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Is the branding for the console going to be confusing?

  • Yes

    Votes: 1,896 63.5%
  • No

    Votes: 1,088 36.5%

  • Total voters
    2,984
Oct 25, 2017
3,853
Names=Good
Bad names closely associated with previous hardware=Not good and confusing.

Nintendo had this problem twice with the Wii U and 3DS, not everyone researches gifts for christmas when this thing launches, go to a retailer on December 26th and see the massive lines in the return area. I can't tell you how bad it was the first christmas of the 3DS where massive amounts of 3DS games were returned when people realized the DS wouldn't run them.

Look at the mass confusion here, these people cover video games for a living, it takes them a good 30 seconds of discussion to realize that this is scarlett and not an xbox one x.



Here's Maxamillians reaction, him and his buddies aren't confused because one of them pointed out it was scarlett before the reveal, and their reaction to the name is ".......what".



The name itself is not very good, Xbox series X doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but it's made 10x worse by the fact that they've recently launched a system called the Xbox One X, that's going to confuse the shit out of people who don't pay attention to the industry.

They already had a good name, Scarlett sounds better, rolls off the tongue better, and is way less confusing. This is a self inflicted wound, i'm not saying they can't recover from it, the 3DS recovered from a bad name, but again......why sabotage yourself?

Ya this pretty much says it all right here.
 

Taker34

QA Tester
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
1,122
building stone people
I personally think the name is extremely confusing and worse than the WiiU in terms of marketing. Now I'm not a marketing person for MS so I couldn't care less but watching reaction videos where people involved with games became confused with what was shown, you have to start wondering why.

To be fair, the Wii had an enormous casual crowd playing - people very detached from gaming normally. Xbox will always have that core audience who will know.

Either way Series X doesn't imply a continuation of anything compared to One X. It's confusing to a layman and doesn't help. It's still an important target audience and they should've gone for something more iterative. Maybe something completely new even. It's an interesting choice for sure.
 
Oct 31, 2017
3,287
It's a dumb name and will initially cause confusion for people buying it as gifts for loved ones but eventually as the One X is phased out the issue will be resolved. I dunno why the folks at MS have such a hard time coming up with logical names for their hardware though, it's baffling.
 

ArkhamFantasy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,541
It's a dumb name and will initially cause confusion for people buying it as gifts for loved ones but eventually as the One X is phased out the issue will be resolved. I dunno why the folks at MS have such a hard time coming up with logical names for their hardware though, it's baffling.

If i had to guess, a convoluted combination of (irrelevant) data, (poorly selected) focus testing, and being plain stubborn, not wanting to go the numbered route that their direct competitor does and wanting to be unique.
 

Najaf

Member
Oct 26, 2017
952
Houston, TX
Hyped on the trailer but so bummed on the name. Market confusion all over the place. I suppose that is the hand they dealt themselves with the whole xbox to xbox 360 naming...
 

Belthazar90

Banned
Jun 3, 2019
4,316
Yes, the name is really bad and will cause a lot of confusion... But for me the worst part was how they handled the box/name reveal. They didn't have nearly enough time to make it something remarkable and memorable, it felt like it wasn't a big deal, as it was shrugged aside for another trailer 5 minutes later. They should've saved it for e3 or an event of their own.
 

Loxley

Prophet of Truth
Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,602
A lot of y'all are kind of ignoring the fact that Nintendo did a trash-tier job of communicating to consumers that the Wii U was a brand new console in the lead-up to its launch. The enthusiast crowd made them well aware of the confusion but they did jack shit to remedy it. Also the Wii U didn't tank because of the name, it tanked largely because it was an underwhelming console and the "Wii" branding didn't help at all.

I'm gonna go ahead and assume that over the next year MS will make it abundantly clear that this is the successor to the Xbox One and not just some new variation. The Series X also has the benefit of a completely different shape and size compared to the Xbox One S/X. There's really no confusing the two even with a brief glance.

I just don't see this horrifying dytopia of millions of consumers accidentally buying Xbox Ones instead of a Series X because they got the two confused actually happening. Isolated cases in the grand scheme of things? I mean, sure. But at the moment I'm gonna say this is a mountain being made out of a molehill.
 

ckareset

Attempted to circumvent ban with an alt account
Banned
Feb 2, 2018
4,977
All these people saying consumers will be confused? So what, they are just gonna increase one x sales? Lol. Big deal
 

Border

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,859
I presume that "Series X" is meant to cover the entire product line of next generation Microsoft consoles.....it's not the name of any single SKU.
 

hyouko

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,204
All these people saying consumers will be confused? So what, they are just gonna increase one x sales? Lol. Big deal
The confusion over the Wii U name (and whether it was a new console or not) definitely did not sell more OG Wii consoles.

