So, it has officially been launched and we finally got our first proper look at it a few weeks ago when Microsoft took the wrapping off the new Xbox One at E3 2017 in Los Angeles. Project Scorpio, as it was codenamed, has been eagerly awaited by us at ICXM—and all our readers—for 12 months from when it was first teased at E3 2016 and we finally got to see a glimpse of it.
The console looks the business, as it has the specifications, as expected. There will also be over 40 titles that we are promised when it goes on sale this fall ($499 in the United States and £449 in the United Kingdom), but while we are excited and can’t wait to get our hands on the first proper 4K console, there’s one err…issue—yeah, you guessed it, it’s the name.
Most had expected—or at least hoped—it would be called Xbox Scorpio, and several media outlets were reporting that just hours before the official unveiling. Alas, when it came to it, the name was not Xbox Scorpio, no—and yeah you know it by now—it was Xbox One X. Cue much disappointment and sad faces.
Really? Xbox One X…surely it is a mistake and we are going to wake up and find out it is a massive April Fool’s joke—albeit late or early—or just some sort of joke? Sadly, not. Well, why did they call it the Xbox One X then?
Apparently, there is a good reason Xbox Scorpio wasn’t used and it is all because it is so difficult to get the trademark on that name as the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, confirmed to IGN. “I know a lot of people wanted us to call it Scorpio—Xbox One Scorpio. But that’s a hard one to get the trademark for,” he said. Spencer also told the same publication that the Elite name was considered, but rejected as it had already been used, and that One has to be included as Microsoft wants to reinforce the brand.
So, that’s it…Xbox One X it is.
Whatever you think of the name though, it is the quality of the console and the games you can play on it that really counts. Names come and go—and we have seen this historically with various games, think 21 or slots etc., etc. for example, before the era of consoles and computers. Microsoft has decided, and while we can’t help but be a tad disappointed—and agree with many of you that Xbox One X and Xbox One S sound rather too similar—what matters now for Xbox fans is that it lives up to its billing as being the world’s most powerful console. All of us at ICXM have our fingers crossed and we can’t wait for November when it goes on sale. Then like most of you, we will be off to the shops to get the Xbox One X or maybe just XBOX–if you just want to break it down to an acronym. Clever, no?
Maybe that’s the way forward…you there Microsoft? Just a cheeky thought…At the end of the day though, it’s only a name. And what’s in a name? Eh? It’s what’s inside that matters.
Antonio was a regular ICXM contributor between 2016–2017, publishing 112 articles across game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One X launch year and Microsoft’s wider Play Anywhere / UWP gaming initiative.