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Almost a full year before its release, Microsoft chose the Game Awards to reveal its new console, previously known as Project Scarlett, the Xbox Series X. But while fans and the press alike have been reporting that the console is called the Xbox Series X, Microsoft has clarified that this generation will merely be called “Xbox”, and “Series X” the name of the first console of this next generation.
“The name we’re carrying forward to the next generation is simply Xbox,” a Microsoft representative told Business Insider (thanks, GI.biz), “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. We’re excited to offer fans a glimpse at the next generation of gaming with Xbox Series X. But beyond that, we have nothing further to share.”
So just like the Xbox One model – which offered both an S and X variant, too – the next generation of Microsoft’s hardware will simply be “Xbox”, and the Xbox Series X is merely the first iteration of that console.
It will release, as expected, for ‘Holiday 2020’.
And that’s a long countdown now. Microsoft has set itself upon an 11-month run-in for the new hardware, longer than any we have seen before, with both previous generations being revealed in May for a six-month marketing campaign. Now, even if Microsoft decides to pull the trigger early, and say translates that ‘Holiday 2020’ date into an early October release, rather than mid-November as usual, it’s still an incredibly long haul from now to then. A long haul in which Microsoft already had a significant hardware advantage through its Xbox One X.
