It’s been confirmed online that Microsoft has recently acquired the rights to a few new domain names, including a couple of domains that may hint at the name of the next Xbox.
The two domains in question are Xbox8.us and Xbox8.org, and although this doesn’t exactly speak volumes, it’s a rather odd domain name to go for, as the next Xbox will be only the third in the family.
Other sites grabbed by Microsoft include XboxPhone.com, XboxTablet.com, XboxLiveTV.com and XboxCompanion.com. These domains were previously owned by a Chinese resident named Cheung Juan. After a ruling, he was deemed to have no legitimate claim or interest in the domains, and so Microsoft was able to obtain them.
Whilst there’s certainly no real reason for Microsoft to call the next Xbox the Xbox 8 (other than tying it into the Windows 8 brand, of course), the same could have been said before the Xbox 360 arrived, and so it’s not implausible that this could be the next name for the console. However, it is far more likely that Microsoft simply doesn’t want any Xbox-related domain names doing the rounds outside of its own walls. At the time of writing, xbox8.com is a non-descript search page, so we’d expect Microsoft may well attempt to snatch that too.
Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here. And be our Facebook chum here.