“Xbox” is a pretty good name for a console, right? Yeah, of course it is. You know what isn’t? Literally everything else Microsoft considered before landing on “Xbox”.
In an interview with Edge, Xbox godfather Seamus Blackley explained that “xbox” (shortened from DirectX Box) was not legally sound as a product name, so they went through a series of names and codenames, and eventually the product naming guys proved so inept that the shaky ground Xbox name stuck. Here’s what it was up against, somehow:
-MAX (Microsoft Action Experience)
– AIO (All In One)
– MIND (Microsoft Interactive Network Device)
– FACE (Full Action centre)
– MITH (Microsoft Interactive Theatre)
– XON (Experience Optimised Network)
– MVPC (Microsoft Virtual Play centre)
– TAC (Total Action centre — discs/games could be called TACs)
– MARC (Microsoft Action Reality centre)
– LEX (Live Entertainment Experience)
– M-PAC (Microsoft Play and Action centre)
– RPM (Real Performance Machine)
– MOX (Microsoft Optimal Experience)
– E2 (Extreme Experience)
– MTG (Microsoft Total Gaming)
– VIP (Virtual Interactive Player)
– PTP or P2P (Powered To Play)
– VIC (Virtual Interactive centre — disks/games could be called VICs)
– MARZ (Microsoft Active Reality Zone)
– TSO (Three, Six, Zero)
– EHQ (Entertainment Headquarters)
– O2 (Optimal Ozone or Optical Odyssey)
– MIC (Microsoft Interactive centre)
– R&R (Reality and Revolution)
– MEA (Microsoft Entertainment Activator)
– AMP (Active Microsoft Player)
– VPS (Virtual Play System)
– MAP (Microsoft Action Play)
– MEGA (Microsoft Entertainment & Gaming Attendant or Microsoft Entertainment & Gaming Assembly)
– CPG (CyberPlayGround)
– VERV (Virtual Entertainment & Reality Venture)
– OM (Odyssey of the Mind)
– P2 (PowerPlay)
– IS1 (Interactive System In One)
– MET (Microsoft Entertainment Technology or Microsoft Entertainment Theatre)
Uhhh, yeah. That worked out for the best for everyone. [Edge via BI]