During the pre-order phase for the Xbox Series X, sales of the older Xbox One X skyrocketed and it had everything to do with the console’s confusing name. Apparently Amazon saw a 747% rise in One X sales. While we’re sure some people figured they just wanted the current-gen version of the console for now, there are also a lot of reports of people buying the wrong console accidentally.
Xbox One X sales skyrocket
To pre-order an Xbox Series X on September 22nd, gamers had to digitally force their way onto bad servers to snag a next-gen console before stock ran dry. Some people were so excited to get a Series X, that they made a small yet detrimental oversight; instead of purchasing a Series X, they bought an Xbox One X. This made sales of the older console skyrocket on Amazon for a while, as spotted by industry watcher AndrewAlerts. And so, confusion ensued:
I was half asleep and ordered a Xbox One X by mistake FUCK!!
— Troydan (@Troydan) September 22, 2020
Name it ‘Xbox Series 361 Xs’ instead
While it’s easy to just laugh at people for thinking they bought (not pre-ordered) an Xbox Series X for half the price, it’s really Microsoft’s fault. Just look at this unambiguous proof of the Series X’ silly name, as pointed out by former IGN Benelux editor Mick van Hesteren. He shared an article from TheVerge, headlining: ‘The Xbox Series S plays Xbox One S versions of Xbox One games’. Don’t say that out loud though, you might unintentonally participate in a ritual to summon Satan…
The tweet reads: “Guys, the Xbox names are a gigantic clusterfuck. If the headline was about PlayStation, it would have been immediately clear what [the article] is about.”
https://twitter.com/MickMetDeBaard/status/1305393523840004096
Obviously, the headline would’ve made a lot of sense if the names for the respective consoles were at least a little bit structured. And yeah, we made fun of the PlayStation 5 logo/name. But at least it makes sense to follow 4 up with 5! Instead, Microsoft figured they would follow up 360 with One, only to top it by choosing ‘Series X’ and ‘Series S’. For the record Microsoft, the Series X and S are both from the same bloody series, making the next generation of Xbox consoles the Xbox Series series. Nice.
Not so merry Christmas
So yeah, some kids might not have quite the merry Christmas this year. Confusing Series X for One X is an easy oversight to make, especially if you’re a non-gaming parent. Many of the recent Xbox One X customers were probably just that. And when those not so lucky kids open up their Christmas gift and see ‘Xbox One X’ written on the box, they’ll look up intensely and curse Microsoft for the stupid Xbox names.
Oh well, at least they’ll get a free upgrade for many great games when they do get a Series X next year.