It’s Confusing, But Microsoft’s New Console Generation Is Just Called “Xbox”

Microsoft confirmed the long-rumored Xbox Lockhart console recently, and as expected, it’s called Xbox Series S. It plays the same games as Xbox Series X, similar to how Xbox One S and Xbox One X have the same library. But because we’ve spent nearly a year referring to Microsoft’s next generation as “Xbox Series X,” it’s suddenly a bit confusing. You can’t just say a game is coming to Xbox Series X, as we have in the past, because that suggests it’s not coming to Xbox Series S. But this all goes back to a point from last December that has seemingly gone under the radar: The new generation of consoles is simply called Xbox. Series X (and now Series S) are simply model names.

A Microsoft spokesperson stated this plainly to Business Insider in December, shortly after the Xbox Series X name was revealed at The Game Awards: “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.”

But because we only had one iteration of next-gen Xbox we knew about, everyone simply carried on calling it Xbox Series X. And why wouldn’t they? To simply say “Xbox” would cause confusion, because that sounds either like you’re referring to the original Xbox system or the Xbox ecosystem as a whole, spanning all generations. It’s a problem not unlike what we encountered when the Xbox One was introduced. Written out, it’s reasonably clear, but speak the words “Xbox One” aloud and you’re left in ambiguous territory where it’s unclear if you’re talking about the current generation or Microsoft’s first-ever console.

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