Cognition Dissemination: Microsoft’s Already-Confusing Series X

I had a good idea of what Microsoft meant by the name “Xbox Series X” when they announced their next-generation console at The Game Awards last week — if you want to call it a console. It won’t be a single system, despite the sole PC-like box shown during the reveal that justifiably made several observers think that’s all it was. It will be a series of consoles, hence the name “Series X.” They’re focusing on one main SKU for now, which they’ve detailed to certain press outlets, while others should be revealed in the near future if Microsoft plans to present a bunch of hardware options in a near-simultaneous manner.

At the same time, I can’t blame anyone for being confused as to exactly what Microsoft is going for here. Showing only one console was enough for some astute observers to think there would only be one iteration in this “Series,” at least initially. There’s also serious potential for the average consumer, who is far from being well-versed in electronics knowledge, to be bewildered.

Thinking the name was either tentative or just odd was also easy, because Microsoft can come up with odd names for their hardware. The name “Xbox 360” was okay, though not strange enough to derail its chances on the market. The “Xbox One” name wasn’t good either, but was the least of the issues with the console. The “One” name was chosen because of how it would be an all-in-One entertainment console, a destination for watching TV and browsing the internet in addition to playing video games. It didn’t resonate initially because the gaming audience didn’t want it to be more than a gaming system first and foremost (though the other options didn’t hurt), and the early requirement for the system to be always-online didn’t help. The name was widely mocked online before it released, especially with marketing slogans like this.

Microsoft is unlikely to make the exact same kinds of mistakes that led to the Xbox One not being as successful as the 360 worldwide, but they run the risk of making different ones. The “Xbox Series X” name is itself too close to “Xbox One X,” for starters. A Microsoft representative provided clarifications about exactly what the next system(s) will be to Business Insider, and made this more confusing.

They revealed how the name of the next console will actually just be “Xbox,” while the “Series X” name is a way to leave their options open. This reads confusingly, but I think they’re saying that following the Xbox One’s life, all games will simply release for a universal series of Xbox consoles and be playable on any of them. The series of systems sound similar to PCs, which explains why the iteration shown resembles a desktop case. I tend to read a lot about console and PC gaming and write for a blog focused on the hobby, but even I only “think” I know what they’re going for here. If more than one piece of hardware plays physical games, imagine someone not paying attention to this going to a store, observing a box, and asking which Xbox certain games will play on. It could be nightmarish for retail workers.

To be fair, Microsoft is likely hoping people won’t go to the stores to buy games anyway, which would eliminate that issue. It’s rumored, by the way, that one weaker and cheaper hardware option, codenamed “Lockhart,” will be similar to the current-generation Xbox One S All-Digital Edition in not having a disc drive.

The idea for having multiple systems with varying features and power is a good one in theory. Microsoft can create a series of hardware choices tailored towards people with similarly varying spending habits. But this could go awry if they haven’t carefully planned this. It means developers will have to make sure their games run well on several systems with differing power sets, which could mean a lot of work. Enthusiasts who want their games to take full advantage of powerful hardware are already concerned about the lower-powered iterations holding games back, though not every developer will can afford to make the most graphically impressive games around.

Besides, developers will have to adjust their games for multiple spec sets anyway for at least the first two years of the Series X’s life, since most games will be cross-generation titles also released for Xbox One. Like the last-generation of systems, not everyone will migrate to the next generation quickly. Releasing too many options too quickly would only further confuse the consumer, something they also need to watch.

If they make any serious mistakes, Sony will be there to pounce. If their overall messaging is on par with what the Microsoft representative tried to explain to Business Insider, all Sony will need to do is say there’s no such confusion with the PlayStation 5, where only one system plays all the current-games. But that will only work if the PS5 is reasonably priced. If its specs are comparable to those known for the currently-introduced Xbox Series X system, it won’t come cheap.

Microsoft’s explanations are confusing now, but they have time to clarify everything. They’ve revealed their next-gen plans this time far earlier than they did for the Xbox One in the last console generation, and this stumble isn’t nearly catastrophic enough to hurt them yet. A more proper reveal of the Series X should come early next year, perhaps at a special show before E3 2020.