It’s 2001, and you’re sitting outside Gamestop waiting for some fancy new device. You’re the only one in your circle of friends who thinks you’re wild enough to get one Xbox The Nintendo Gamecube was released a few days later. Basically, you’re crazy and have no friends. Well, if you can make it to a Toys R Us store opening and have these toys handed out by Bill Gates himself, then you have one!
You’ve heard great things about the Halo game, but you’re really not sure what to expect. Your internet speed is too slow to watch any videos; all you have to do is have that month’s Game Informer issue, which also pits the Xbox against the Gamecube. Online games? You’re 12 years old; and while you’re technically not supposed to play games online, Xbox Online’s online gameplay will shape you for years to come.
The success of the Xbox led to the Xbox 360. While the Xbox 2 was also a good option, they reportedly passed on this option because they didn’t want the Xbox 2 to compete with the PlayStation 3.
These aren’t the only names used in Microsoft’s second-generation console. we got Xbox 360Xbox 360 Core, Xbox 360 Arcade, Xbox 360 Elite, Xbox 360 S and Xbox 360 E. You have the OG, a pair of laptops without a hard drive, and an ultra-thin laptop.
Now, it’s only now that 2013 has rolled around that these terms have gotten out of hand. Xbox One Entering the chat room, everyone said “Yeah”. They were worried that the Xbox 2’s score would lag behind the PlayStation 3 generation, but when it came to the PlayStation 4, they thought the Xbox One was just fine. No matter what, I can get over it; I mean, it works battlefield oneright?
Then they made an ultra-thin version, Xbox One S. OK, I understand. Later, they followed Xbox One. I swear, there’s a reason I’m giving gamers a history lesson they probably already know.
You see, it’s 2020, and Xbox Series X and S out. Now you have Xbox 360 S, Xbox One S, Xbox Series SXbox One X and Xbox Series X. Wrong.
people are confused
As it turns out, Reddit ggf66t Been a victim of this naming convention lately. In the post, he described how he and his wife discussed purchasing one of Microsoft’s latest consoles to play Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game for their children, which is only available on the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 consoles. Long story short, after a lot of twists and turns, the wife ended up buying an Xbox One X instead of an Xbox Series X, which meant the games were completely unavailable. So close!
Now, I understand. He should have checked it out; she could have done a better job researching the product, blah blah blah. They’re all wrong, but can we also start blaming Microsoft for its ridiculous naming convention? I mean, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S. If I didn’t know anything about games, I’d guess these are products made by a company called Xbox. I had no idea they were a continuous product from generation to generation.
Again, we can blame people, but when has it ever come down to Microsoft not making these names simple enough? I mean, look at Nintendo, the company has famously never named any of its consoles with numbers. They have NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, Wii, Wii U and Switch.
He’s not the only one with problems, though. A quick web search provided multiple instances of other users complaining that they purchased the wrong console. Like this user on Reddit Picked up an Xbox One S,
“My brother has been itching to play Baldur’s Gate 3, but he’s the world’s cheapest skateboarder and refuses to upgrade from the prehistoric Xbox One he got at launch. Well, my coworker is switching from his S After upgrading to Series , I tried setting it up last night and it works. [the game] Because Xbox One S is not the same as Xbox Series S. Not the same as the Series S, lmao. Took an L and had to share.
No matter where you look on the internet, you’ll at least come across people genuinely complaining. Just like the user is giant bomb”, “How confusing is the new Xbox naming convention? New Playstation’ One.
The other side of the coin is Nintendo, which, as we all know, has never named any of its consoles with numbers. They have NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, Wii, Wii U and Switch. Wait, do you understand?
The only major problem Nintendo has had with naming is using similar language to name their products, something Microsoft continues to do as well. The Wii and Wii U are notoriously confusing for parents trying to buy their kids the latest Nintendo on the market, even though the two consoles were launched six years apart.
Has Nintendo doubled down on its efforts to create a new version of the Wii U? No, they turned to the Nintendo Switch and introduced the iconic Switch opening sound into every ad, effectively erasing the Wii and Wii U disaster from everyone’s memory. If they rename the Switch 2 to the Switch U, they’ll just miss the mark again.
Microsoft needs to do better
Going forward, it would make sense for Xbox to have something that rightfully screams “sequel console.” Unless, of course, Microsoft decides to turn the whole situation into a hardware circus and third-party manufacturers step in. I can see it now: Introducing the Asus ROG Strix Xbox Pro, the Asus TUF Xbox Pro, and then the inevitable S, E, X, and Y versions that bring chaos. Don’t even get me started on the mid-gen updates – what’s coming next, four different versions game pass? Oh, wait.
Microsoft, please save us from GPU-style naming confusion! I just want to play games; I don’t want to be the person in the house where everyone asks which console is which. I’m already that person, but if I had to start complaining about the minor hardware differences between five or six different versions, my family would stop paying attention almost immediately. My nephew and niece will suffer even more than they already do because their parents can’t pronounce “Fortress Heroes” no matter how hard I try to correct them – wrong article rant.
Just know that all of this can be avoided if they don’t fear the PlayStation 3 and instead choose to use an Xbox 2 or jump to an Xbox 3. ” or “S” because the numerical names have actual meanings. Not this “series” or “one” nonsense. For the average consumer, there is no clear perception between these words. One mistake and you might end up doing The best Christmas killer ever.
Can we keep the name within reason while you go back to doing what you do best, which is making some high-end hardware? The saying “keep it simple and stupid” isn’t for nothing, and more companies should keep this in mind when dubbing their own productions. Using the phrase “dub” on your next Xbox is inappropriate.