In a recent interview, head of Xbox Operations Dave McCarthy disclosed how the next generation of Xbox was named, amongst other console specific development details.
After using the codename “Scorpio” for the duration of its development, the eventual reveal came with the name that gamers would be looking for on launch day, the “Xbox One X”.
“There was a real appeal to going back to our roots as an ‘X’ box team. That original Xbox was founded on a principle of real technical innovation, opening up some new avenues for games developers, and gamers overall. So it didn’t take us long to land on the X name,” McCarthy explains. “It spoke to us, it meant something in our history. So, as a team, we gravitated to the name pretty quickly. But I like Scorpio as a project code name as well.”
McCarthy says the “X’ part of the name as returning to the team’s roots after the Scorpio name had been used, and has become synonymous, with the forthcoming Microsoft console.
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Amidst a flurry of mockery, McCarthy stands by his decision to simply tag another “X” to the back of the already unimaginative Xbox One name. Although not entirely unexpected, such an uninspired renaming of a console whose development name struck fear into the hearts of Sony, Nintendo, and the PC Master Race fans is a disappointing development. The stalwart defense of such a weak name has made Microsoft’s new system the mockery of the gaming world. Now, the Xbox One X is a serious powerhouse of a console, the most powerful console produced to date by Microsoft, but the name has already turned more than a few gamers off.
Being able to stay afloat amidst the rugged battleground of console production, not to mention the constantly changing world of PC customization and upgrading, the Xbox One X is definitely a step in the right direction for a console producer who wants to stay relevant. But that name is just awful; why not just keep Scorpio? Making gamers twist their tongues into knots trying to explain the console to a friend or turn the dang thing on seems like an egregious step. Despite the name, the console is insanely powerful and boasts one feature that primary competitor Sony has struggled with, backwards compatibility. The Xbox One X will allow the Microsoft loyal to continue to enjoy their Xbox One libraries, in addition to select titles from the original Xbox. It’ll be interesting to see how the goofy name effects sales of one of the most powerful consoles ever made, then again it doesn’t really take a lot to send the internet into a frenzy, even less to set about the masses into making memes.
The Xbox One X (try saying that five times fast), will be available November 7th, 2017 with a $499 price tag.