Microsoft’s “This is an Xbox” marketing campaign in November always felt a little too early. If you ask a friend or family member what an Xbox is, the response is likely going to be “it’s a game console.” Xbox is ingrained in popular culture as a box under your TV that you play games on, but Microsoft’s ads over the past six months have been attempting to redefine the Xbox as a platform that spans across phones, laptops, TVs, handheld gaming PCs, and even VR headsets.
The ads did a great job of drawing attention to the platform, but the perception of the Xbox brand as just a console is still a huge challenge that Microsoft needs to overcome if its latest strategy is going to be successful. I can already sense some trouble ahead.
Ever since Microsoft unveiled its ROG Xbox Ally handheld devices earlier this month, I keep hearing from friends that are asking about an “Xbox handheld.” YouTubers with millions of followers have positioned these handheld gaming PCs as “the first Xbox handheld,” which is true if you believe in Microsoft’s marketing, but false in reality because they don’t natively run Xbox games, only PC versions.
Microsoft’s answer to this potential confusion is tha …