Xbox Series X Pre-orders Lead to Major Boost in Xbox One X Sales by Mistake
The Xbox Series X and Xbox One X seemed to confuse some customers as they rushed to pre-order the next-gen console.
It seems that Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox Series X and current-gen Xbox One X are confusing some customers rushing to secure a Series X pre-order. In fact, the Amazon sales rank for the Xbox One X, an upgraded current-gen console that was released in 2017, went up 747% when Series X pre-orders opened yesterday. The likely cause of this sudden boost to sales? People mistaking the Xbox One X for the Xbox Series X due to their very similar names. And it doesn’t help that both consoles were priced at $499 yesterday.
According to IGN, Amazon sold twice as many Xbox One consoles yesterday than in the last 60 days. The outlet also noted that Amazon did not see the same increase in PlayStation 4 sales when PS5 pre-orders went live last week, suggesting that this situation is unique to Xbox.
While the differences between the Xbox Series X and Xbox One X might be obvious to you, fellow gaming enthusiast, it’s also true that the names can be a little confusing for those who aren’t in the know. Even Microsoft’s own marketing team has made a mistake in at least one occasion, according to The Verge senior editor Tom Warren:
I wouldn’t necessarily call a boost in Xbox One X sales a “setback” for Microsoft (although it’ll be interesting to see how many of those orders get canceled or returned in the coming days), but it is just one of the many issues that arose when Xbox Series X pre-orders opened yesterday. Although Microsoft sought to avoid the pandemonium caused by Sony with PS5 pre-orders last week, retailers couldn’t seem to keep with the sudden rush of customers at 11 am ET on Tuesday.
Retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and GameStop crashed soon after pre-orders opened, and many people were left without a pre-order as stores sold out of the next-gen consoles within minutes. Target wouldn’t let some people actually add a console to their carts. Even The Microsoft Store went down almost immediately.
Microsoft has reassured fans that there will be more Xbox Series X and Series S consoles in stock at launch for those who weren’t able to secure a pre-order. At least those unfortunate souls who purchased an Xbox One X will have another at the next-gen consoles in November.
The Xbox Series X and Series S, which are priced at $499 and $299 respectively, will launch on Nov. 10. Here’s a guide on how and where to pre-order these consoles. And once you secure your pre-order, here’s the complete list of confirmed games coming to the Xbox Series X/S at launch.
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John Saavedra is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Den of Geek. He lives in New York City with his two cats.