Feature: Four Years Later, People Are Still Getting Confused By Xbox’s ‘Horrible’ Console Names
What are your thoughts on them?
by Fraser Gilbert Yesterday, 6:30pm
When Phil Spencer announced back in late 2019 that the next Xbox console would be known as the “Series X”, it immediately sparked conversations over whether the naming convention had become too confusing. After all, we already had the Xbox One S and Xbox One X, and by late 2020 we also had the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.
Over time those conversations inevitably died down, but it’s clear that even in 2024, there’s still plenty of confusion surrounding this topic. A couple of notable examples come via the Amazon reviews of EA Sports College Football 25:
Amazon Reviewer: “This is not a review of the game itself because we couldn’t play. Xbox One S (or X) is not equal to Xbox Series S (or X). We bought this thinking S worked, but that was not specific enough research apparently. Our fault, but what an absolutely horrible naming convention. And they don’t make it easy to find out the model you have either.”
Amazon Reviewer: “I have an Xbox one xā¦.. I did research and says the x|s and ones can use series x games and it doesnāt even allow me to play. It says it is not compatible and you canāt even return the item because once you open the packaging itās no good and considered usedā¦.. waited sooo long for this game and used to play the old ones just to find out I spent $75 on a game I canāt play.”
This is far from the first time we’ve spotted comments along these lines. Have a browse on the Xbox Store and you’ll find “reviews” from disappointed Xbox One users who wanted to play the latest Series X|S games, but simply didn’t understand the naming convention. Of course, you could argue that people should research these things more thoroughly – but you could also argue that giving the “X” and “S” monikers to multiple consoles is asking for trouble.
It doesn’t help when certain games have multiple editions that make things difficult for the buyer…
Anyway, we thought this provided a good opportunity to get your thoughts on Xbox’s naming convention in 2024 and how “confusing” and even “horrible” the Series X and Series S names have proven to be. Do you think Microsoft should have opted for something different, or are you perfectly happy with the decision that was made a few years ago?
Let us know your thoughts on Xbox’s console names in the poll and comments section below.
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[source x.com, via amazon.com]
Fraser is the News Editor at Pure Xbox, where he spends his time reporting on the biggest stories in the world of Xbox and beyond.
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