Microsoft's new console is named Xbox and not Xbox Series X

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Oh boy, here we go. Microsoft seemed to be making all the right moves with its next-gen console, then it went and named it the Xbox Series X. But wait, it gets even more confusing from there because Microsoft is now saying that the Xbox Series X is actually just the "Xbox." 

Confused? So are we. But we'll do our best to break it down. 

Microsoft shocked the world at The Game Awards last week by revealing the Xbox Series X, the company's next-gen console. During the reveal, Microsoft posted a slide on the massive screen behind Phil Spencer that read "The New Xbox Series X...Holiday 2020." It turns out, the size of the words on that slide matter quite a bit. 

As Business Insider points out, XBOX is written in large letters while Series X is much smaller underneath. This hinted what Microsoft would later confirm: that the console family is called Xbox while the specific model is the Series X. 

"The name we're carrying forward to the next generation is simply Xbox," a Microsoft rep told Business Insider. "And at The Game Awards you saw that name come to life through the Xbox Series X."

In short, the console line (the 4th Gen Xbox) is called Xbox while the specific console we can buy in late 2020 is the Series X model. Of course, Microsoft will eventually introduce new models to the "Xbox" line, in the same way the Xbox One was followed by the One S and One X. 

A Microsoft representative all but confirmed as much to Business Insider, stating, "Similar to what fans have seen with previous generations, the name 'Xbox Series X' allows room for additional consoles in the future."

If we've learned anything from this, it's that Microsoft likes to over-complicate things, especially when it comes to the names of its products. 

But hey, who cares? This thing is going to be ridiculously powerful when it lands Holiday 2020. You can find out exactly how powerful (and everything else about the next-gen console) in our Xbox Series X (or just Xbox) rumors hub

Phillip Tracy

Phillip Tracy is the assistant managing editor at Laptop Mag where he reviews laptops, phones and other gadgets while covering the latest industry news. After graduating with a journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Phillip became a tech reporter at the Daily Dot. There, he wrote reviews for a range of gadgets and covered everything from social media trends to cybersecurity. Prior to that, he wrote for RCR Wireless News covering 5G and IoT. When he's not tinkering with devices, you can find Phillip playing video games, reading, traveling or watching soccer.