Xbox Series X: Why You Can't Pre-Order It Yet

Microsoft has announced the official name for Project Scarlett is Xbox Series X. Xbox Series X is scheduled to release during the holiday season in 2020 alongside Sony's PlayStation 5. However, despite revealing the console at The Game Awards, Microsoft isn't ready to open pre-orders just yet--if you want to buy it, you'll have to keep waiting. And that's an intentional choice on the part of Microsoft.

"We think, in the end, what people want from us is ... to put a controller [in their] hand," Xbox partner director of program management Jason Ronald told GameSpot. "People tell me, 'Hey, I want to pre-order right now,' and we definitely love that--like it's great to have those fans--but I also know that these investments aren't trivial for families. I want to be transparent about what our design goals are."

To ensure customers know what they're paying for, Microsoft is going to hold off on pre-orders for a little longer. Though we now know a lot more about Xbox Series X--like its name, its PC desktop-looking design, the new share button on its controllers, how it will work with Project xCloud, and a host of other details--we're still in the dark about quite a few things. The big one is, of course, its price tag.

More than anything though, Microsoft doesn't want to start selling Xbox Series X yet because customers haven't had a chance to try the console yet. The Game Awards presents a wonderful platform for announcements, but, as Ronald puts it, the show doesn't present "an opportunity for people to play--it's a stage."