Sales of the Xbox One X have experienced an extreme spike on Amazon, likely due to confusion over the name of the console. The Xbox One X is Microsoft's main current-gen gaming system, and shouldn't be confused with the next-gen Xbox Series X, which releases this November. This isn't the first time that these perplexing naming conventions have caused problems for consumers; in the wake of the price announcement for the Xbox Series X and its smaller counterpart the Xbox Series S, the terms "Xbox One X" and "One S" began trending on Twitter, proving that most of the internet has trouble telling the consoles apart.
Microsoft has made some good choices with its upcoming console; the hardware specs are very impressive, and Microsoft's recent buyout of Bethesda makes up for a launch lineup weakened by the delay of Halo Infinite. But fans have been criticizing the title since it was revealed, and with good reason. It's nearly impossible to tell from the title alone if the Xbox Series X is more powerful than the Xbox One X, or how the Xbox Series S stacks up against the Xbox One S. Microsoft's main competitor Sony does a much better job of differentiating its consoles by sticking with a simple numbering system for the PlayStation. Even Microsoft struggles with its own naming system, as evidenced earlier today when official announcements from the company identified the upcoming console as the "Xbox One Series X".
And now this baffling name scheme is causing problems once again. Twitter deal-spotter Andrew Alerts recently pointed out that the Xbox One X has experienced a 747% surge in its sales rank on Amazon, giving it the #4 rank on Amazon's "Movers & Shakers" list in video games. That doesn't mean that sales have increased that much; just how the console ranks on Amazon, but a spike this high would still be all but unheard of for a console that's about to be replaced. Even stranger, the Xbox One X has been discontinued by Microsoft, as noted in the product name on Amazon. The likely explanation, suggested by Andrew Alerts himself, is that buyers can't tell the difference between the Xbox One X and the Xbox Series X. This theory is backed up by the fact that since the Twitter post was made, sales have begun declining; at the time of this writing the console is sitting at the #8 spot instead, likely due to buyers getting wise and cancelling their orders. Another equally likely explanation for the jump could be bots programmed to sweep up pre-orders not being sophisticated enough to tell the two names apart.
One hopes even more players get wise to their mistake before it's too late. Despite the console's impending obsolescence, it's still a pricey piece of hardware, costing even more than the Series X's intended MSRP of $499. Spending that much money on the wrong video game console is a very costly mistake. At the same time, it's definitely an understandable one; even if one searches for the right console on Amazon, the first product that's actually available for purchase is the One X, and given the similarity in names, one can hardly be blamed for not taking a close enough look.
As the Xbox Series X gears up for its long-awaited November launch, gaffes like these will probably become more and more common. The simple fact of the matter is that the consoles were poorly named. One can only hope that Microsoft realizes this, and that future consoles will be given better and more memorable names than the Xbox One X and its successor.
Source: Andrew Alerts/Twitter