If Microsoft has learned anything from its previous mistakes with launching a product without the matching domains — then it’s quite possible that the company’s next generation console will be called the “Xbox Fusion”.
Microsoft owns the name in a variety of different extensions and it has for years.
Speculation about the name being called “Xbox Fusion” isn’t anything new. But what separates “Xbox Fusion” and only a few other names from the rest of the list, is that not only does Microsoft own the dot-com (WHOIS), it owns a slew of other domains like XboxFusion.info, XboxFusion.biz, XboxFusion.de, XboxFusion.co.uk – the list goes on and on.
Speculation of the next gen console’s name has gone wild, fueled lately by the recent leak on Reddit of what may be the logo.
Names being kicked around include the Xbox 720, Xbox Infinity, Xbox Infinite, Xbox Gold, Xbox 8, Xbox Durango, Xbox Next, and more.
Domain investor Andy Booth – who knows a thing or two about domains with names like samurai.com – dropped me an email out of the blue saying he believes Microsoft will go with “Xbox Fusion” based on the number of names the company has registered and that the “infinity” symbol is also interpreted as “fusion”.
In case you haven’t been keeping a score card of Microsoft’s matching domains, here’s a look:
Xbox720.com (WHOIS) – Microsoft does not own the domain.
XboxInfinity.com (WHOIS) – Microsoft does not own the domain.
Xbox8.com (WHOIS) -Microsoft does not own the domain.
XboxDurango.com (WHOIS) – Microsoft does not own the domain.
XboxInfinite.com (WHOIS) – Microsoft does not own the domain.
XboxFusion.com (WHOIS) – Microsoft owns the domain.
XboxNext.com (WHOIS) – Microsoft owns the domain.
XboxGold.com (WHOIS) – Microsoft owns the domain.
So will Microsoft go with a name it doesn’t currently own? Or with a name already in its portfolio?
We should know in late May.
For those of you who don’t remember, Microsoft got off to a somewhat embarrassing start with the initial release of the Xbox console back in 2001 by not even owning the trademark to Xbox. Although it eventually acquired the mark, Microsoft, like many big companies and their worst kept secrets, has often failed to secure the domain name ahead of time before the product was announced or launched. Halo 4 and Kinect.com are just two examples.
Currently, XboxFusion.com redirects visitors to Xbox.com, while XboxNext and XboxGold redirect users to Bing.
Talking about this story: SlashGear, IGN, Joystiq, Game Informer, NowGamer, MCV, Neowin, Softpedia, Games.com, VG247, Gameranx, GamingBolt, Den of Geek, BeefJack, Game Rant, WinBeta, Connected Digital World, Ping! Zine Web Tech Magazine, This is Xbox, iDigitalTimes, iTech Post, Gamers.fr, GameZone, 411mania.com, Game Guru, Gameblog, GameStar, Digital Spy, Digital Trends, Shacknews, TechRadar UK, Xbox 360 – The Official Magazine, Ubergizmo, PC Games, PC INpact, Vandal, Eurogamer.it, WinFuture, Gaming Everything, Geekets, International Business Times, Game7, Gamenguide, Gadget Insiders, GameDynamo, gamona.de, Jeux Video.fr, jeuxvideo24.com, GameFly, playm.de, Bitbag, Develop, WebProNews, TechnoBuffalo, Xboxygen, Warp Zoned, The Slanted and NeoGAF
(Image of next-generation Xbox logo via Reddit)