Xbox One X sales rank at one point grew up to 747% as many people accidentally purchased it mistaking it for the new Xbox Series X.
Microsoft just recently launched the pre-orders for the much-awaited Xbox Series X. The gaming community has hyped up the next-gen console so much in the last few months that people are racing to order it ahead of everybody else. Unfortunately, this situation has led many to mistakenly purchase the Xbox One X instead of the Xbox Series X.
Massive surge in Xbox One X sales
Multiple reports have surfaced concerning a massive increase in the Amazon sales ranking of the Xbox One X. According to Video Games Chronicle, Amazon’s Movers and Shakers page saw at one point a 747% growth, ranking at 317 overall. This is a massive leap from its previous 1,685 ranking.
Another more recent report from GameSpot saw the older console with a 431% sales increase. Even a refurbished version of the One X has reportedly experienced a 101% growth in sales.
Xbox One X sales rank is up 747% on Amazon lol…
Wonder how many people bought an Xbox One X instead of an Xbox Series X https://t.co/atj4thPwqD pic.twitter.com/CUzRkib3Sr
— Andrew Alerts (@AndrewAlerts) September 22, 2020
A case of mistaken identity?
Now it is a big question whether this is just a part of an impressive marketing ploy from Microsoft or if people are purchasing the older console by mistake. However, it seems like the case is leaning towards the latter.
Microsoft has discontinued the production of the current generation console. Despite this, people can still buy the last remaining units of the Xbox One X. With how similar the names of the current and next-gen consoles are, it’s not surprising that many people mistake one for the other.
In fact, typing “Xbox Series X” on the Amazon search bar would result in Series X and the One X as the top two results. Not only that, the similarities also extend to their appearance with both having the same black shading.
Confusing naming convention
Earlier this month, the One X trended on Twitter alongside the Xbox Series X announcement. Many were confused as to why the current generation console became a trend when all the attention was on the Series X.
This confusion then turned into criticism directed towards Microsoft’s naming convention for their products. Many believe that the way Microsoft names their products makes it difficult for people to distinguish them from each other.
For Rami Ismail, a developer for Nuclear Throne, claims that One X trending and its increase in sales ranking are proofs of this confusing nomenclature.
Congrats to everyone who said "the Xbox naming is absolutely not confusing haha you must be really dense if you think anyone would confuse these", you've shown yourself to have no idea what the fuck you're talking about. https://t.co/7DlICyyxiS
— Rami Ismail (رامي) (@tha_rami) September 22, 2020
For the folks arguing last week that the Xbox naming is absolutely not confusing and everybody calls it Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S and the game developers who trip up are incompetent: this was the immediate *trending* response to the Xbox Series S and Series X announcements. https://t.co/Wn160O8VX5
— Rami Ismail (رامي) (@tha_rami) September 8, 2020
Shahid Ahmad, who was with PlayStation for a decade, even compared Microsoft’s naming structure to that of the PlayStation’s.
“Obviously I’m biased, but I find the Xbox nomenclature confusing,” he says. “With PlayStation, I know if I buy a PS5, that it’s going to be a generational leap over the PS4. If I buy an Xbox Series S though, where does that sit and what am I missing out on by not getting a Series X?”
Featured image courtesy of steamXO/Flickr