana Jim
December 17, 2019 at 10:30
My future xbox experience will be… on Steam! ? ? ? ? ?
Where am I even supposed to store this massive fridge-lookalike? And what if our char thinks it’s a literal trashcan?
Son of Banana Jim
December 17, 2019 at 10:30
I’m pretty sure in 2023 they’ll release the xbox series x S just to add to the alphabet soup, and confuse consumers even more! ?
Grandma : sir, i bought my young grandson, Pieter a new xbox and he hasn’t stopped crying. He says it’s the wrong one… It says Xbox X one Series Betamax SS Poland edition on the box.
Drunken BT games staffer: ma’am… Hic… Have you tried turning it on and off again?
Disgruntled BT staffer # 2: brah, we sold her the new xbox one 360 hd soulstone….
MJ Baldspur Jarvis
December 17, 2019 at 11:41
Wii. Wii U. Confused people. Microsoft have dropped a clanger in the design and name. It’s hardly a console that’s going to fit snugly under the TV.
Sony will continue to dominate. Series X?
Llama In The Rift
December 17, 2019 at 08:30
Playstation 1…..2….3…..4…..5
Xbox: https://media2.giphy.com/media/6qq0soPoimjRBSjR8D/giphy.gif
Son of Banana Jim
December 17, 2019 at 10:30
Eceryone: “hey guys, remember the confusion wii and wii u caused?”
Microsoft : “ahyooo bitches, pass me more tequila”
It’s such a dreadfully dumb name, and that design….? Comeon Microsoft, you’re not supposed to take the box thing literally….
DntLos
December 18, 2019 at 09:00
2021…..introducing the XS an XL. For both broke and loaded gamers.