Then again, I always thought the Xbox -> Xbox 360 -> Xbox One progression was a bit confusing, and the target market managed OK with those. They're not prominently marketing something that looks like a peripheral to the Xbox One as Nintendo did with the Wii U and its tablet controller; they're focused on the console proper, which has a visual design distinct from its predecessor.
 

Border

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,859
While the name didn't exactly help, the WiiU's failure had a lot more to do with terrible 3rd party support and a second screen gimmick that not even Nintendo developers could justify or make interesting. It's like some moron in R&D looked at the DS and decided that because of its success people must want a console with a second screen too.
 

Deleted member 29249

User requested account closure
Banned
Nov 1, 2017
3,634
The wii was for parents and grandmas.

People that buy Xbox are more informed. Also the naming has been all over the place already so that's not new.
 
Oct 28, 2017
5,050
for me the worst part was how they handled the box/name reveal. They didn't have nearly enough time to make it something remarkable and memorable, it felt like it wasn't a big deal, as it was shrugged aside for another trailer 5 minutes later. They should've saved it for e3 or an event of their own.

I felt the same way. Just 10 min later Geoff keighley is mucking it up with some CGI Apex legends cornball as if nothing happened. Like ummm... didnt we just get our first glimpse of next gen?
 

TheRulingRing

Banned
Apr 6, 2018
5,713
Dont know how people can say this is as bad or worse than Wii U lol.

Microsoft's messaging around this system will be clear - it's a massive step up in all terms from the previous gen.

Wii U was just another level of crap ideas.
 

Dyle

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
29,880
It's definitely confusing. It probably won't be as bad as what happened with Wii U and 3DS, but we'll see how the games are branded in stores. There will be a lot of confusion with games in the first holiday if the next-gen system will be called just Xbox with Series S and Series X being the names of the different skus.
 

supkid

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,757
Dublin, Ireland
It's honestly a baffling choice for a name, I do quite like the monolithic design, but the name is terrible. It doesn't easily imply an iteration of a device, I can definitely see how this could be confusing for consumers. XBOX Two would have made a lot more sense tbh.
 
Nov 17, 2019
1,581
Idk why other people's parents have so many issues buying consoles. My mom did just fine and she knows nothing about gaming.

Mom: What do you want for Xmas?
Me: Xbox One X pls

Mom goes to store

Mom: I want the Xbox One X
Clerk: Ok

It's not that hard. I see some posts with people going like "I want the xbox something or whatever". Maybe try giving half a shit about the thing you are about to drop hundreds of dollars on? Anyway the Series X is next gen and will be marketed as such. All the Xbox Ones will be in a corner somewhere, I don't really see someone buying the wrong thing. Marketing will do its job.
 

Defect

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,666
So much hubbub over a name. I don't care for it either but it's not like the Wii U at all.
 

Rodan

Member
Nov 3, 2017
634
Ok as an Xbox fan that's completely invested in the brand I have been trying to convince myself it's not that bad. But I do have an issue with it.

I know the name is "on trend" for technology right now. I assume the gen after next will have Xbox Series X2 or Xbox 2 Series X or something along those lines. Which is okay, but I think console naming conventions mirror cars in some ways, and a lot of brands are dropping obscure names and numbers and going to traditional name badging because it evokes a more emotional response from the consumer. Cadillac announced a few days ago they are dropping their "CTX, CTS, CTS-V" names and sticking with names like Escalade, El Miraj. Lincoln did the same thing- their MK series is no more and they are going with badges like Aviator, Nautilus. (Ford found out that sticking an 'X' on their minivan and calling it a 'Taurus X' didn't boost sales).

I would have loved to see them use names like Xbox Scorpio, Xbox Scarlet, etc instead.
 

packy17

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,901
They have an entire year to get marketing right. The design is so different from the current Xbox that I really can't see it being anywhere close to the Wii U in terms of confusion. Nintendo's mistake was focusing almost entirely on the controller which led to people thinking it was an add-on for the Wii. That's not the case here.
 

MajesticSoup

Banned
Feb 22, 2019
1,935
People will be confused for sure. Who cares. The name was reason #206 Wii U failed.

My dad thought playstation played the same games as Sega Saturn because both used CDs. Really doesnt affect sales in the end.
 

supkid

Member
Oct 29, 2017
1,757
Dublin, Ireland
My dad thought playstation played the same games as Sega Saturn because both used CDs. Really doesnt affect sales in the end.

Let's be honest, that wasn't down to naming convention, but more the fact that they were the first two mass market CD based consoles. They were using entirely new tech, so I can imagine people probably thought it was all the same, like buying a CD player at the time.
 

