During The Game Awards last week, Microsoft surprisingly announced the name and showed off its next-gen console for the first time. The Xbox Series X name has been thrown around but it turns out that Microsoft didn't get its message across very clear, as the next-gen console is supposed to be referred to simply as ‘Xbox', with the ‘Series X' being just one of what could end up being several Xbox consoles.
Speaking with Business Insider, a Microsoft representative touched on the new naming scheme, saying: “The name we're carrying forward to the next generation is simply Xbox and at The Game Awards you saw that name come to life through the Xbox Series X. Similar to what fans have seen with previous generations, the name ‘Xbox Series X' allows room for additional consoles in the future”.
This seemingly confirms the other rumour going around, which is that Microsoft has two next-gen consoles already planned to launch. The Xbox Series X will seemingly be the high-end version, while the less powerful but more cost effective console is likely going to be called Xbox Series S or something along those lines.
In either case, both consoles are supposed to be referred to as ‘Xbox' and both will play all of the same games. This potentially also opens up the door for more iterative, smartphone-like upgrades over the years without needing to completely reboot and rebrand every six years or so.
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KitGuru Says: Microsoft didn't do a great job of getting that message across, particularly if it wanted to downplay the ‘Series' part of the name. Still, ultimately I do like the name and I'm sure we'll hear plenty more about next-gen console plans just a few months time.