Abylim

Member
Oct 29, 2017
5,021
Australia
This is funny. I have owned damn near every console in existence starting with the Atari 2600 and culminating with the PS4, Switch and XB1. I also have a gaming rig. I am not a "fan" of any billion dollar corporation. I am a fan of games. You guys are getting your panties in a bunch over a name. I can remember telling Nintendo fan boys they were being ridulous when they said the name Playstation sounded like a Fisher Price toy. And then later when Sony fanboys critcized the name Dreamcast. Then Xbox and Sony fanboys criticizing Gamecube and Wii. Who cares what it's called? If it plays kick ass games I'm there. Console warriors are hilarious.

You're the one trying to create the narrative that Microsoft is unfairly picked on. Not me. Lol
 

Deleted member 21709

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
23,310
It depends on their marketing, but once the One X leaves the eco system I think they will be fine. 'I want the new Xbox' 'series S or X?'

I wonder if Xbox Infinity was ever on the table.
 

Luminish

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
6,508
Denver
Until seeing this topic I was ignoring all "Xbox Series X" news and talk assuming it was just a special Xbox One, which I really don't care to learn more about.

Sure, anyone seeking out the new generation Xbox will find it easily enough no matter what they call it, but it doesn't really spell out to people not following along that there is a new generation Xbox.
 
Last edited:
Oct 28, 2017
1,945
I don't think it will be confusing. I just think it's a very poor name.

The WiiU wasn't confusing either if anyone could be bothered to google 3 minutes worth of research. It was just a shitty name.
 

Decarb

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,632
Let's be honest, that wasn't down to naming convention, but more the fact that they were the first two mass market CD based consoles. They were using entirely new tech, so I can imagine people probably thought it was all the same, like buying a CD player at the time.
Tbh when I was a kid I thought all CD games worked on all consoles that used CDs. Why wouldn't they? Its the same size CD :p
 

Weltall Zero

Game Developer
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
19,343
Madrid
Xbox names in general are a dumpster fire. Xbox One might take the cake as far as terrible, unnecesarily confusing names go, but Xbox One X and Xbox Series X certainly aren't far behind. Can't wait for their bizarre obsession with the letter X to crystalize in the enhanced version of this console to be called Xbox Series X X.

And, I mean, naming consoles is a solved problem already. Either you name them with consecutive numbers (imagine how much Sony saves in market research to name their consoles), or use a completely new term for each console. Holding on to a console brand name because it was successful in the past is a mistake; when people shell out for technology, they want brand new, exciting things.
 

Bookman

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,227
Voted no. I see your point but Microsoft ain't gonna mess upp the marketing like Nintendo did. People will know.
 

OfficerRob

Member
Oct 25, 2017
26,071
I definitely agree that it's a bit confusing, but the Wii U confusion was more than just the name—it was 30% name, 30% the long streak of original Wii accessories, and 40% Nintendo focusing on the gamepad and rarely showing the system itself in my opinion.
I couldn't agree more, and that's why I feel all the "it's just like the Wii U" posts are ignoring the entire picture of why that system failed. The name for the Series X could potentially be a problem, BUT it's entirely too early to say that as we don't know Microsoft's marketing, and at the very least nobody will think it's an accessory for the XBox One. There is also no concern about Microsoft hiding the system, as the box looks to be front and center. Far too many people take a series of mistakes by Nintendo and boil it all down to the name sucking
 

RocknRola

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,184
Portugal
It's not the best name (IMO) but it has the best nickname of all (SeX hehehehe).

Say what you will about Sony's boring naming conventions: they're damn easy to market and follow.
 

Cosmo Kramer

Prophet of Regret - Chicken Chaser
Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,177
México
It's confusing yes, i doubted for a second when they announced it and i've had every Xbox model released. It's also too long and too similar to Xbox One X.

I do think more people will be confused and they could've done better when naming the console.
 

Kaswa101

Member
Oct 28, 2017
17,741
Not a fan of the name. Doesn't roll off the tongue at all lol, and they shouldn't have stuck to the "X" branding again imo.
 

GaimeGuy

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
5,092
If Wii U vs Wii is bad, then Xbox One X vs Xbox Series X is awful.

Wii is a brand. So is Xbox. One X vs Series X sounds like a single model
 
Oct 29, 2017
810
The iPhone was good when it was just iPhone. There was one best phone in the world and it was the iPhone, no confusion. Now there's a ton of different models, which one is even the best?
Well the have a iPhone and then they have the iPhone pro . Me thinks the pro would suggest better . Maybe it being more expensive It is very confusing..,,
 
Oct 29, 2017
810
you are better than this ppl . It's barely a issue . Plus ppl that bought the one X are likely hardcore Xbox Fans . If you are casual gamer it's really Xbox one vs Xbox series X. That's different enough